Page 43 of Slow Burn
He made a noise and took the bag from me, immediately opening it up and taking a whiff. "Smells good."
"Almost as good as the smell coming from your kitchen."
Adam eyed me over the rim of the brown paper bag. "You're more than welcome to join me." His voice was steady, I had no clue if he was asking to be polite or if it was a legitimate invitation.
"I wouldn't want to impose."
Lowering the bag, he scratched the back of his neck with his free hand. "You're not. I was going to ask anyway."
My eyes roamed over his face. "That so?"
"Yeah." Nodding once, he shuffled from one foot to the other. "I figured you might not be in the mood to cook after such a long day."
My smile was wide. "You better watch out," I told him. "Your niceness is showing."
His lips twitched as he opened the door wider. "You coming in or not?"
"Well, since you asked sonicely." I stepped inside but stopped when I was next to him. Our gazes met and the air rushed out of my lungs in one fell swoop. "I guess I'm coming in."
21
ADAM
I closed the door and took a few seconds to try and calm my thumping heart. This—having her here in my space—felt big. When I turned around, Maddie was making her way down the small hallway.
I stayed a few paces behind her and tried to imagine what the place must look like to her. I didn't have happy snaps or intricate art pieces lining my walls. In fact, the off-white paint was stained and had started to peel in a few spots.
It was cracked and broken, just like me.
We rounded into the living room, Maddie's hand shot out, her fingers trailing along the wall. They were small and delicate. Feminine. Was her touch like that too?
"I'm curious." She eyed me over her shoulder. "Why did you buy this house? From what I've heard, it's not even a fixer-upper. More like a lost cause."
Sheldon, who was still tucked against her chest, must've wiggled because she dropped to her haunches and set him down before straightening again. The instant the dog's paws touched the wood, he scampered to where I was standing and pawed my leg. Lowering myself to his level, I gave him a quick scratch behind the ears.
The intensity of Maddie's eyes on me slammed into me from across the room. My gaze lifted to hers and what little air I had in my lungs got knocked the hell out. My blood felt hot, too hot for my body. My skin too damn tight.
"What?" I finally croaked out.
Our gazes were still locked as I slowly pushed to my feet. The connection only severed when her eyes flicked to the dog at my feet. Maddie's brows pulled together and when I followed her gaze I almost choked on a laugh. Not at all bothered by what was happening around him, Sheldon had one leg stretched out while he happily licked at his privates.
"He's never been like this with anyone else but me. Not even Frankie." When I didn't say anything, she blinked rapidly. "I don't meanthat." Her hand motioned toward the dog. "He's usually just so skittish, but with you—"
"He has no boundaries," I finished dryly.
She grinned. "Yeah."
I pulled my shoulder up. "Maybe he gets a kick out of annoying me." With a quick jerk of my head, I motioned for her to follow me. "What can I get you to drink?" Once inside the kitchen, I opened the fridge. One look at the empty shelves and it was painfully clear how I had not thought any of this through.
With the door gripped in one hand, I faced Maddie and winced. "I have water and whiskey."
The smile never left her lips. "Water is fine, thanks."
"Sorry." I grabbed a glass from the cupboard and after filling it with ice I set it along with a bottled water on the counter where Maddie was standing. "I usually put in my grocery order on Wednesdays."
"It's really okay." Unscrewing the cap, she filled the glass and then brought it to her mouth. My eyes were glued to the slender column of her throat as she greedily swallowed down almost half of her drink.
I had visions of brushing my knuckles along her skin and lowering my mouth to the spot where her pulse was ticking. Quickly averting my gaze, I moved to the stove. Lifting the lid on the curry, I carefully stirred the concoction.
