I’m excited.
I’m ready.
I have visions of him yanking me through the front door and pushing me against the wall just inside, his mouth and hands hot with need.
I can’t wait.
But when Seth finally does lead me inside of the house, he doesn’t attack me. He doesn’t kiss me or urge me back to his bedroom.
He tosses his keys into a bowl and turns to me from about ten feet away.
“Stay there,” he says sternly but winks at me before hurrying away.
“Did he just tell me to stay like I’m a dog?” I whisper as I glance around. The two times I’ve been here, including today, his house has been so clean. Is he a neat freak? Does he have a housekeeper? It’s a mystery to me because I always think of a bachelor’s place as being sparse and probably messy. Full of beer cans and flannel shirts all over the place. I don’t know why flannel shirts are in this fictitious picture in my head, but they are.
But Seth’s home is tidy. And beautiful, really, with gorgeous caramel-colored leather couches and nice artwork on the walls.
It’s just…nice.
“I like your couches,” I say as Seth walks back into the room.
“Thanks. I do, too. Now, come with me.”
He takes my hand and leads me down the hallway, through his bedroom, and into the master bathroom, where candles are lit, and the tub is full of steamy water.
“Alexa, play the first date with Remi playlist.”
“Playing first date with Remi playlist.”
Adele begins to croon softly through the speakers, and I turn to Seth in awe.
“You said that you liked the tub. You should soak and relax for a while.”
I blink at him. “You want me to take a bath.”
“Well, sure. If you want to, that is. If it’s a stupid idea, I can drain the tub—”
“No, don’t drain it.” I put my hand on his arm and then boost myself up on my tiptoes so I can kiss him lightly. “I’m just surprised, that’s all. I thought you were bringing me out here to seduce me.”
His lips curve up into a little smile. “Maybe later. You’ve been hiking a lot, and I thought you could use a soak.”
“It looks and smells like Heaven,” I admit. “Okay, get out so I can get naked and sit in there. Do you want to join me?”
He frames my face in his hands and leans in to kiss me again, deeper this time. More intense than before.
“Next time,” he whispers, then turns and walks out.
Good God Almighty, he does things to my libido that could be illegal in Montana.
Or any state, actually.
I strip down and set my clothes on a bench, then sit in the gorgeous copper bathtub that’s been on my mind since the first time I saw it.
It’s luxurious. It makes me feel…spoiled.
I’ve just leaned back and closed my eyes when there’s a knock on the door, and Seth pokes his head in.
“Wine,” he says and sets the glass on the table next to the tub. “And a little something sweet.”
Chocolate.
Seth King just brought me wine and chocolate. In the bathtub.
And then, after a quick kiss and a lingering look at my body in the water, he walks back out again and closes the door behind him. Good God, that look could melt the ice caps.
“Did I stumble upon the perfect man in Montana?” I wonder softly as I sip my wine and listen to the music he curated just for me.
I just might have.
And the biggest question of all is: When spring comes, am I going to be able to leave him behind? Will I want to? Starting a relationship wasn’t on my radar. Especially not since the idiot in LA.
Okay, there might have been a few idiots.
Not that Seth has given me any indication that he wants a relationship. We’re dating. Seeing each other. And, if my suspicions are correct, we’ll likely be bedmates before the night is out.
That’s not a relationship.
I lift my hand in and out of the water and watch the droplets break through the surface.
“Then what’s your definition of a relationship?” I ask myself as Coldplay comes out of the speaker. “Because dates, sex, etcetera, are all indicators of a relationship.”
And I’m wasting this gorgeous bath by overthinking the whole situation. I always overthink. I need to simply enjoy, take a deep breath, and deal with the rest as it comes.
Chapter 9
~Seth~
I only have an hour, tops, to get everything set up just the way I want it. That’s if Remi lets herself relax with her wine. Soak in the hot water.
Just be. Which I don’t think she does often. Though if I spend too much time thinking about her in that water, I’ll throw my plans out the back door and go climb in with her.
I’ve never had the urge to spoil a woman the way I do Remi. And I come from a family of men who pamper their girls. Treating a woman like she’s a queen, with the utmost respect, has been drilled into me since I was twelve.