Harry proved to be an excellent patient. He was still while she cleaned the wound, not even wincing when she rubbed the antiseptic over it. “What made you change your mind? I thought you would be done with me when you figured out my evil plot.”
“To take me to a nice dinner? To help me deal with those jerks who wanted to jack the price up? Strangely, I didn’t find that so evil.”
“Do you get that a lot?” he asked.
“Men who think because I’m blond and have breasts that I obviously don’t have a brain in my head? All the time,” she replied. “It’s not bad at home. They all know me, but we get a lot of tourists. I was a waitress for a while. I lost that job when I poured a whole pitcher of iced tea on a man.”
“And what did he do to deserve that?” His voice had gone deep.
He was going to be overly protective. That was easy to see. “He seemed like he needed cooling down. That was all. He actually wasn’t doing anything to me, but Hallie was working there, too. It was when we were just out of high school. He got handsy and she froze. So I took care of it. It wasn’t Dixie’s place. It was one town over. Dixie would have chased that man away and likely called Armie on the guy. And I’m not alone. Every woman I know has a story like what happened today. But I got my discount and my flooring. I might have to rent a boat to get it all home, but it’s mine.” She pressed the bandage against him and got to her feet. “I think you will survive.”
He’d dried himself off with a towel and there was no way to miss how good that man looked in nothing but a pair of boxers.
“Only because I had an excellent nurse.” He stared at her for a moment as if he wanted to take her in, memorize her. He shook his head and took a long breath. “We should get you to bed. Did you see any extra blankets?”
Did he honestly think she would make him sleep on the floor? Now that she was in, she kind of wanted to be all in. She had no idea how long she would have with him. “It’s a king-size bed. I think we can share it.”
“Are you sure?”
She nodded and got in position to help him back to the bed. She liked him leaning on her, liked knowing he understood she was strong enough to help him. And she definitely liked that he hadn’t fought her on it, hadn’t pulled some masculine BS. “I am.”
She settled him on the right side of the bed and wished she were wearing something sexier than a way-too-big-for-her beer T-shirt. It hung to her knees and hid the one part of her she felt pretty confident in. Despite breastfeeding for almost a year, her boobs were still perky. Of course, he was a fairly careful man. He might have rules. “So if we’re going to date, I need to ask you a question. How do you feel about fooling around?”
He went still. “Are you asking specifically how I feel about fooling around with you or in general?”
All the talking stuff made her anxious. Why couldn’t he be one of those guys who took any shot he could with a woman? It would make it infinitely easier to get what she wanted if she didn’t actually have to admit that she wanted it. Of course, then he wouldn’t be Harry. Honest, upright, gorgeous Harry, who was going to make her admit everything. “I’m talking about you and me. I can’t stop thinking about kissing you.”
His hands came up to take hers. He pressed until they were palm to palm. “That’s because I told you I’m the best kisser in the world.”
He made her smile. She knew why he’d pulled that arrogant routine on her. He’d known how close she was to getting emotional, and he’d given her an out. This man always seemed to know what she needed. She threaded her fingers with his, loving how big his hands were. Harry’s hands were callused and warm and strong. “I don’t know about that. I seem to have forgotten, and then of course, how could I be sure? I haven’t kissed a ton of guys. Wouldn’t I need to kiss, well, all the other guys?”
He pulled her in, his eyes going hot. “You’re going to have to take my word for it because I don’t want you kissing anyone else. Not now that I have you where I want you.”
“In a motel room?”
He pulled her close and she suddenly found herself on her back, him looming over her. “Right here. With me. No matter where that is, Seraphina. As for fooling around, I am all for it if you’re willing to be with me. But it’s not fooling around. I’m serious about you, and you need to understand that.”