At first, she thought he was asleep because he was stretched out with his head on a backpack, his eyesclosed.
But as she neared, he opened his eyes and turned his head to watch her. He didn’t say anything, and her heart thumped under his careful scrutiny. Crap, she didn’t want to be the one to start the conversation. She was so much more clever when she was pushing back against his ridiculous talk of havingmissedher.
Two could play the silent game. She held out the bottle of soda and hegave her a look that said, what, no Camp WaawaatesiIcedTea?
Nope. No alcohol for the bad boy trying to crash her solo cabinparty.
She was tipsy enough for the both of them. If she plied him with alcohol, who knew what mighthappen?
His tongue on her neck, his handsonher—
She scowled at him and stomped into the cabin, letting the door swing shutbehindher.
Inside, the bed taunted her, because it was definitely big enough for two. In fact, itwastwo beds, two twins pushed together because she had requested it like that. She’d been tossing and turning in her sleep a lotlately.
Her therapist said she was anxious. Well no shit, Sherlock. The world was going to hell in a handbasket and her job was to make entertaining fluff out of half ofit, and turn the other half into the drama oftheweek.
So yeah, she hadn’t beensleepingwell.
And she wanted a giant bed for herretreatweek.
How was she supposed to know Grady would land on the other side of the screen door and turn her bed into an X-rated proposition just by his verypresence?
“It wasn’t that I didn’t want to call again,” said the devil himselffrom theporch.
He moved far too silently for herliking.
She glanced over her shoulder and shrugged at his silhouette in the screen door. “No. It’s that you didn’t call, period. Actions speak louder thanwords.”
“I showeduphere.”
“Not all actionsaregood.”
“I really like theshorterhair.”
She laughed despite herself. “If I let you in, you’re goingto be incorrigible all week,aren’tyou?”
He didn’t answer right away. Her chest tightened as he looked at her. “No,” he finally said. “I’ll be good. I’m not going to pretend that I don’t want another chance with you, but we can take this atyourpace.”
She opened her mouth to tell him that she had other things to worry about this week—like getting her blood pressure back to a normallevel. Grady was not good for her blood pressure. He couldn’t be. He made her burn from theinsideout.
But as much as she liked the idea of kicking his ass in verbal sparring matches, that wasn’t good for her stress levels,either.
No, the better plan would be to let him in. Show him in no uncertain terms that she hadmovedon.
Convince him this was a misguided mistake, andget to the end of the week as unaffected friends who could shake hands and say goodbyeforgood.
Right. That was agoodplan.
First she’d have to convince herself of that truth, of course. She’d do that over dinner. Taking a deep breath, she nodded. “Sure. Fine. Whatever. Come in and make yourself at home. We can grab new bedding at the main lodge after dinner so we can push thebedsapart.”
He swung the door open and stepped inside, raking his gaze over her and the too small space she’d just foolishly suggested they share.Fell right intohistrap.
Finally he brought his attention back to her face. Immediately the temperature in the cabin leapt by ten degrees. His jaw flexed, but he just gruffly jerked his head in acknowledgment. “Sounds like a plan. Whatdo you want to do untildinner?”
Her nipples tightened, as if they had a say in the matter. They did not. Could he see her blushing in the dim cabin light? The best defense was a good offense. “Well, we haven’t talked in ten months. Why don’t you tell me what you’ve beenupto?”
He slung his bag into the corner, then leaned against the wall. “I told you I was headingoverseas.”
