Page 63 of Dare Me

“Oh, um…sure! We can totally do that sort of thing.” She took a sip of wine. “Just…some weeks might be super simple and seem almost…not as good as this.”

But he was only partially listening. If she wanted to cook for him, he was going to say yes every single time.

“I thought you were going to invite your family over this weekend?” he said a few bites later. “Is that still happening?”

“What? Oh, no. I put that on hold since I’m still decorating. Maybe next weekend? I’m not sure. I think everything is here that I ordered, but I’m still getting it all organized and want it to be perfect before anyone comes over to see it.”

He nodded. “Just keep me posted so I know not to say anything to Liam.”

“Okay, so you know how we made the bedroom a Donovan-free zone?”

“Um…yeah?”

“I’d like to extend that to out here too,” she said mildly. “I get that we can’t always avoid talking about them, but I kind of like it when it’s just you and me talking about us and what’s going on in our worlds. Which reminds me, maybe tomorrow you can show me the fishing property!”

“We can totally do that, but there isn’t really much to see. The land isn’t cleared yet, so really, it’s just…you know…woods.”

“Oh.”

“But we can still drive by and then I can show you the property we’re looking at for the next project.”

“I’d love it!”

“Do you have anymore shopping you need to do for the apartment? I know you just said that you thought everything was here, but…does that really mean you’re done?”

Grinning, she winked at him. “You know me too well. I’m sure that any time I walk into a Target or the mall I’ll find something I want to buy, but I think I have all the basics covered now. Like I said, I just need to organize it all and get rid of some of these boxes and then settle in.”

They ate and talked, and it was about everything and nothing at all. They managed to go from one topic to another with no rhyme or reason, and yet he looked forward to these conversations more and more.

“I set up my closet this morning,” he said after taking the last bite of his meal. “I don’t have nearly as many clothes as you do so it looks a little sparse in comparison, but I’m glad not to have all my stuff on the floor anymore.”

“We can always go shopping for more if you’d like,” she teased.

“Um…no. I’m good.” Then he took a sip of wine. “Although, I probably shouldn’t say that. Once we break ground on the resort property, I plan on being pretty hands-on with it. I’ll need toinvest in work boots and clothes that I can pretty much trash up and not worry about it.”

She gave him a sexy grin.

“What? What’s that look for?”

“I’m envisioning you in a pair of faded jeans, shirtless, and wearing a tool belt. It’s incredibly hot.”

Now he felt like he was blushing. “No, it’s not.”

“Trust me, it is.”

“I have a tool belt…”

Her eyes lit up.

“Hey, Will?”

Uh, oh…

“Yes?” he asked cautiously.

“Truth or dare?”

It was ridiculous and he knew exactly what was coming, but he played along.

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