Page 249 of One More Kiss

Chapter9

Simon stood on the sidewalk,staring up at the old house. It was going to need a lot of work, and that meant a lot of money too, but he knew that once he was done, he would make it back and then some.

The bones of the small brick house were strong, and the large yard would make for a great outdoor entertaining area. He ran his hand over the faded wood beams holding up the front porch and smiled. He could feel it—this was the house.

“So what do we think?” Sara Starr, the realtor he’d contacted, flashed her million-dollar smile at him. She’d been hitting on him all day, but unfortunately for them both, his mind was set on the spunky brunette he lived with, not the fashionable blonde throwing herself at him.

“I like it, but I want to see what my designer thinks first.”

He’d barely seen his roommate over the last two weeks since she’d been so busy setting up her new interior design company. She’d finally agreed to take him on as her first client at full price, even though she’d tried to offer him a giant discount.

“Of course.” Sara touched his arm just as Bailey’s car pulled into the drive.

“Here she is now.” Simon waved, and Bailey offered them both a tight smile.

“Sorry, got caught in some traffic.”

“No worries. Can we have a few minutes inside alone?” Simon asked Sara, who studied Bailey.

“Sure. I’ll be right outside.”

“This is a really cute house,” Bailey commented as she studied the front. “I can see two rockers sitting here with a large checkers set on a table. A way to unwind and watch the sun go down.”

He looked at the space she was talking about and nodded. He hadn’t considered putting a sitting area out here but realized it might be the perfect place for one.

Shrubs lined the front porch, offering some privacy to whoever was outside, but they were short enough that he could still see the neighbors if he wanted.

“Come on inside.” Simon opened the door for her and watched her expression brighten.

“Please tell me you are knocking down this wall to open it up to the living area.”

“I was planning on it.”

“Perfect. You could add a bench here for people to sit on while they’re putting on shoes. Maybe toss a couple rustic pillows on it for decoration.” She continued moving through the house until they got to the kitchen. “This is a fantastic layout.”

“I think so too.” He couldn’t take his eyes off of her. He could all but feel her mind working and piecing together the little house that would be the start of his own company.

Did she even realize that they had the same ideas?

“I think you definitely should stick with a rustic theme. That would be perfect for this house.”

She turned to face him, and he couldn’t tear his eyes away from her. Her eyes held his, a moth to a flame, and he crossed the distance between them in two strides.

“Simon,” she whispered just before his mouth crashed down onto hers.

* * *

The meldingof their mouths emitted a heat, unlike anything Bailey had ever felt before. Her hands reached up and gripped his shoulders as he lifted her and set her on the counter.

Passion took over, and she wrapped her legs around him to pull him tighter against her. She could feel his arousal pressing against her, and she moaned against his lips.

His hands made their way underneath her shirt and palmed her breasts. For a moment, it was only the two of them in the entire world, and it made Bailey desperate for what was going to come next.

Bailey leaned her head back as Simon’s lips and tongue trailed down to the hollow of her throat. He pressed a kiss there before pulling away.

“I am not going to fuck you on the counter of this house, but I’m damn afraid you’re going to change your mind.”

“After that kiss? I have no intention of doing so.”

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