Page 25 of Wild Love

"How are you liking the place so far?" he asked as he stood next to me.

I was hyperaware of his presence. His body exuded strength, his brain intelligence. He was sexy.

"Scarlett?" Eli prompted me again.

I had to pull myself together. He was being neighborly and satisfying my brother's overprotectiveness. This was not a seduction, even if it felt like that to my body. My brain was reminding me that no intelligent, successful man would be attracted to me. I was a mess on a good day. "It's too much." He was too much.

Eli's eyes sparkled with amusement. "Are you going to move out?"

I laughed then. "Absolutely not. You offered me this place. Now you won't be able to get me out."

"I have no plans to kick you out. I like having a neighbor. Asnice as it was when my brothers moved out, it's been too quiet up here."

"You miss your brothers?" That sent a pang through my heart.

"We're close. But eventually everyone wanted their own space. Xan lives in town. He prefers walking to the bars. Oliver bought a house because that was the responsible thing to do, and it was within walking distance to the elementary school for his son, Joey. But Killian and Walker crash here when they're in town. That's never for very long. They're kind of like you; they need to travel.

"If I had this to come home to, it might be harder to leave."

"Is that so?" Eli asked.

A timer sounded on the microwave.

"What's that?"

I moved toward the kitchen. "I set a timer for the chicken."

"I'm a little surprised you follow recipes so closely," Eli observed as he lifted the lid for the rice, then turned the heat down to simmer.

"You assumed that I'm not serious about anything?" I could be responsible.

"I don't know you. Just what Chance and others have said about you over the years. I know that your family hates when you leave."

"So you formed opinions about me that might not be true?"

"I'd like to get to know the real you."

"Now you know that I prefer to read directions."

"I have a feeling that's only the tip of what makes Scarlett St. Claire tick," Eli murmured as he sipped his wine, a hip against the counter.

He looked good enough to eat in my kitchen. If he were mine, I'd be exploring how quickly he could make me come before the food was done cooking.

"There's something enticing about a woman who's not what I expect."

My cheeks flushed again, and my body tingled with awareness. Eli was interested in me? When had a man ever been intrigued by me? Most were usually irritated with my desire to travel and never settle in one place. It made relationships impossible, and now I was starting to think that was my end game.

I wasn't good at relationships, so why even bother? If I stuck around long enough, I'd disappoint them. I couldn't be what people wanted. And I wasn't sure who I was.

"Can you check the chicken? I'm not sure how to tell when it's ready." I gestured at the open oven, the heat only making me feel hotter.

"A few more minutes," Eli observed before I closed the oven and downed the glass of wine. Then I poured another. Getting tipsy wasn't a good idea, but I didn't know how to deal with Eli getting to know me. Would he like what he discovered? Or would he be just as disgusted as everyone else in my family?

I was drinking from my second glass, my hand still on the bottle, when Eli touched my arm. I lowered the glass and turned to face him. "What?"

"There's nothing wrong with showing someone your true self."

I laughed uncomfortably. "What if they don't like what they see?"

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