“Thanks. That’s the idea.” He took a swallow of beer. “Want to give me some suggestions on the master bath?”
“I’d love to.”
She followed him inside and down the hall. She’d been over—with Owen—when Jason first bought the house a year ago. It was a nice big one-story with four bedrooms and two and a half baths, but it was outdated and needed some work. He’d already done a major overhaul of the kitchen, modernizing everything from the floors to the appliances and adding a kitchen island, new cabinets and a fabulous backsplash. He had great taste in flooring and paint colors, which he’d carried into the living room.
But the master bedroom and bathroom were nothing but a barren wasteland at the moment. Still, both were spacious, which meant they were a blank canvas. The bedroom had arched ceilings and there was a copious amount of space in the bath.
“What do you think of me adding a walk-in closet here?” he asked, pointing to a spot in the left corner.
She studied the location and nodded. “Plenty of space there. You’d end up with a huge walk-in, and you’d still have an extra-large bedroom. I love how tall these ceilings are.”
“Yeah, me, too.” He took her hand and walked her around the boxes and tools and into the bath.
“I want to do a huge shower against the wall, then double sinks and mirrors with a closet there.”
She listened while he lined out his plan for the master bath. “No tub?”
“You think I need one? I don’t take baths.”
“But someday your future Mrs. Callum might like them. And you need a tub for resale. And for babies and kids.”
“When I redo the guest bath I’m planning to put a nice soaker tub in there. If it were you and this was your house, would you be okay not having a tub in the master, but only in the guest bath?”
She shrugged. “I don’t take a bath every day, just now and then. As long as there’s a tub somewhere in the house, I’d be happy.”
“Good enough. I’ll leave the plans as they are, then. Now tell me what you think about this floor tile.”
She laughed, as if her opinion mattered. This wasn’t her house and never would be, but she appreciated that he asked for a woman’s point of view.
She liked the options he’d chosen for the vanity and the floor tile, as well as all the hardware.
“You have a good eye for everything,” she said, then scrolled through his phone and pointed at some mirror options she’d pulled up. “I like these better than the ones you chose. The other ones are too fancy and they’ll collect more dust.”
He looked, then nodded. “I like these, too. Thanks.”
“Hey, I’m happy to spend your money. Feel free to take me shopping with you anytime.”
He lifted his gaze to hers. “I might hold you to that.”
“I won’t say no.”
He took a step forward. “What if I asked to kiss you right now? Would you say no?”
Her heart fluttered and her pulse began to race. “No. I mean, I wouldn’t say no if you asked.”
He traced his thumb across her bottom lip. “I’m asking.”
She shuddered in a breath. The bathroom, which just a few seconds ago seemed huge, suddenly felt like it was closing in on her. “I’m saying yes.”
With one step forward his body touched hers. He cupped the back of her neck, and their lips met.
The kiss made her feel like a volcano had erupted inside of her, all hot and molten, melting her to the floor. She grabbed his arm to hold on to him, afraid if she didn’t she might fall. She leaned in and he wrapped an arm around her to draw her closer.
His body was all hard muscle and he smelled of wood smoke and delicious male. She licked at his tongue and he deepened the kiss until her head spun.
She’d been kissed in many places in her lifetime. In the high school gym, outside a restaurant, at the lake, in front of a bonfire in college. But never in a bare, unrenovated bathroom.
As far as kisses went, this one was definitely top three on her all-time list of hot-damn, hair-raising, toe-curling kisses. Jason put everything into this kiss, smoothing his hands down her sides, rolling over her lower back and resting them just above her butt. She appreciated that he was respectful enough not to grab a handful of her ass, but oh, she wanted him to. So she reached behind her and lowered his hands.
He groaned, pulled his mouth from hers. “You’re killing me.”
She licked her lips. “Not my intention.”
He also didn’t remove his hands, and the way he touched her, drawing her against his erection, made her body weep with need.
“How about we go to your bedroom?” she asked.
“The one that’s just concrete floor?”
“Okay, fine. The place where you have a bed.”
“It’s a mess.”
“I don’t care. I want to get naked with you.”
“I think you need some time, Erin.”
His slight hesitation was like a cold splash of water. “Time for what?”
“To get over Owen. To think about what you really want.”
He laid his forehead against hers, and this was where she knew for sure she was about to get rejected.
Again.
She laid her palms against his chest, then . . .
Pushed. Hard.
“How dare you presume to know how I feel?”
His look of shock and concern didn’t fool her. “Erin. I didn’t mean—”
“What? You didn’t mean to hurt me? You’re only thinking of what’s best for me? How about letting me decide what’s best? How about treating me with a little dignity and respect and letting me choose what I want to do with my body?”
He took a step forward, reached for her.
She stepped back.
He laid his hand down at his side. “It’s not your body I’m worried about, Erin. It’s your heart.”
Said heart squeezed in pain. She shoved that pain deep inside, locked it up where it couldn’t hurt her. Where he couldn’t hurt her.
Now she was the one to step forward, so she could poke her finger at his chest. “My heart is just fine. And none of your business. And I get to choose what I want to do with my body. Clear?”
“Yeah.”
“Good.”
She started to walk out, then stopped and pivoted. “Why start this when you had no intention of finishing it?”
He cocked his head to the side. “What?”
“That kiss. Touching me. Only to put the brakes on and tell me you’re concerned about my heart? Don’t play games with me, Jason. I don’t like it.”
She turned and walked out of the room. She gathered up Agatha, grabbed her purse and keys and walked out the door.
Agatha curled up in the back seat and went back to sleep. Erin gripped the steering wheel to calm her shaky hands, alternating between righteous anger and hurting so much she had to constantly fight back tears.
Anger was better. It kept her from crying.
What was it with men who thought they knew what was best for her, anyway?
She knew what was best for her. She knew her own mind, her own body, and damn them all for getting in the way of that.
She was better off on her own.