Naughty Stranger (Dangerous Love 1)

She laughed softly. “Damn. You are a good detective.”

He grinned. “I’m good at a lot of things.”

“I’m beginning to realize this.” That crooked smile threatened to make her panties disappear. “I worked in the Seattle General ER.”

He kicked off his boots, then moved closer, curiosity brimming in his eyes. “From a nurse to a lingerie shop owner. That’s a big leap. What made you make that move?”

Her chest tightened, emotion threatening to rise. There were things a woman kept to herself for good reason. Parts of her heart where no one could touch because she’d put up a wall to keep from enduring soul-crushing pain. “One of those spur-of-the-moment crazy decisions.”

“There’s gotta be more to that story,” he said gently, taking a seat on her chair and stretching out his long legs.

There was, so much more. The candlelight flickered against his sculpted mouth, tempting her. He needed an answer, she knew that, so she gave him the truth, minus the hard parts she couldn’t think about, let alone explain. “I’m a widow.”

His expression went from playful to serious in a split second. He rose, then came to sit on the coffee table, facing her. “Jesus, Peyton, I had no idea. I’m sorry. When?”

“A little over a year ago,” she managed through her tight throat. Not wanting to get on that topic too heavily, she moved along. “His name was Adam, and before he died, we came to Stoney Creek for a vacation. I fell in love with it here, with all the cute shops and small-town life. When I decided to move, I knew this was the perfect place for me.” Of course, she moved to Stoney Creek in hopes of finding her happiness again, but Boone didn’t need to know that.

“And the lingerie shop?” Boone asked. “How did that come into play?”

She exhaled the tension from her chest, glad to be past that hard topic. “While I went to nursing school, I worked in a lingerie shop, and loved every minute of it.”

He gave her a gentle smile. “Then this was your do-over?”

She nodded with a laugh. “All good timing really. When I began looking at houses, I saw the lingerie shop was for sale, because the old owner was retiring.” Truth was, Peyton had hoped helping women feel sexy and beautiful would make her feel those things again too. Also something Boone didn’t need to know. “Honestly, that’s all there is to know. I’m here for a new life, a fresh start. No other secrets.”

“Oh, I beg to differ.” He leaned forward and tapped the corner of her eye. “These pretty eyes hold a story. Can’t hide that, no matter how hard you try.”

“Is that cop intuition?”

His mouth twitched. “Something like that.”

She sighed and glanced down, not liking how easily he slid past all her defenses. She didn’t want anyone looking too deep. Hell, she didn’t want to think about her life back then. Steps forward, that’s all she had now.

“I’m sorry for what you went through,” he said, drawing her gaze back to his. “That must have been a hard time for you.”

“Yeah, it was hard. Very hard.” She gave him a soft smile. “But Adam wouldn’t want me to be sad forever. He had this way of dealing with death. He wasn’t religious, so he always said you’ve got the time you’ve got, and you’d better do a lot with it. And that’s how he lived. To the fullest. Every day.” She hesitated, emotion clogging up her throat. “He probably lived more in his twenty-eight years than some eighty-year-olds. He feared nothing.”

Boone returned the smile. “Sounds like an incredible guy.”

She gave a soft nod. “He’d fit right in here. He’d like all of you so much.”

Boone cocked his head, obviously curious. “Is Adam’s passing the reason you left Seattle, or had you planned on moving anyway?”

“Adam’s passing made me take a hard look at my life. I’d always loved the idea of living in a small town, but it was a very hard decision for me to make. I’m incredibly close with my parents, so for them, it was difficult to accept my leaving. But once they heard me out, they understood why I needed to go.”

“Did everything remind you of Adam?” he guessed.

She nodded. “In Seattle, it was us. I needed to go somewhere where I could be me.”

“Understandable,” Boone said firmly, then he arched an eyebrow at her. “Are your friends not missing you, though? I don’t really take you for much of an introvert.”

“How do you take me, then?” she asked with a laugh.

“Smart. Strong.” His mouth twitched. “And you’ve got enough sass to keep things interesting.”

Her mouth fell open, surprised he answered so quickly.

“About those friends?” he pressed on with a grin.