"Ribs."
He set the door down."Are you serious?"
Was it too much?She tried to play it off."Yeah.It's no big deal, but they take a while."
"Holy hell."He sounded awestruck.
She stopped and turned back."What?"
"Ribs are my favorite."He shrugged his solid muscle shoulders."I'm just excited, that's all."
She grinned.An old-fashioned boy who liked to be fed.Well, she loved to cook.If there was a way to this guy's heart through his stomach, she definitely was going to try to find it.
"Are there more groceries in the car?I'll bring them in for you."
Her heart gave a double-pump.He was a total gentleman, despite his gruff exterior.
"No, it was just this one.Thanks, though."She turned on the oven to preheat it and unwrapped the meat, putting it in a pan with enough water to cover it.
"How's your ass?"
Was he actually calling down the hall to her about the state of her backside?
Her face grew warm."Fine."
He looked around the door at her, like he wanted more information.
"I mean totally fine."Oh sheesh.Was she really answering this?"I was actually a little disappointed."
The corners of his mouth crooked into a smile.He stared at her for a moment, his light-blue gaze glittering with… what?Hunger?
"I really didn't think you had it in you, Dimples."
"What?"
"A submissive side.A masochistic side."
"Why not?"
He turned back to the project and lifted the door onto the hinges."You're too sweet."He slid the top pin in."Too optimistic.Totally not the type I'm used to."
She tossed some garlic powder, salt and pepper in the pot of meat and set it to cook on the stovetop.
"What type are you used to?"Wait—did she really want to know the answer to that question?
He just shook his head."Not you."
She wasn't sure if that was good or bad, and he didn't seem inclined to go on.
"These ribs are going to take a couple hours."
"That's fine.It will probably take me that long to finish changing the locks and do the finish work."
The soaring in her chest at the simple knowledge that he'd be in her apartment for the next two hours went way beyond anything she'd felt for another guy.This one had really gotten under her skin.
The ribs finished cooking and she placed them on a baking sheet and slathered them with barbecue sauce.After covering them in foil, she put them in the oven.
Rob crouched beside her door, screwdriver in hand.He looked so dang capable.And sexy.She wanted him with a yearning that went all the way back to her first gangly teen years of sizing up guys and deciding what she liked.She used to read military hero romance novels and dream of a strong, capable man like Rob.
