“Yes ma’am!”
“Ma’am?” Evie echoed in a whisper, shaking with laughter beside him as they followed Marjorie through to a cozy dining area.
“Help yourselves,” Marjorie beamed. “And if you’d like to stick around, we have board games and rainy-day activities too!”
She bustled away, leaving them to the buffet. There were a handful of other guests already sitting at tables as the rain beat down outside: sensible-looking middle-aged couples in hiking boots and rain jackets.
“It looks like a younger crowd,” Evie noted softly as Noah made a beeline for the buffet. He’d never looked a gift snack in the mouth. “At least, they’re not in their eighties yet.” She saw him piling a plate high, and laughed. “You’re eating? You just got done with the muffins!”
“She offered,” Noah said through a mouthful of cheese and crackers. “It would be rude.”
“Sure,” Evie said, looking amused. “I thought you were single-minded. A man on a mission.”
“It’s research,” he grinned back. “Food is an essential part of the B&B experience. It’s right there in the title!”
“Come on then,” Evie said, stealing a hunk of cheddar from his plate. “We’re here to snoop around, remember?”
They wandered through the downstairs space, taking in the amenities—and the doilies. Lots and lots of doilies. It looked like an explosion in a lace factory. “Hasn’t anyone told Marjorie less is more?” Noah murmured, trying not to knock over the figurines arranged across every surface. Between the patterns, thick shag carpets, and tchotchkes, he was getting dizzy just looking at the place.
Or maybe that was Evie, resting her hand on his arm as she leaned in to look at a painting. Her touch was soft, but it burned through him, and Noah almost pressed her up against the floral wallpaper and kissed her right there.
“Ooh, I think this is a guest suite,” Evie said, darting ahead. The door was open, and a bucket of cleaning supplies sat outside in the hallway. “Let’s look!”
Noah followed her inside—and stopped in his tracks.
“What is that monstrosity?” he asked, staring open-mouthed at the pink, heart-shaped thing taking up the room, piled high with pillows and spilling ruffles and ribbon off every side.
“I think it’s a bed,” Evie said, laughing. She went over and sat down on it with a bounce. “What do you think, babe?” she smirked, patting the quilt beside her. “Will it work for our honeymoon?”
Noah looked at her, and his mind suddenly flooded with all the things they could do on that bed. All the wicked, sensual, tempting things …
He stuffed a cracker in his mouth. “That’s not a bed, it’s every man’s nightmare,” he managed to quip, steering her out of the room before he could do something both they—and Marjorie—would regret. “Promise me you won’t inflict that on your guests.”
Evie laughed. “Aww, doesn’t it put you in the mood?”
Noah bit his tongue. He didn’t need any help with that. Hell, when it came to Evie, he had to fight to control the heat that surged through him when she looked at him with that playful smile. And when she brushed past him to head back to the foyer, her body tantalizingly close …
He wanted to pick her up in a fireman’s carry and toss her on that bed, ruffles be damned.
Who knew B&Bs could be so sexy?
10
Evie should have known that even in daylight—even in a summer rainstorm—Noah would prove to be irresistible. They visited a half dozen inns up the coast, checking out everything from their board games to their bed linens, and still, she was as light-headed as if they’d been sharing a romantic, candlelit meal for two. With every hour they spent talking and laughing, her blood pressure had risen as she watched the way his mouth moved, how he pushed back an errant lock of hair, the shape of his hands.
Hands that could be caressing her …
So much for taking the safe option. It turned out this man could seduce her just by eating a scone.
“The dinner rolls here are better than the last place, but not as good as the scones at that place with the model trains,” Noah said, munching on yet another baked treat. It was their final stop of the day, and they’d taken shelter from the torrential downpour at the Cozy Cat Inn for dinner next to a roaring fire.
“The Sandpiper Stay?” Evie asked, trying not to notice the way he licked a crumb from his fingertips.
“No, the other place with the model trains,” Noah said with a chuckle. “The owner was quizzing us about our wedding plans.”
“And you had to tell her we were getting married while skydiving!” Evie groaned, remembering. She’d barely been able to keep from laughing as Noah had spun a tall tale about their plans.
Noah smirked.“What, you’re not into living life on the wild side?”
“Umm, thanks, but I think I prefer to stay on solid ground.” She took a sip of tea, wishing she felt anything like solid. How was it that Noah looked even more handsome now that he’d pulled on a chunky sweater? It really wasn’t fair. “So, which was your favorite place?” she asked, trying to stay focused. After all, that’s what the afternoon had been about: research. For the inn.
Not drooling over the way Noah looked in cable-knit.
“The place with that bed,” Noah replied immediately, a teasing smile on his handsome face. “Who could resist a canopy with tiny heart prints? They matched the wallpaper with massive heart prints. And the pink bedding? Spectacular.”
“I’m being serious!” Evie protested, imagining Noah surrounded by all that pink. Something told her he could pull it off. “I’m looking for tips for the Beachcomber, here.”
“OK, OK …” Noah settled down. “I guess I liked the last one best. It was simple, kind of beachy. It felt like you could relax there without being stared down by a haunted doll,” he added with a grin.
“That was my favorite, too.” Evie said, pleased. In a parade of old-fashioned chintz and ruffles, it had stood out with its fresh, clean design, and she already had a ton of ideas how she could manage the same effect at home— with her own spin, of course.
“And did you get a look at the price list?” Noah added with a whistle. “They’re charging through the roof. I guess people will pay extra to avoid the ruffles.”
“Wouldn’t you?”
“I don’t know.” Noah shot her a smoldering grin. “I’m warming to them now.”
Evie cleared her throat. He wasn’t the only one getting hotter. Her temperature was downright blazing every time he flashed her that smile.
Easy there, she reminded herself. You’re taking things slow.
But still, curled up there on the couch together, she couldn’t help feeling like they were the only two people in the world. The fire was flickering in the hearth, the rain was beating against the windows, and she could have happily stayed snuggled there all night.
Or in a guestroom upstairs …
She glanced up and found Noah looking at her. Their eyes locked, and she could have sworn the air sizzled between them with a new, urgent spark.