Page 72 of A Taste of Trouble

When his eyes finally met hers, what she saw was not disgust, but desire. Heat flushed her face. Not only from his approval, but for the way he looked in his dark jeans and button-up shirt.

She reached down to take off her boots but he stopped her. “Keep those on.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.” He walked over and laid her coat over the black leather couch. He motioned down to her feet. “Red sole.”

“You know the red sole?”

“I have two sisters. My older sister, Briget, bought a pair of red sole shoes with her very first paycheck from her very first full-time job. They were all she could talk about for a month.”

“Totally warranted.” Liv rested against the back of the couch. Silence. Useless small talk? Was that what she was supposed to engage? “You have a great place.”

“Thanks. Can I get you a drink?”

“Sure.”

He disappeared into the kitchen to grab their drinks, giving Liv the opportunity to nose around his place.

It was a loft, equipped with a full stainless steel kitchen to the left, and in front of her, sleek modern furniture surrounded a glass coffee table. Facing that was a flat screen television that was attached to the wall. In the corner there was a gas fireplace and a couple of squishy-looking chairs. She glanced up and noticed the bedroom overlooked the entire space. His style was minimalist, no clutter, decorated with black and white oversized photos. Probably his own. The loft was very Jake—cool, casual, and sexy.

Liv's attention was drawn to one particular picture hanging above the fireplace. It was of a field, tall dense trees lining the background, and at the forefront were two hands, fingers threaded together, obviously a man and a woman. One hand was dainty, the other callused and weathered. Based on the angle, it looked as if the picture was taken from only three feet off the ground. It was romantic, honestly. Totally not the type of picture she expected to be hanging in the residence of a so-called womanizer.

“Do you like it?”

Liv turned around to find Jake standing behind her, two beers in his hands. “It's beautiful.” She grabbed one of the bottles. “All of the pictures are beautiful, but I do like this one the best. Are they all yours?”

“Yes.” Pride filled his eyes. Photography, just another thing that didn't reconcile with the man she'd originally met.

“I love it.” It was like something out of her romance novels. A couple, walking hand in hand into their happily ever after.

“I was about seven years old when I took that photo. Those are the hands of my grandparents.” He gazed at the picture with such affection.

“You love them very much?” she asked.

He fixed his eyes on her, sadness washing over his face. “Loved. They've both passed on.”

“I'm so sorry.” A pang of guilt hit her hard. Her grandparents were still alive, and she barely made an effort to visit.

“Thanks.” He straightened his shoulders. “I know it's customary to ask if you would like a tour, but this is pretty much it.” It seemed as though grandparents were a soft and sore spot for him.

Jake pointed out the various areas. “Kitchen, bathroom, great room.”

He was forgetting the most important room. She sauntered closer, wetting her lips, heat washing over her body at the thought of what dirty things she could entice him to do if they just walked up those stairs to the bedroom.

She sidled up to him. His lips parted, making room for her tongue to swipe across his bottom lip. Oh yeah, she had him.

Liv whispered in his ear, “You're forgetting one room.”

He swallowed.

“Why don't you show me the bedroom?”

Chapter Nineteen

Liv gasped when Jake grabbed at her waist and pulled her to him with a sharp tug. “Ms. Crawford, are you trying to seduce me?”

She brushed her nose against his neck as her hand settled on his lower back. “Is it working?”

---