“Have fun, Katherine,” I hear him call as I close the door.
I get in my car as fast as possible and peel out of the complex. Shit! Where the hell am I going to go? I can’t afford to drive around too much. My tank is only half-full and I don’t have any money in my budget to fill it more than once a month.
I drive aimlessly for about ten minutes or so before pulling into a driveway and shifting into park. I look up at the charming little home and wonder how I got here. This was never my intended destination but I’m sitting here like an idiot nonetheless.
I thunk my head on the steering wheel. “What the hell am I doing?”
I cannot go to him. It would give him the impression that I’m interested in something more than our one-night-stand. Which I’m not, I remind myself. This was a mistake. Why can’t I seem to make myself leave?
“Kat, what are you doing?” Gavin says while tapping on my window.
“Damn it!” I scream while jolting up in surprise. “You need to stop scaring the shit out of me!”
He motions for me to lower my window. I crank the old handle until it’s halfway down. No automatic features for this girl.
“Hi,” I say, trying to hide my embarrassment. “What are you doing here?”
He smirks. “Hi. It’s my house. What are you doing here?”
Oh, geez, how lame can I be? Why does this man make me so discombobulated?
“Uh…”
He laughs and opens my car door. “Come inside, Kat.”
I try pulling my door closed but he holds onto it. “No, thanks. I don’t know why I’m here…this was a mistake.”
He leans into the car and reaches across my body. God, his woodsy cologne is so damn sexy it’s intoxicating. I’m distracted by his proximity so I don’t realize what he’s doing until it’s too late.
“Hey,” I complain as he pulls my keys out of the ignition and pockets them.
Gavin steps aside and gestures for me to exit the vehicle. “You’re here for a reason, whether you want to admit it or not. Come inside. I was just making a sandwich; there’s plenty to share.”
My stomach growls loudly at the mention of food. To my utter embarrassment, he notices and raises an eyebrow. I remove my seatbelt and step out of the car without a word. Gavin closes the door and extends his hand in my direction. I stare at it in confusion.
“It’s just a hand, Kat. I won’t bite.” He winks and adds, “Unless you’re into that sort of thing.”
I feel the blood rushing to my face as a shiver courses through my body, remembering the feel of Gavin’s mouth on my bare skin. This garners another laugh on his end. I groan at my inability to save face as I take his hand and follow him through the front door.
He leads me into the little dining nook off the kitchen and nods toward a chair. “Make yourself at home while I put something together.”
I take a seat and watch as he moves about the kitchen, gathering items to assemble sandwiches. My nerves are starting to get the best of me so I decide to ask for some liquid courage. “Do you have anything to drink around here?”
He pokes his head into the stainless steel refrigerator. “Anything specific on your mind?”
“Beer?” He’s definitely a craft brew kind of guy so I figure my odds are pretty good.
He reaches down low and retrieves a bottle. “I have this new fall ale from the local brewery. That work for you?”
I smile. “That’s perfect.”
He pops the top and hands it over. After I take a sip he asks, “What do you think?”
I savor the hint of apple as I swallow. When I do drink beer, it’s rarely anything this fancy. You definitely get what you pay for. “Mmm, it’s really good.”
He stares at my lips as I speak. There’s an electric current in the air as I do the same to him. He clears his throat and resumes his task. Placing a giant hoagie in front of me he says, “Hope you’re hungry.”
I discreetly check to make sure I’m not drooling. “Wow, I don’t know if I can fit my mouth around that sucker.”