“Probably.” He flashed his perfect white teeth at me.
My gaze dropped to his mouth, and I had to fight desperately to keep from doing something really stupid. Like kiss him the way my lips burned to.
“I have plans,” I said weakly.
“I know. We just went over them. Pizza. Beer—”
I held up my hand. “I got it. I got it.”
“Good.” He dipped his head closer to mine, our eyes locked. His were full of the kind of mischief I definitely wanted a part of.
He rapped his knuckles on the counter twice, and I jumped, narrowly avoiding head butting him. That grin turned knowing before he backed out of my space.
“Wait to change until I’m out of the shower. I need my privacy,” he said over his shoulder as he sauntered toward the bedroom.
I sagged against the counter when he disappeared, blindly feeling around for my wine glass. Once in hand, I downed the rest in one long swallow. Sweet Jesus that man put me in a tailspin.
He couldn’t get that close again. I’d never survive however long we lived together.
I marched down the hall with determined steps.
“We need to establish . . .” I lost my train of thought at the sight of him bare-chested, coveralls hanging off his hips. We had to get that bathroom fixed. Stat.
“Establish?” He twirled his hand in front of him in a finish that thought gesture.
I cleared my throat and dragged my eyes away from those cut abs up to his face. So that wasn’t really a hardship. “Boundaries. We need to establish boundaries.”
He shook his index finger at me. “Yes. I told you I needed some privacy, yet you tear in here like the house is on fire.”
“You can’t get in my personal space again.”
Holt shoved his coveralls off his hips, leaving him only in charcoal gray boxer briefs. “Easy, we live together. You can’t get any more up in each other’s personal space than that.”
I cinched a hand on my waist. “This what I’m talking about. You can’t walk around in your underwear. Or drink my wine without asking. Or—”
He stepped closer, a distinct ridge evident against the cotton of his underwear. I stepped back.
“That’s what this is about. I drank your wine.” His smile was conciliatory. “We’ve got nothing to worry about. That sure as hell won’t happen again.”
Holt moved toward my bathroom, pausing when he got to the splintered doorframe. “Since this is broken,” he motioned to the door, “can you give me a minute? I won’t be long. I need my privacy.”
The bastard didn’t wait for a reply, dropping his underwear to the floor, so that all I was left with was an unobstructed view of his perfect ass.
Taut muscles defined the planes of his back, which gave way to his solid behind. And damn his legs. Long, thick with muscle I imagined came from hiking or mountain climbing. He was the picture of strength, and my second time looking at his naked form was no less awe-inspiring than the first.
My nipples pebbled into hard buds that stabbed through the thin lace of my bra. The silk fabric of my dress did nothing to disguise my physical reaction to him. I couldn’t make myself move, not even when the water turned on.
Holt’s face appeared in the doorway. I ignored the disappointment that I couldn’t see any more of him.
“You still standing there?” He knew damn well I hadn’t moved if that smirk was any indication. “I’m sorry. Guess I should’ve extended an invitation. But you wanted your boundaries, right?”
“You apparently don’t know what that word means. Enjoy your shower.” I lifted my chin and strutted from the room with an extra sway to my hips. Tit for tat and all.
Once I couldn’t feel his eyes on me any longer, I picked up my pace. I breezed through the kitchen, picked up my purse, keys, and phone. No way in hell was I doing roommate night or whatever he called it. Not when all I’d be able to think about was him . . . naked . . . and wet.
I leaned against the wall as I waited for the elevator. Wasn’t he the one who was supposed to be having illicit thoughts? Instead, it was me who had soaked panties and heart palpitations.
Nope. I was going out. And if all went to plan, I wasn’t coming back home to face more of this tension. How had this suddenly gotten so complicated?
Chapter Four
Holt
“Easy?”
The apartment was quiet. Too still.
I readjusted the towel around my hips and went in search of her in the kitchen. No luck. If her missing purse was any indication, she’d bolted.
Had I scared her? In a creepy, pervert kind of way?
I’d meant to keep my clothes on, but that red dress had me going straight out of my mind. I was torn between wanting to leave it and those sex-kitten shoes she was wearing on and getting her naked as fast as possible. For the first time in my life, it was well and truly a toss-up.
Fuck me, I was hard again just thinking about those pouty lips and what they’d feel like on me. Anywhere. I’d take anywhere.
I grabbed a beer out of the fridge. If I was a pervert, I’d still turned her on. Those crimson stained cheeks and dilated pupils didn’t lie.
Damn it all to hell. She made it easy to forget she’d been abused. In what way and by who, I didn’t know, though I was determined to find out.
That right there—my inability to keep my clothes on around her—was exactly why I hadn’t come home last night. Look where it had gotten me. Alone. No Baker anywhere to be found. And wasn’t that why I’d moved in with her in the first place? To make it impossible for her to avoid me.
Clearly, I didn’t think this through.
I tossed my towel on the bed and shoved one leg into my jeans. What did I want from her? A relationship? I laughed, a mirthless sound. God, no. Sex? God, yes. But it was more than that. I didn’t know for sure, just that I wanted. And whatever that something was, I wanted it from her. Only her.
Three months in and I’d already screwed up. Hence, I was here by myself wondering where she took off to.
I yanked a gray Henley out of the clean clothes hamper I’d yet to fold and pulled it over my head.
My brother was going to kill me, but I had to call in a favor. I hoped Trish was on board to help me out.
This wasn’t her kind of place.
The thought was rich, considering I didn’t really know her at all. But the thumping bass and throngs of bodies mashed together weren’t Easy. She’d like a dim bar with a softer music so she could actually have a conversation.
I scanned through the backlit club. This wasn’t my kind of place, either. Leather and lace abounded on men and women who hopped around like the music pumped straight into their veins.
Suddenly, I felt like an old man. There was a time when I would have eaten this scene up, been right in the thick of it with all these people. Now, I just wanted to find Baker and go home with her.
This was like finding a needle in a haystack. Thank goodness I was a patient man.
I circled the perimeter, checking the few tables and the parts of the dance floor I could see. She was nowhere to be found.
I scaled a set of stairs and pushed my way to the railing of a balcony.
Like a beacon, my eyes landed on her in the center of everything. Her hands lifted above her head and she moved with a sensuality that had me leaning closer. I couldn’t take my gaze from her. That red dress glowed under the lights. She tossed her head back as if drinking in the scene. Gathering strength or peace or maybe a little bit of both.