She just laughed softly. Like that was even possible.
“You should,” he said with unmistakable sincerity. “I could cook for you there. My kitchen is a sight to behold.”
“Unlike here?” She waved around her kitchen. Homey, sure. Up to code. Clean. But a long way from the high-tech sort of place a billionaire could afford.
“That’s not what I meant. It’s up to the chef to create. I was simply stating what I could do, and what I would like to do for you.” He moved toward her and kissed the nape of her neck.
Her throat bobbed as she swallowed, breathing in his scent. Musky temptation. But she had her reservations...like how to figure out a way to make things more comfortable between them. Hell, how to even tell him. “You have already done so much—cooking me dinner, fixing my sink and all you’re doing for the town.”
He ran soft fingers up and down her arm, sending shivers through her body. “We’re talking about you and me.”
“This is strange territory for me, this whole dating world. It’s been so long I’ve forgotten the rules.” Her fingers found his.
He lifted her hand to his lips. Kissed her, maintaining eye contact. “There are no rules. Only what you and I want.”
“If only it could be that simple.” She sighed, avoiding his gaze, along with telling him her thoughts. Aside from her being embarrassed, men could be so...sensitive, when it came to how things went in the bedroom. Her hair obscured her vision.
“It can be.”
“How?”
“I pour a glass of wine for you and grab a beer for myself and we go outside, sit on your porch swing. We can talk, look at the stars, make out a little.”
“What if I want more?” At some point. Because she really did.
“Oh, we’re going to have more. But I can sense from you that tonight is not the right time for that.”
“Seriously?”
“Yes.” He touched her hair. “You still have things going on in your mind, and there’s the issue with not wanting gossip.”
She swallowed hard to give herself time to weigh her words. To be sure of what she wanted to say. “I guess it’s unrealistic for me to think the town expects me to never see anyone. And you did an admirable job with Colby today.” She felt like she was standing on the edge of something...important. “So as long as I’m not making a spectacle of myself and you can handle that I need a couple of steps back to regroup...?”
Natalie left the thought unfinished rather than continue her nervous ramble.
He stepped close to her, closer still until their bodies brushed if not their lips. “Lady, I hear what you are saying and want to reassure you. I am in control of myself. You could take off all your clothes here, now, and nothing would happen tonight. I want everything to be right for you.”
At the sound of his syllables, a rush went through her. Her heart beat out of time as she considered his control.
And she found she did trust him at his word. As much as she would enjoy being intimate with him again, this was all moving so quickly between them, at warp speed, actually. And an old-fashioned evening date in her backyard could give her the info she needed to help protect her heart.
Or would it sink her deeper into temptation’s way?
Eight
As Max approached Natalie, who was sitting on the porch swing, his breath hitched. The night was perfect in a way he could barely quantify. The whole vibe, the moment, was just right there in the pocket with a rightness he couldn’t deny. From the woman in front of him, to this idyllic haven she’d created on her property.
The hooting of an owl mixed with the gentle creak of the porch swing. He extended the glass of chardonnay to her, his fingers grazing hers.
That awareness returned to his limbs, his chest. Damn. Her emerald eyes were grateful as she took a sip of the wine.
Sitting next to her, he stretched his arm around her back. Natalie settled into him, that limber body pressed up against his chest.
It was a perfect contrast of warmth to the increasingly cool September air. The B and B had dull lights at best, providing a somewhat uninterrupted view of the stars in the sky.
Taking a swig of his beer, he embraced everything—the sounds, the air, the potential of the ridiculously sexy woman next to him. Her soft curls cast shadows across her face in the shuttered porch light, making her look alluring. Mysterious. Sexy as hell.
Next to him, Natalie sighed deeply, swaying more into the rhythm of the swing. Tempting him and testing his resolve.