Snipping Up Love (Insta Love Shy Girl Romance 5)

He shrugged. “I checked it out one day when I needed a new barber. Max made me laugh, so I came back.”

I nodded. “Yeah. There are days when he really cheers me up.”

“Good,” he said softly, nuzzling my neck again. “I don’t want you to ever be less than one hundred percent cheery.”

As soon as we were back out on the street, he wrapped an arm around me. “I was going to take you to an art gallery opening a few blocks away, but I’m sorry Katy…” his eyes blazed down at me. “I need to be alone with you.” I nodded, not caring that he saw how eager I was. “Where do you live?”

“It’s about a twenty-minute walk,” I said, starting to turn down the street. His arm shot out to hail a taxi, and we were at my place in moments.

“You live here?” he asked, as I led him down the uneven steps to the side door of a rundown house.

“Yeah.”

“This is better than an apartment building?”

I laughed, unlocking the door. “Maybe not better, but cheaper. Watch your head on the way down.”

Once we were in my space with the lights on, I kicked off my shoes and he followed suit. It was just one room, plus a tiny bathroom. The kitchen area was at one end, with a table and chairs in the middle, an easy chair for reading, and my bed on the far side. It was fairly small, but it was clean.

I reached down to hit two power bars. I’d brightened the place with a selection of antique-looking crazy mismatched lamps with multicolored light bulbs along one wall shelf and the floor beneath. There were also a few bright blankets as wall hangings.

Dan grinned at the lamps. Then he looked around as if analyzing the building. “Are there bars in those windows?”

“Yes, and they’re ugly. That’s why I have thick curtains.”

He came over to me, his huge arms immediately circling my shoulders. “I love your lamps,” he grinned.

“Thanks. I got most of them in junk stores, or on the large trash days.”

His eyes grew wide as he looked down at me. “Seriously?”

“Yeah. I brought them home, and if they worked, I just scrubbed them.”

His sharp gaze softened. “I love that you’re so independent, baby. And resourceful. I just worry if you’re safe.”

“Safe enough, I think.”

His big warm hands were wandering around my back, and it struck me that we were finally alone. I had no idea what to expect, and my heart began fluttering.

CHAPTER FOUR

* Dan *

There were so many things that I had mixed feelings about. I didn’t know if this was a good neighborhood. I didn’t know if she was making enough money to pay her rent if she could barely afford food. I didn’t know who lived upstairs from her, and if they were good people.

My gut instinct was to move her into my house immediately, but who was I to march in and disrupt her entire life? As much as I had already fallen for this amazing girl, I couldn’t yet reasonably guess her reactions.

Kissing her gently, I tried to sense if she was as excited and exhilarated as I was. I was pretty sure that she was feeling this connection as well.

“Katy,” I murmured against her lips, “I have no idea what it is about you that is driving me this crazy, but I want you. I want you to be my girl.”

She looked up at me in surprise, giving me an adorable smile. “Well, I’m nobody else’s girl right now.”

“I should warn you, sweet thing, I always get what I want,” I grinned.

Katy looked very thoughtful. “What is it?” I asked.

She shrugged, her nose crinkling while she made a face. “It’s funny how some people really do just get everything they want. Spoiled children, people with circumstances where they don’t need to work very hard. I’ve never really known anybody like that before.” She looked up at me with a grin. “Maybe if you’re one of the lucky ones, my luck will change.”