Page 17 of Let Me Be the One
How did the woman always look so rosy and fresh, as if she’d just left a warm shower? Even with her sleepy eyes, her skin seemed to glow and she looked…
Fuck. She looked wholesome.
And why the hell was that sexy?
His scrutiny must have bothered her, because she combed her fingers through her hair, saying, “I didn’t expect to run into anyone yet.”
“Usually you wouldn’t. I woke up early.”
“Me, too.”
His gaze snagged on hers, speculation running through his brain. “Couldn’t sleep?”
With a quick smile, she said, “Actually, I slept better than I have in a week.”
CHAPTER THREE
AGAIN, TANNER FOUNDhimself caught in her gaze. Her blue eyes were just that: blue. Nothing special, damn it. A lot of people had blue eyes. Maybe it was the absorption of her gaze, the way she had of looking at a person, like she saw them. Completely.
Except she’d never seen him.Am I going to let that bother me for the rest of my life?No, he was not.
If he took one step forward, he’d be touching close. Kissing close. When he looked at her mouth, her lips parted. He heard her take a breath…
The hiss of the coffeepot as it finished broke the spell.
Get it together.
Easier said than done, but by God, he would do it.
He stepped around her to fill both their cups, and then, as if the moment hadn’t happened, as if he weren’t affected by her, he pulled out a chair for her at the table. Would she accept the silent invitation, or politely refuse and carry the coffee to the room she’d shared with Glory?
After a moment, Callie joined him at the table. “Thank you.”
“Cream or sugar?”
“Both. I can get it if you tell me—”
“I got it.” He didn’t want her up moving aroundagain, showcasing those bare legs and drawing his attention back to her ass. It was safer for him if she stayed in her seat. He filled the little creamer pitcher that went with the sugar bowl, then set both before her with a spoon.
“These are pretty.”
He gave the dishes a negligent glance. “Reggie gave them to Addie a few years back, after she’d spent some time helping him out when he was sick.”
After a long hesitation, she asked, “Was he sick often?”
Tanner snorted. “You’re taking the man’s house, but you never knew him, never checked on him, or you’d know he was usually sick.” The accusation was there in his tone, as if he had the right to accuse anyone of anything.
She surprised him by saying, “You’re right, I know that.”
Silence ticked by where he felt like a jerk and she looked innocently wounded. Hell, she always looked innocent.
Innocently provoking, most of the time.
“Reggie was my father’s younger brother. There’s a lot of bad blood there.” She waited, maybe gauging his interest.
“Happens in families, I guess.”
“I guess. I don’t have siblings, but I have Glory, and even though we argue sometimes, I’d never cut her out.”
