Page 28 of Purrfectly Trapped

New salon? Check.

New apartment? Check.

Mind-blowing sex with a willing stud? Check check!

Gretchen jumped guiltily, face heating at getting caught with those naughty little thoughts running through her head, at the sound of her doorbell ringing. Fucking hell, that was loud! Or maybe it was the fact her apartment was super quiet at the moment.

After she’d closed for the day, Marion and Bonnie had helped her tidy things before leaving, but once they had gone, she was the only person remaining in the whole building. Was a bit lonely, to be honest.

“Coming!” she yelled and immediately blushed at the thought.

Well, with any luck she would be. And soon.

“Hello,” she smiled, using the new doorbell camera to see her guest.

It was him, she thought excitedly, and buzzed her date inside. Gretchen’s heart beat double time as Reg climbed the stairs to her apartment in record speed. She opened the door, staring helplessly as he stood there grinning at her like the Cheshire Cat.

“For you,” he said, holding out a beautiful bouquet of flowers towards her.

“Oh my! These are my favorite,” Gretchen replied, taking them, and pressing the bouquet to her nose. “They’re beautiful!” She laughed and accepted the colorful arrangement.

“Your favorite? Mine too.”

“Really? I just love tiger lilies. Actually, I just love tigers in general,” she confessed, laughing a little self-consciously as she let him into her apartment.

There was an obvious tiger motif in the striped pillows tossed on the couch and the several hand-carved statuettes she had on the shelves. Gretchen had always admired the powerful beasts. Naturally, she liked the flowers named after them.

“You do?” Reg’s perfect eyebrows arched over his intense midnight blue eyes.

Damn, he was sexy.

“Yeah, I know it probably sounds corny---”

“Not at all. I think it’s amazing,” he replied, cutting her off. “Everything about you is amazing,” he said, backing her into the room, and she could have sworn his deep blues glowed for a second.

Must be a trick of the light, she thought as she turned towards the kitchen.

“Just let me put these in water,” she murmured, hyperaware of the electrical currents zipping between them.

“Hey, you read a lot?” he asked, eyes roaming over the apartment to her bookshelves.

“Yeah, sometimes. I love fantasy romance,” she confessed, aware of the man like she’d been for no one else.

Reg was so big, and good looking. She wondered for a second what he was doing with someone like her but pushed the thought away hastily. Gretchen was not going to go down that road of insecurity and doubt. She’d worked too hard to get where she was, and she was a fun, bright, and good person.

Any man was lucky to date her, she thought with a reassuring nod.

“Did you want this? It might get cold later,” Reg said, appearing directly behind her.

Fuck. He smelled so good. Like spice and man, she thought, fighting arousal as her stomach clenched in need. He handed her the light pashmina and clutch she’d left on the couch, his fingers grazing hers as she took them.

“Thank you,” she murmured.

“My pleasure,” he replied, leaning down and, wait, was he sniffing her?

She must have imagined that. Reg took a step back and ran his hand over the sides of his hair that she’d shaved earlier that day.

“Shall we go?” Gretchen asked, unable to stop the thrill that coursed through her when she looked at him.

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