Page 17 of Better Not Pout
Not that I’m too worried. My girl is usually an angel.
A few seconds later, the door swings open, and Wells comes into view. My God, he is so attractive it takes my breath away.
How is a man like him evenreal?
He’s freshly showered, his tousled dark hair damp, water droplets still clinging to the dark strands, and the smell of fresh pine and delicious bergamot lingers in the air between us, filling my nose with a scent I want to bottle up. Everything about him is overwhelmingly masculine, and I hate that I like it so much. The hair along his jaw is thick and neatly trimmed, and I have to begrudgingly admit that his perfectly groomed beard only makes him that much hotter.
He’s wearing a dark-colored hoodie and a pair of gray sweatpants that I refuse to let my gaze linger on.
Oh, he knows exactly what he’s doing.
Men’s gray sweatpants are the equivalent of lingerie for women.
“Hey,” he murmurs gruffly as his gaze moves over my body slowly before meeting mine, a small smile playing on his lips. “Thanks for coming.”
I clear my throat and nod. “Yeah, of course. Um… this is Penny.”
His eyes move to my girl at my feet, and a wide grin spreads across his face in what may be the first genuine smile I’ve ever seen from him. I’m momentarily frozen by how it seems to transform his face.
How much more handsome he is.
Dropping down into a squat, he reaches for Penny, allowing her to sniff his hand before she gives him the nudge of approval with her nose. He softly pets her head, scratching behind her ears. “Hey there, Penny. I love your bows. Very ladylike.”
Stop it, Rosalie. Stop it right now.
Be strong. Do not fall victim to Wells McCoy like every other person in this town has.
Even if he’s petting your Penny like she’s this delicate little thing and he’s worried his big hands could crush her. So tender that I want to scoop her up and run away before he takes both of our hearts hostage.
I giggle, pushing the thoughts away. “She’sveryclassy.”
“I see that,” he murmurs before rising back to full height, once again towering over me. “Come in. There’s someone I’d like you two to meet too.”
My brow lifts as a moment of panic seizes my chest.Shit!
Wait, am I meeting his parents already? I thought this was just a strategy meeting. I can’t freaking meet his parents when I know absolutely nothing about this man besides his ability to drive me insane and that he smells entirely too good. What am?—
“Relax. Relax,” he laughs. “It’s not my family. I wouldn’t blindside you like that. Come inside—it’s cold as fuck out here.” His fingers wrap around the edge of the door, and he holds it open wider for Penny and me to step through.
Once we’re inside, I take a second to look around at the surprisingly spacious open floor plan. The floors are new, a dark hardwood that complements the soft, neutral-colored walls that are freshly painted, all illuminated by soft recessed lighting.
“Sorry it’s kind of a mess still. I’m just tackling projects a little at a time, when I can, really. Hard to find the time between working on the bar now and here,” he says over his shoulder as he walks into the living room and I follow behind him.
I shake my head. “Wells, it looks incredible. You’ve done so much with it in such a short period. This place was abandoned for a long time, and I remember what it looked like before. Now? It looks like you’ve breathed life back into it.”
Maybe it’s the lighting or just me imagining it, but I think I see his cheeks turn slightly pink at my compliment, and I roll my lips together to stifle a smile.
I’m planning to tease him about it, but the thought is interrupted when I hear the sound of paws scratching along the hardwood, and then the cutest ball of dark brown fur comes bounding around the corner of his kitchen.
My eyes widen.
Oh my God.Wells has a…
“This is Frankie. His government name is technically Franklin Roosevelt, but he prefers Frankie.”
A weenie. Wells freaking McCoy has aweenie dog.
My mind flits back to that silly freaking letter to Santa and how I wrote that my dream man would love weenies as much as I do.
