It was a beautiful home.
She pulled her cream hat down over her ears, looking forward to the cocoon of warmth once she stepped inside. When she reached the door, she rang the bell.
A few moments passed before Anders pulled the door open, wearing nothing but a pair of shorts. “Liv.” His tone was cordial. Not welcoming, not cold.
Momentarily, she was struck speechless. A distracting rivulet of sweat made its way over his pec. His abs looked even more defined than the first time she’d seen him naked. The dip of muscles that headed below his shorts had her clenching in intimate places at the sight. She shook her head and reached for words. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt. It’s just, you said swing by anytime and I . . . well, I got you something.”
He didn’t take the gift she’d spent so long trying to find. His face gave little away.
“I mean, I can come back if you are busy.”
He took a deep breath, as if debating whether he wanted her around. A decision that was taking way too long for her liking. He could at least be polite. Could at least smile and tell her he was busy or something. Unless he was busy busy. Oh, god. What if she’d arrived while he’d been getting it on? Working out wasn’t the only reason he could be sweaty and wearing only a pair of shorts.
“You know, never mind. Here. It’s a housewarming gift. You said you were missing home, so I got you some Swedish things. Enjoy.” She shoved the gift bag into his arms and walked down the drive.
“Liv,” Anders shouted after her. “Vänta! Kom tillbaka. Wait. Shit. Come back.”
She paused on the drive, turning when she was certain she was calm enough. “I’m good. I get it. I should have called. I will next time.”
Anders stepped out of the front door, looking up and down the street before he came to stand in front of her. “Liv. Ge mig ett ögonblick. . . shit. Fucking English. You have to give me minutes to think.”
His eyes focused on hers before he reached for her hand, his fingers slipping between hers. “Come into the house, kämpe.”
“I don’t want to interrupt whatever’s going on . . . in there . . . whatever.” She waved her free hand in the direction of the upstairs windows.
Anders looked in the direction she was gesturing, and the corner of his mouth turned up in the closest he’d come to a smile today. “You thought there was a woman up there. That I was having sex?”
Heat filled Olivia’s cheeks and she looked away. “It’s not my business to think about what you were doing.”
“You’re jealous.”
Olivia rolled her eyes. “I’m not jealous.”
“You were, and I like it.” He pinched her chin with his thumb and forefinger, lifting her face until their eyes met. “I was just testing out the new gym setup I installed in the basement. And while I love a good weight bench, I definitely wasn’t making out with it.”
The idea of watching him work out shouldn’t be appealing, not when he was being so darn sullen.
“Come inside, Liv.”
Without a word, she allowed him to lead her into the house. The door clicked shut behind them. The interior was everything she’d thought it would be from the outside. Muted grays, hints of shimmer, lots of light. It was breathtaking, and yet not as interesting as the man who stood behind her. She caught his eyes looking at her in the tarnished silver mirror.
“Mirrors,” he said, a wry smile on his face, and Olivia flushed at the memory of the last time the two of them had stood in front of one. “Come to the kitchen.”
“You have a lovely home,” Olivia said, finally finding her feet. Small talk seemed like safe ground. The kitchen was a baker’s delight. A huge island with six stools dominated the space, the appliances were top of the range, and the delicate glass light fitting above the counter probably cost as much as a small car.
“I didn’t pick it.” Anders placed her gift on the island. “Sarah had it on her letting books. It’s convenient given I don’t know how long I’m here. I don’t know where I’m headed at the end of the season, so it didn’t make any sense to settle here permanently.”
Silence fell between them.
“We talked about being exclusive, Liv.” Anders’s fingers ran over the thin rope handles of the gift bag. “Why did you jump to the conclusion there was someone here?”
Olivia shrugged. “Yeah. I’m sorry. You just didn’t seem particularly happy to see me. And you were . . . ” She gestured up and down his body with her hand.
Anders raised an eyebrow.
“Grr. You know what I mean. You were practically naked and sweating and made no move to be friendly, or say hello, or invite me in.”
She watched as Anders dipped his hand into the bag and pulled out the Cloetta Kexchoklad. “You bought me Swedish chocolate wafers?”
“You said you were missing home.”
Anders grinned and dipped his hand in again. This time he pulled out a packet and immediately ripped it open. The salty black licorice sounded positively awful when she’d ordered it, but he popped two candies in his mouth. “Want one?” he asked.
She shook her head. “No, thanks. I’m good.”
He grinned at the bottle of julmust. When he’d finished admiring the rest of his haul, he walked toward her. “Thank you, Liv. It’s really sweet of you.” He reached for her beanie, pulling it off and running his fingers through her hair.
“I’m glad you like them.”
He placed a finger beneath her chin and lifted her face toward his. “I like you, Liv. And I said we were exclusive. You don’t need to worry about that.”
Her shoulders sagged in relief. “If I’d thought instead of reacted, I might have remembered that myself.”
Anders kissed her temple gently. “And I might have handled it differently by reacting instead of thinking.”
“What do you mean?”
“Remember what I said about being ridiculously focused? I find it hard to change gears. I was focused on setting up the gym, on working out, on packing for the road trip tomorrow to Chicago. And then you arrive, and I get paralyzed trying to break out of the thing I was focused on to change gears. And it was only possible because I was so glad to see you. It’s not just you, Liv. Sometimes, you’re just going to need to give me a minute.”
Relief flooded her. They were so different. They were going to need to figure out how to communicate more effectively. But beneath the differences was the same need for each other. And she had just barged in on his day, assuming he’d be free to see her, even though he had said she could swing by. She ran her fingertips down his bicep, the skin still damp beneath her fingers.
“I’ll leave you to finish setting up your gym. Enjoy your treats.” Olivia turned to leave, but Anders grabbed her wrist gently, tugging her back to him.
“I don’t think so.” His grin revealed a perfectly cute set of dimples. “I think you should stay and help me assemble it, and then I’ll make us lunch. It can be our first date.”
Olivia laughed. “Our first date? It’s not the most romantic first date, but it’s definitely original.”
Anders linked his fingers with hers. “I think it’s perfect. First, we’ll be able to tell how well we work together. Second, it’ll just be you and me in the basement with nobody bothering us. Third, you’ll probably have to bend over at least once and I’ll get to check out your ass in those leggings. Fourth, it’ll speed up the process of dating so we can get through the five more quickly. Fifth—”