Page 49 of Never In My Wildest Dreams

As he unwound his scarf and pulled off his hat, he chuckled. “So, that’s why I can’t get anyone to play board games with me?”

“Yeah, that’s why.” She sat up to remove her wet gloves and coat. “I threw one little snowball. And I have the upper arm strength of a cockatoo.”

“There you go with cocks again.”

“Okay now, seriously. You’re the one who brought up cocks.” She pulled off the scarf and set it to dry by the fire. “I was only talking about a bird.”

He shot her a challenging look. “Cockatoo? Out of all the birds in the world, that’s the one that came to mind?”

“What’s wrong with it?”

“You could’ve said Swallows. Robin red breasts.”

“Do you hear yourself?” She had to laugh. “You’re the one with the filthy mind.”

“Why do you think I had to go outside and shovel snow?” He sounded frustrated.

“Because we had a conversation about jungle cock?”

“No, because you invited me into the damn shower.”

“It was a joke.”Liar.

“Well, it was so funny that you just got reamed with snowballs.” When she removed her hat, he gave her a hard look. “You went outside with wet hair.”

“I was trying to get you to come back inside. You can’t shovel snow in this weather.”

“Well, I can’t be in here either.” He hung his parka on the hook by the door. “Talking about cocks and balls and naked women in showers.”

“Fine. I’ll watch what I say.” She headed into the bedroom. “Men and women can be roommates without lusting after each other, you know.”

“Not this roommate,” he muttered, flinging his beanie across the room.

As she changed back into her leggings and oversized sweatshirt, she realized she wasn’t being fair to him. He wasn’t the one experiencing some kind of sexual awakening. She was. And it was wrong of her to impose it on him when he was just trying to get through an unfortunate situation with a snowstorm and an unwanted roommate.

When she came back out, she found him stripped down to his jeans, a black Henley, and wool socks. He crouched by the fire, warming his hands.

“I’ve always been selfish.” She sat on the couch.

He cut her a look.

“The world revolved around me for years, and while I’m going through an identity crisis, it’s horrible of me to tease and flirt with you. You’re kind enough to let me stay here, and I appreciate that so much. I promise to stop making you uncomfortable.”

“Oh, yeah? You’ll stop saying the last thing I’d ever expect you to say? You’ll shut down all that sunshiney energy?” He got up, stood right in front of her, and braced his hands on the back of the couch.

Was he telling her she wasn’t being inappropriate, that he was attracted to her? It was hard to think when she was caged in like this.

“I try hard to do the right thing, Hellcat. I’m honest with my clients. I try not to step across an ethical line in a business that blurs it. I try to be a good man.”

She could smell the fresh cold snow in his hair, the laundry detergent in his shirt, and an unfamiliar scent that roused her libido. It was pine and woodsmoke, warm skin, and something unique to him.

He turned his mouth to her ear, so close, his hot breath sent chills skittering down her spine. “But in bed, I’m bad. Very, very bad.”

Her fingers lifted of their own accord and grazed his scruffy jaw. “Are you trying to scare me away? Because it’s having the opposite effect.”

“Trust me, you can’t handle me.”

She sat up, bringing their faces so close she could smell the coffee on his breath. “What does that mean exactly?”

---