Page 77 of Best Served Cold

I laugh and shove his chest, loving the way it feels against my hand. “You’re so cheesy.”

He gives me a wicked smile, but it slides away, and his expression turns serious. “Let’s get you inside and to bed.”

“With you?” I ask as he guides me up the porch steps.

He doesn’t answer, just holds my hand and walks to the door with me. He waits for me to unlock it, then closes and locks it behind him.

“I hope that means you’re staying,” I say.

His lips twitch, like he’s suppressing a laugh. “I need to get something to eat. I haven’t eaten since this morning.”

“Oh no. I’ll make you something.” I start to walk toward the kitchen, but he catches me with a big, broad hand across my waist.

“You know what? I’ll raid your kitchen later,” he says, turning me toward him. “There’s something else I’d like to eat.”

Holy crap. No one’s ever said anything like that to me before. No one’s made me feel irresistible either. Maybe Hannah was right about this whole rebound thing.

Before I can respond, Rob reaches down and sweeps me off my feet and into his warm arms. He carries me with such ease that I’m both breathless and speechless as he whisks me up the stairs and toward my bedroom.

“How do you remember where it is?” I ask in an undertone.

“Oh, I never forget an ABBA poster,” he says, pushing the door open with his leg. After he carries me through, he shuts it the same way, then sets me down on the edge of my bed. I remove my Crocs, feeling almost shy now that I’ve managed to get him up here. He removes his boots too.

“Take off those little shorts, Sophie.”

“Why don’t you?”

“Because I want to watch you do it,” he says. “I want to know you’re thinking about me burying my head between your legs.”

“Oh goodness.”

“Your grandmotherly phrases have have no place here, but they certainly won’t stop me. The only thing that will stop me is a no.”

I inch down my boxers, trying to make it look sexy even though I begin laughing uncontrollably, like I don’t know how to stop.

He grins at me, shaking his head a little, but then he freezes, and his gaze becomes intense as I shove the shorts down my legs and let them fall to the floor. Now I’m wearing only my Buchanan Brewery shirt, no bra, no shoes.

He swears. “You weren’t wearing anything underneath them?”

“The better to seduce you with,” I say, even though I’d planned nothing of the sort. I’d put them on for bed, thinking he’d blown me off.

The thought has the tartness of a lemon, and I feel a wave of doubt. Until he gets down on his knees in front of me. I’m still sitting, so his head is about level with mine, and he leans in to kiss me softly.

I’m glad he’s here. I’m glad I’m with him. I just need to keep reminding myself to stay in the moment, not to let my thoughts veer off into any dangerous tangents.

“Are you sure about this?” he asks, pulling back slightly. His face is only inches from mine.

“Not a great time to ask.” His smile is close enough to kiss, so I do. “I’m sure about it,” I say, sounding more certain than I feel.

He traces a finger down the side of my face. “You don’t seem like the kind of woman who’d want no-strings rebound sex.”

For a second, I feel a nervous tension radiating through my chest. Is that what this is? Is that what I want it to be?

The fact that he’s asking the question suggests it’s what’s being offered, and that’s almost certainly for the best. After all, Rob is Jonah’s brother, and from what I can tell, he’s not someone my aunt would calla serious prospect.I’ve known him for almost a year, and even though we only saw each other a few times, he never once brought a girlfriend around or mentioned one. It was a Price family joke that he was never with the same woman twice. Then again, that might have been another way for them to drag him down, something they obviously enjoy doing.

Over the past few weeks, I’ve realized Rob is a good man. Funny and talented and interesting. And he cares about helping people.

I like him.A lot.

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