One of the best days in my life.
Taking a sip of wine, I searched through my wardrobe for something to change into while I cooked dinner. Settling on a pair of denim shorts and a red tank top I loved, I quickly changed and headed back into the kitchen. As I opened the freezer to grab the steak, a knock on my front door pulled me away.
Less than a minute later, I stood in my doorway, looking at the man from across the road. Unfortunately, he’d thrown a t-shirt on, but it did little to hide the muscles underneath. Upon closer inspection, I realised he’d had a shower. His towel-dried hair caused visions of him in the shower to flash through my mind.
Damn, it had obviously been too long between men for me. I was drooling over this guy like I was a teenager.
“Shit,” he said when I opened the door, recognition dawning on his face. Those beautiful green eyes of his failed to hide his surprise at seeing me.
“Not the usual way someone greets me when I answer my door to them,” I said with a smile. Go
ddamn, he was even more gorgeous in the daylight and up close.
His brows pulled together. “How long have you lived here?”
“About six weeks,” I replied, wondering where this conversation was leading, but enjoying the sound of his voice and more than happy to continue listening to it. He had one of those deep voices I loved, the kind of voice I imagined would sound commanding and hot as hell when he was bossing his woman around during sex.
Jesus.
Get a grip, woman.
“Figures,” he muttered. It looked like he was connecting dots in his mind.
“What figures?”
“I hadn’t realised Bev had moved out but I’ve been distracted with work for the last two months, so that’d be why,” he answered, and he seemed distracted while he put all that together.
“So, handsome, what can I do for you?” Not that I wanted to hurry this along or anything.
He stared at me for a beat, seemingly surprised at something I’d said, but quickly recovered, and said, “Have you met Josie from across the road, yet?”
I nodded. “Sure have. She’s a gorgeous lady and has been really welcoming to me.”
He took a moment before explaining further, his voice holding hesitation. “She asked me to come across and see if you have any gravy powder. She’s out.”
I fought the grin trying to force itself across my face. He seemed as if he was uncomfortable to be asking me for gravy. “Sure, I’ll check if I’ve got some.” I turned around and called over my shoulder, “Come in.”
The sound of my front door clicking shut and then his boots on my tiles told me he’d followed me in. A shiver ran through me at the thought that this gorgeous man was in my house.
I searched through my pantry for the gravy but came up empty-handed. Turning to face him, I frowned. “Sorry, I’m out.”
He stood leaning against the counter, one foot crossed in front of the other, and I took a moment to study him while I had him up close. His tanned skin made me think he spent a lot of time out in the sun, and I figured he spent a lot of time working out if his muscles were anything to go by. The way his hair hung a little long and the lack of a wedding band led me to think he wasn’t married and perhaps single. Men with partners tended to – in my experience – have haircuts more often. Personally, I loved his hair. I also loved the masculinity he exuded. He was the kind of man who only had to be in your presence to make himself known – he didn’t need to say anything, you just knew he was in charge. This man owned his maleness, and yet, I sensed a vulnerability to him as well.
Pushing off the counter, he said, “All good. I’ll head out and buy her some.” His gaze swept over my kitchen before coming back to me. “I like the changes you’ve made in here. It needed some updating.”
The first thing I’d done when I moved in was rip the kitchen out and put a new one in. I loved to cook and spent hours in my kitchen so that was a no-brainer. The outdated pale blue tiles had to go, and I replaced them with fresh, white tiles and white paint. I’d added splashes of colour with prints on the walls and red appliances. And the plants I always had in my home finished the room off.
I smiled. “Thank you. Next up is the bathroom.” I couldn’t wait to get started on that room; I had grand plans.
He started walking down the hallway to the front door. Pausing, he asked, “You doing the work by yourself?”
“Yeah. My weekends and nights tend to be filled with renovations these days.”
A look crossed his face, like I’d impressed him, but not knowing him, I couldn’t be sure. In the end, all he said was, “Good. There’s some guys out there who will rip you off, so best to steer clear of them.” And then he walked the rest of the distance to the front door.
I followed him, and held the door as I watched him walk down my path. Realising I didn’t know his name, I called out, “I didn’t catch your name, handsome.”
His step faltered, and he came to a stop before slowly looking back at me. He took a moment to speak, as if he was unsure about sharing his name with me. Odd. “Griff.”