She chuckled. “Cozy-good,” she reassured him. “While I’m not sure I’d ever want to live in one of those tiny houses, I also don’t need or want a ten thousand square foot home.”
“You didn’t even look twice at the kitchen,” he observed.
“I told you that I can’t cook. I mean, it looks nice, but I’m more impressed by your bookshelf than your stainless-steel appliances.”
God, could this woman get any better? “Let me show you where you can shower and sleep,” he said in a low voice, gesturing toward the hallway off the main living area.
He could’ve put her in the guest room, which had a small bathroom next door, but without hesitation he brought her straight to his modest master suite instead. When he entered, he couldn’t help but look over at the bed. The covers were mussed, as he hadn’t made the bed before flying to Kansas City. Now all he could picture was Reese lying there, her blonde hair on his pillow, a smile on her face as she used a finger to beckon him closer.
His fingers itched to trace every inch of her body, find out what made her moan and squirm, and which places she liked to be touched best.
Forcing his attention away from his bed, and cutting off his inappropriate, lustful thoughts, Spike headed to his closet. He didn’t have a dresser, had instead built shelves and a few drawers on one side of his walk-in closet. All his T-shirts and jeans were stacked neatly on the shelves, with his socks and underwear in the drawers.
Without conscious thought, he began mentally reorganizing the space to accommodate Reese’s clothes.
Shit, he was doing it again—picturing her permanently in his space when it was completely premature.
He grabbed a navy-blue T-shirt and a pair of gray sweats and exited the closet. Reese was standing where he’d left her, looking around with interest. He wondered what she was thinking, but decided it was better he didn’t know.
“They’ll be big, but Alaska and Henley will get you sorted later. I’ll wash the clothes you’ve got on while you’re sleeping.”
“You don’t have to do that. I can do it when I get up.”
Spike shook his head. “It’s not a big deal, hon. I’ll throw your stuff in with mine.” The endearment popped out without effort, and he waited for her to call him on it. But she merely smiled.
“Okay. Thanks.”
“You’re welcome. Now, what do you want to eat before you crash? Eggs? Pancakes? Hamburgers?”
“For breakfast?” she asked with a small laugh.
“I think our internal clocks are messed up enough at the moment that it doesn’t matter what we eat. Whatever sounds good, I’ll make.”
“In that case…maybe pancakes and a salad? I’m craving the carbs, but I always try to balance what I’m eating with some veggies or fruit of some sort,” she said a little self-consciously.
“Sounds perfect. Take your time, there’s plenty of hot water.”
She nodded, and Spike forced himself to hand the clothes to her and leave the room, when he really wanted to take her in his arms and hold her like he’d done on the plane.
“One day, man,” he muttered as he returned to the kitchen. He had to keep reminding himself to take it easy. But the more time he spent with her, the more he wanted to spend. That was unfamiliar territory. He’d enjoyed spending time with previous girlfriends well enough…but he’d never felt this desperate need to be with them every second. Reese was completely different.
Taking a deep breath, he headed for his fridge. He knew he had everything necessary to make her what she wanted, because he hadn’t been gone that long and he’d been to the store right before he left for Kansas City.
For the first time ever, Spike had a guest in his cabin that would be spending the night. He heard the water turn on, and it made him smile. It was nice not to be alone. Even better because it was Reese there with him.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Reese lay in Gus’s bed and stared up at the ceiling. The shower felt wonderful, but she liked smelling like him when she was done even better. She’d used his shampoo and soap, which were slightly scented like men’s cologne. She didn’t mind in the least. Then he’d fed her a stack of pancakes, and she would’ve been embarrassed by how fast she scarfed them if he hadn’t eaten just as quickly. Even the salad seemed to taste better than anything she’d ever made for herself.
After they were done eating, she’d tried to do the dishes, but he’d pushed her down the hall back to his bedroom and ordered her to sleep. It was cute how embarrassed he’d gotten when he realized he hadn’t changed his sheets. He’d started to do just that, but Reese stopped him, saying she was so tired she didn’t mind.
In reality, she wanted to be surrounded by his scent.
He’d reluctantly agreed and left her in his room, closing the door almost all the way, but leaving it open a crack so he could hear her if she needed anything. It was extremely sweet, and if she hadn’t been crushing hard on the man already, she certainly would be now.
Turning onto her side, Reese inhaled deeply. His pillow smelled most like him, and she closed her eyes and felt herself relaxing even more. She usually didn’t sleep well away from home. She’d tossed and turned in the motel in Bogotá, jerking at every unfamiliar sound. But with Gus’s scent in her nose, she instinctively knew she was safe.
If someone had told her a week ago that she’d be here now, sleeping in the bed of the man she had a huge crush on, she would’ve rolled her eyes and told them to get real. But here she was. Gus had told her that he wanted to explore what was happening between them, but she couldn’t help wondering if his feelings toward her were situational. She was his teammate’s sister, and they had known each other for quite a while. It was possible that he was simply feeling protective and worried because of the situation, and now that they were back in the States and she was safe, he’d realize he wasn’t attracted to her in that way after all.
Deciding that right now, when her belly was full and she was two seconds away from crashing, wasn’t the time to think about Gus’s thoughts about her, Reese did her best to quiet her mind and sleep.
When she woke up later, she looked at the clock on the table next to the bed and was surprised it was so late. She hadn’t meant to sleep so long. It was dinnertime, and any chance she had to go shopping today had slipped by. Worried about what Alaska and Henley might think, she sat up…
And groaned.
In all the craziness of the last day, she hadn’t realized how sore she would be from all her running and window-escaping and jungle-crouching. Every muscle in her body hurt. She’d been more physically active while in Colombia than she had in a very long time. She wanted to lie back down and not move, but instead, she stood slowly and shuffled toward the door. She was still half asleep, but she needed to see Gus. Make sure everything was still all right.
She walked into the living area and inhaled. Something smelled absolutely delicious. Not as good as Gus’s pillow, but it came in a close second.
“You’re up,” he said, moving toward her from the kitchen.
Reese simply stared at him. He’d put on a pair of gray sweats, much like the ones she was wearing, and she couldn’t tear her gaze away from his crotch. All the memes on the Internet about men wearing gray sweats were true. She hadn’t thought much about it before this moment.