“Can I tempt you?” I asked.
He said nothing for a long moment, and I found myself wondering if he was thinking the same thing I was, trying to decide if it was a good idea for the two of us to spend more time together.
“I think you most certainly can.”
Maybe I was going crazy, but I could’ve sworn that there’d been a tinge of double entendre to his words.
Was I tempting him in more ways than just the iced tea?
“Let me grab you a glass.”
He nodded and started walking toward me. I sprang out of my chair and rushed inside, taking a quick look at myself in the standing mirror leaning against the wall in the living room, stacks of boxes still everywhere. The place was still a mess, and I wasn’t about to let him see it.
I quickly grabbed a glass and filled it with ice before hurrying back outside. Valentino had just reached the edge of my front lawn by the time I came back out.
“Hey, Maddie!” he called. “How’re you?”
“Hi, Dr. V.!” she stopped playing with Mick for just long enough to wave to Valentino. “I’m good! Mick’s really fun.”
“You guys are quite the pair!” he replied, reaching out to give Mick a quick pet as the dog pulled a loop to run back toward Maddie, who let out a wild laugh as Mick rushed over to her.
The smile stayed on Valentino’s face as he made his way to the stairs, trotting up them in a way that drew my eye toward his powerful leg muscles.
“Sorry,” I said. “She’s kind of obsessed with Mick.”
“Is that right? And no apology necessary.” I poured him a glass of iced tea and handed it over. “I’m sure the move has been tough on Maddie. If Mick can help her with the transition a little bit, I’m more than happy to see them play together.”
I loved his answer—it showed that he was thoughtful and empathetic towards her.
He eased into the seat next to mine, and it took all the restraint I had not to ogle the way his biceps stretched the sleeves of his Polo.
“So, how’s Dr. V planning on spending his Saturday afternoon?”
He sighed, shaking his head. “Lots and lots of paperwork. I should actually be doing it now, but I couldn’t resist coming outside and saying hi.”
I smiled. “Well, hi.”
“What about you? Getting settled in?”
I groaned. “Not even close. We cleared out the apartment with some sense of organization, but the boxes we had in storage were a whole other process. So, that’s the kind of fun I’ve got on the horizon for today.”
“You’ve got more stuff to move in? Need some help?”
I grinned. “Don’t you have important paperwork to take care of, Doc?”
“Trust me, I’d rather spend a whole day moving before even an hour of paperwork.”
The offer was tempting. Not to mention the idea of him being in the house with me, getting hot and sweaty as he hoisted boxes, his muscles bulging and glistening with sweat…
There was a good chance that such a plan would leave both of us wanting to be in one place—the bedroom.Not happening, especially with Maddie around.
“Thanks, but we’ve got a good crew doing it. They’ll have everything unpacked before too long.”
He nodded. “Of course. Then I imagine you and Maddie will be spending the rest of the day getting things set up how you want them?”
I laughed. “Ideally, yes. Realistically, fat chance. Knowing me, we’ll still have unpacked boxes lying here and there months from now.”
Valentino let out an impressed whistle. “Man, that’d make me crazy. When I moved into this place,” he nodded over his shoulder toward his house,” I was up for two days straight getting everything unpacked and put away.”
