But I do wonder about other parts of him. As inappropriate thoughts hit, my gaze slides downward, and there isn’t a single thing I can do about it.
Stop checking him out already.
“Come on, let’s get you to bed.”
As soon as those words leave his mouth, I envision me in bed with this man beside me, pinning me to the mattress the same way he pinned me to the ground earlier, touching my body with his hands, his mouth. I shift my focus to the vibrant wallpaper Gram put up along the stairs years ago. Back home, my walls are plain white. Vanilla. Like my life. Sex included.
Not that I have a sex life.
I had one awkward experience in my first year of university, and I’m not in a hurry to repeat that. I’m practically a virgin for God’s sake, but everything about this hot guy begs me to change that. Bring a flash of hot red into the picture. But surely to God, he wouldn’t be interested in a boring girl like me, right? Interested in a bit of a fling while I’m visiting? I glance over my shoulder in time to see his eyes lift from my backside.
I may be out of practice but I’m pretty sure he was checking out my ass.
He scrubs the back of his neck and glances away. “Move it. You’re tired,” he says. “You’re starting to drift off again.”
“You’re kind of bossy.”
“That’s why they call me the boss,” he says, his voice an octave deeper.
I climb the stairs, and the old floorboards creak beneath me. “Sam is going to fix the creaks.”
I shake my head. It’s hard to believe this place runs on the honor system. Only Gram could pull off something like that.
I step into Gram’s room and breathe in as I feel her presence all around me. If I try hard enough, I can almost smell her comforting scent: warm sunshine and freshly baked bread. Someone ought to turn that into a perfume. I breathe in again. No matter how I felt when I was young, Gram’s scent meant home and always filled me with warmth and love.
“I have no idea when Gram installed this.” I run my hands over the front of the propane fireplace. “But I’m glad she did.”
“See this switch here,” Nate says. “This is for the pilot light.” He flicks, but nothing happens, then he flicks it off again. “Once we have the fire going, you can use this switch to turn it on and off. It’s easy. But I don’t think this has been lit for a while.”
I sit on the bed as he drops to the floor and pulls open a grate. He points to a round button on the bottom panel and spends a few minutes showing me how to turn on the fireplace. When flames appear, he gestures to the switch on the wall. “When you want to turn it off, just flick the switch. The pilot will stay on.”
“Thanks. I appreciate it.”
Someone lets loose a whooping holler from downstairs. “I have no equals,” echoes up the staircase.
“Sounds like Sam won that round.” Nate grins and puts his hands into his pockets. “He’s not the most gracious winner.”
“How is he at losing?”
“Are you suggesting what I think you’re suggesting?”
I laugh. “Yes, but no.” I blow on my knuckles teasingly. What is it about this guy that makes conversation so easy? I usually fumble over my words, come across as awkward and shy. “I don’t like to abuse my powers.”
A small smile on his face, Nate lingers in the hall and leans against the doorjamb. He crosses one foot over the other, and I use that time to admire six feet of pure testosterone from my perch on the mattress. How is it possible that he’s growing more attractive by the moment?
“You good, Kira?”
“Yes, thanks for everything today. I hope I didn’t take you from anything too important tonight?”
He opens his mouth like he wants to say something but then pulls his hands from his pockets and grips the doorknob. “Sleep well,” he says.
“You, too.”
Once he leaves, I pull open the dresser drawer and put my clothes inside. I open the closet, and a little breath leaves my lungs when I find a few of Gram’s house dresses hanging inside. I touch one, bring it to my nose and fight back the tears.
“I miss you.” Behind me, the fire blazes, and a burst of heat washes over me. I turn toward it, and for a second, I get the sense that she’s letting me know she’s here with me, watching over me. “I’m sorry I have to sell the house.”
The flames settle and I’m about to close the closet door when I see a big plastic container inside. I smile, knowing exactly what’s in it. I drop to the floor, sit cross-legged, and open the box. I almost laugh out loud when I find a couple of knitted sweaters, which used to be in fashion many years ago and are now back in style. I lift a couple out, and beneath the sweaters, I discover a few pairs of mittens and some hats, or as Gram called them, toques. I tug on a toque and shake my head to make the pom-pom wobble. I haven’t worn pom-poms since I was a kid. I guess I could always cut it off. I climb to my feet and look in the mirror. Or maybe not. Maybe I could rock it. Gram sure would love that.
Deciding to distribute the toques and mitts tomorrow, I climb into bed, and my thoughts go to Nate. I’ve met many fishermen in my life, and he just seems… I don’t know, different somehow. He has an air of authority about him, a take-charge kind of guy. While I’m curious, I’m here to sell the B&B, not get close to any of her tenants. Heck, earlier today, I was just going to have a meal with him and never set eyes on him again. So much for that plan. Avoiding him now is impossible with us sleeping under the same roof.
Sleep pulls at me, so I strip off, tug on my oversize T-shirt, and head to the bathroom to brush my teeth. But when I flick the light on, something small, something gray, something fast, scurries over my foot.
“Oh my God!” I let loose a loud shriek. I run from the bathroom, and footsteps pound on the stairs as I jump on my bed, my skin crawling like I have a thousand angry fire ants taking up arms.
There’s a rap on my door. “Kira, are you okay?” Nate asks from out in the hall.
“No,” I yell.
“Can I come in?” he asks, his deep voice sounding steady and reassuring. Exactly what I need right now.
“Yes.”
The door swings open, and his head jerks back fast when he sees me standing on Gram’s bed, dressed in the same T-shirt as earlier. His gaze leaves mine, goes to my abandoned black lace bra and matching panties splayed out for all to see—my secret indulgences. He stares for a second, his heated inspection sliding over me, and settling on my mouth. His teeth clench with an audible click, as he looks away.
I bite my lip to stop myself from blurting something before engaging my brain. Over his shoulder, I can see the other guys and Izzy trying to get a look into my room and see what the commotion is all about.