Page 16 of Broken Ice, Mended Hearts

“Thanks. Let’s go out there.” I opened the door and let him go first.

We walked to the edge of the patio, and he looked around before treating me to one of his smiles with the pouty lower lip. “It’s amazing out here. I don’t think ‘garden’ does it justice. InSweden, the word isträdgård, I think it sounds better, more like what you’ve got.”

I snickered. “Sounds a little like you’re sneezing when you say it, but thanks.”

He scoffed. “What do you call it?”

Smiling, I puffed out my chest. “Le jardin de Gagné.”

“I must admit that sounds pretty good. But I’ll stick withträdgård.”

“I hereby grant you the privilege.”

“Whatever we call it, it’s fucking beautiful.”

“Want to sit out here for a while? It’s cooled off for the night, so maybe we should take advantage of it.”

“I’d love to. Can we walk around before we sit? I want to see the royal gardens up close.”

“Fuck off, asshole.”

He led the way, leaving me to admire the view—and this time, it wasn’t the garden. Holmer’s shorts were so snug I could see the flex of his muscles with every step. After each breathtaking contraction, they shifted, creating ripples that traveled down to hamstrings so powerful they could have towed a car. His hips swayed as he walked, the manly swagger making my heart flutter. Fucking hell. My mouth went dry from looking at him.

Interrupting my lustful gaze, he looked around the yard and whooped. “Do you keep all this up? Do the gardening yourself?”

I walked up beside him and gave him a deadpan look. “I water every petal personally and get up at five o’clock every morning to dust all the roots.”

He snorted. “It was a reasonable question. Some people love gardening.”

“And you think I would? Asshole.” Laughing, I added, “Or should that word be ‘gags,’ like in Swedish?”

“Yeah, yeah. Like you said before, fuck off.”

“And deprive you of my unsurpassed wisdom?”

“You know, I’m thinking they’re right about you. You’d be in better shape if you ran your legs half as much as your mouth.”

I scoffed. “Keep rolling your eyes. Maybe you’ll find a brain back there.”

We continued chirping each other while we walked around. I’d always liked people who gave as good as they got, and…Shit.My thoughts turned to sex, and I wondered if Sven preferred to give or take. I’d never thought about being the catcher before. Danny had loved taking it, so there was no doubt I’d be the pitcher.

“Pip? What do you think?”

Blinking, I turned to him. “Sorry, what did you say?”

One side of his mouth edged up into a smirk. “Past your bedtime? I asked what else you’d like to do. Or should I go home? We could get together tomorrow.”

“You just got here. Let’s sit by the pool since it’s cooler tonight.”

“I’d like that.” Before we could move, he swept his gaze down my body, and as he made his way back up to my face, my legs got weak. I hoped his once-over meant he was interested in more than the pool, but that idea brought on a fresh wave of nervousness.

He held up his beer bottle. “Finished. Could I get some water?”

“I need some too. This way.” I led him to a covered area near the pool that had a bar, shower, and storage area. Since the weather was clear with no rain in sight, I’d left it open. We tossed our empties into the recycling container and got bottles of water from the fridge. “All set?” I asked.

He nodded, and I flicked more switches, turning off all the lights except the ones near the pool, then dimming them until they cast a faint glow. With a hand on his elbow, I led us toward the poolside, which was surrounded by chaises. Twowere situated close together, almost touching, because the last time Kev Moore had visited, we’d played cards there. I directed Sven to one of them, and I settled in the other.

Following a contented sigh, he told me again how much he liked my home. As I turned to thank him, our eyes met, and a jolt of electricity surged through my gut. He was so close I could smell him, the masculine scent reaching straight to my balls. I had a crazy impulse to move to his chaise and cuddle. We could wrap our arms around each other and?—

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