“I hope you like marshmallows.”
It had to be the most adorable version of Tom I’d seen so far. He had graciously given me the bigger robe, but all that left for him was a short kimono that was most likely made for a petite woman. It barely came down past his thighs, but he was wearing it nonetheless—offering me my choice between the two mugs.
I suppressed a little smile. “I don’t, actually.”
He settled beside me and shook his head, scooping my marshmallows into his. “First you don’t like Christmas; now you don’t like marshmallows... Let me guess—you also have a severe dislike of kittens and all things pink.”
I chuckled along with him and clinked my mug against his. “Pink’s not really my color.”
“I beg to differ, Miss Harks,” he said, running a finger along my blushing cheek.
My hair fell in between us, hiding my grin, as I stared down into my mug. “So...” I began tentatively, “sorry I got your clothes wet. It’s just, well, you did keep me waiting...”
His blue eyes sparkled as he tilted up my head and suddenly kissed me. My breath caught in my throat, and I tried my hardest to keep from grinning like an idiot. I didn’t think I’d ever get used to him kissing me—not matter how many times it happened.
“I don’t care about the clothes. And I’m sorry to have kept you waiting.” For a split second, he looked a little unsure. “I’ve...never done something like this before.”
The admission surprised me. I would have thought that the concept of a ‘sex weekend’ was literally made for people like Tom. People without a lot of time, who lived under constant media scrutiny. I’d automatically guessed that he was much more experienced at it than I was. After all, he was so quick to offer his cottage.
But the more I looked around at the cottage, the more I wasn’t so sure. This place didn’t exactly fit the Larchwood brand. It was small, sparsely filled, and a little run-down (the flimsy shower being evident of that just by itself). And yet, there was something tenderly familiar in the way Tom bustled about it. Something fond and nostalgic in the way he moved. And then, of course, there was the box of childhood ornaments...
“This was your parents’ old cottage, wasn’t it?”
He stopped cold, and I instantly regretted my sudden guess. I knew that both of his parents had started out with absolutely no money, and had built the empire together. I also read, along with the rest of the world, when his mother died in a car crash a few years back.
If my cheeks were pink before, they now burned bright red. “I’m sorry,” I set my mug down and shook my head in shame. “I didn’t mean to—”
“It did belong to my parents,” he said. “They bought it when they first moved to New York and lived here for a few years. When the firm took off, they moved into the city and left it behind.” He glanced around, releasing me from that impossible gaze. “But I always loved it here. When she...” His voice trailed off, and he moved on quickly. “I bought it a few years ago and have been keeping it up ever since.”
We both looked up as the steady drip of shower water echoed through the house.
He grinned. “Well, ‘keeping it up’ is a generous way of putting it.”
I laughed softly, and before I knew it, I was squeezing his hand. “It’s a beautiful place,” I said almost shyly. “I’m glad you asked me to come here.”
A strange looked flickered across his face as he studied me in the light. “So am I.”
I flushed again and decided to try a little honesty myself. “I have to admit—I’ve never done something like this either.” I hung my head in shame. “You should have seen the way I packed...”
“Let me guess...thick woolen sweaters?”
“How did you know?!” I demanded. “Did you look in my bag?!”
He laughed aloud. “No, I’m just getting to know you, Miss Harks. You’re the type of woman who likes to be prepared for anything.”
“Well, I certainly wasn’t prepared for this.”
The words were out of my mouth before I could stop them and I dropped my eyes to the floor. Rose was right. I couldn’t do emotionless sex. What was I playing at here? All alone, sitting by the fire in his parents’ old cabin? How could I not be feeling something?!