Page 46 of Never In My Wildest Dreams

She’d played it off like it was a big joke.

I’m going to get off in the shower now. Ha ha.

But no way would she do that. Not with him out there listening.Right?

No, of course not. I would never.

Desire spread through her in a hot rush. Then again, what if he did hear, would he storm in here and give her that feral look? Would he strip off his clothes, throw open the glass door and claim her mouth? Take her up against the wall…

No, stop. You’re not having sex with him.

God, no. Not when she had no idea how long they’d be stuck together. If things went sideways, it’d be disastrous. Neither had anywhere to go. They had to stop playing with each other.

I’m the one playing.

Not him. He hadn’t given her even a hint of innuendo.

And then, she remembered what he’d said. He can read a woman’s expression. She bet, when he looked at her, he saw wariness.

You’re not going to hurt me, are you?

Please don’t hurt me.

She got what he was saying. Of course, he’d see that. After what Landon and Cis had done, she wouldn’t be trusting anyone for a very long time. If ever.

But wait a minute.Was she feeling that way with him? She wasn’t fragile or worried or anything like that. In fact, there was only one thing hecouldsee when he looked into her eyes.

Her need to be touched. To feel like a woman in the most primal way.

She needed a man to look at her the way Slick did. Like he wanted to devour her.

Maybe he’s exactly what I need.

The water started to cool down, so she quickly washed and conditioned her hair. It got even colder, but she had to shave. What if they shared a bed again, and his leg brushed against hers?

When she stepped out of the shower, she wrapped a towel around her body, and a second one around her hair, twisted it, and swung the tail down her back. While it seemed bizarre to even think about sleeping with a total stranger, her attraction went beyond anything she’d ever experienced.

It was just… she felt a real connection to him. Maybe because they had so many things in common. She didn’t know exactly, but on some level, shegothim.

He came off all hard and cold, a heartless businessman with his fancy watch and designer boots. But she’d seen him stare at that tackle box. One hand on top of it, the other squeezing his knee as if he was holding back a tide of emotion.

The man felt things deeply.

He was genuine. He spoke the truth, even when it was difficult. And it was the only reason she could relax around a total stranger in her space.

Thanks to the generator, the cabin was comfortably warm, making it easy to shed her towels and get dressed. She set aside the puffy robe and chose leggings and an oversized sweatshirt. Sliding her feet back into her slippers, she headed for the door.

Right before she opened it, she glanced at the dresser. On top, she had an assortment of perfumes and candles. Even though she’d seen evidence of his attraction to her—without makeup, unbathed, and in a robe that made her look like a marshmallow—she couldn’t help wanting to…appeal to him.

So, she spritzed a tiny amount of her favorite scent on her wrists and rubbed them together. And then, just as she was putting the bottle back, she did one last blast on her collarbone.

Excited to see him, she hurried out of the room. She’d make hot cocoa—oh, wait. He wouldn’t like her pods.That’s fine. Maybe he could teach her how to make the real thing. They could sit by the fire with bowls of popcorn and mugs of cocoa piled high with whipped cream.

But when she came into the living room, she found he wasn’t there. She checked the kitchen. No, the cabin was empty. “Slick?” she called, though she didn’t know why. He wasn’t there.

She got a sickening feeling he’d left without saying goodbye. Doubts and insecurities spilled like paint from a kicked bucket, staining her self-esteem. She was too weird for him. Hadn’t he caught her singing and dancing that morning? She smelled funky from not bathing for two days.Oh, God. She closed her eyes when she remembered she’d talked about parallel lives and pretend cats.

Worst of all, he’d never met a grown woman who didn’t know how to use a flipping cheese grater.

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