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Only seconds after he pressed the bell, the door swung open to reveal a very nervous looking Libby. She was biting down so hard on her lip, he had to stop himself from reaching out and saving it.
“Princess,” he greeted, feeling a little more confident when splashes of pink highlighted her cheeks. “You’re looking good.”
And she was. She had on another dress. It was slightly more casual than the one she’d had on earlier and it looked like it was made out of the same material as his t-shirt. But the way it pulled at her curves? Damn. Let’s just say, it was no less distracting.
She released her lower lip to thank him, then proceeded to tuck a long strand of silky hair behind her ear. “I guess I should invite you in?”
That made him smile. He hadn’t stuck around after he’d invited himself over for dinner, for fear she’d flat out refuse.
“I brought Chinese.” He held up the bag, hoping the mouth-watering scent would be enough to convince her. It did. She stepped back and gestured for him to come inside.
Fuck yeah.
He looked around as he entered. The door led straight into the living area, with a small arch at the back of the room which he already knew led into the kitchen. The place was nice. Homey. But it in no way reflected the woman living in it.
“Are you renting?” he called out as she disappeared into the kitchen.
It wasn’t until she re-entered the room with plates and cutlery that she answered. “No, not renting. My aunt passed away and she left this place to me. It’s why I’m here, actually.”
His stomach began to twist. Was this just a pitstop? The thought of her only being in Woodvalley temporarily made him want to throw up. It wasn’t logical. He’d met her twice. Briefly. But he was starting to realize nothing about his feelings for her were very logical.
“Are you planning on staying?” he asked, ignoring the crack in his voice.
“I don’t know yet. I guess that’s why I’m here. To figure out what I want.”
That wasn’t what he wanted to hear. He placed the bag of food down on the coffee table, trying hard to conceal his reaction. He placed the toaster box on the armchair as he watched her plant herself on the beige couch. He took a seat next to her, stifling a groan as the smell of roses filled his nostrils.
Of course she smells like roses.
“Figure out what you want?” he asked.
“Yeah.” He watched as she began removing food cartons from the bag. “I work from home so I can pretty much live anywhere. My aunt moved here a few years ago. She used to go on and on about how much she loved the place, and I always regretted never making it out to visit her.” Her hand froze on the egg fried rice box, a frown furrowing her brow. “I guess I’m a bit late.”
His hand automatically went over hers. It was only meant to comfort her. The last thing he expected was for his blood to heat from just the slightest touch of her soft skin. Christ almighty. He needed to get himself under control before he embarrassed himself.
Zack swallowed down his desire, and attempted to fix his face. He wasn’t sure it worked.
“I’m sorry for your loss.” His hand lingered a little longer until she met his gaze. Those beautiful green eyes pierced right through him. Yeah. He really needed to get his shit together and his hand off of her. Slowly removing it, he went back to questioning her. Talking was safer than touching. “So, coming here, to Woodvalley, is it ‘cause you feel guilty?”
“Saying it like it is, huh?” One corner of her mouth lifted into a sexy smirk.
“Is there any other way?”
“I guess not.” She averted her eyes again, returning her focus back to the food. This time, opening up the cartons and filling their plates. She went quiet as she continued to serve up the food. He waited patiently, supressing a smile as her pink lips parted as she became lost in her thoughts. It was only once she was done and passing him his plate she spoke again.
“Yes I feel guilty, but that’s not why I’m here. I’m here ‘cause well ... why not?” The shrug she offered up did nothing to explain what she meant by that.
“Yeah, you’re gonna have to explain that.”
A cute little snort escaped her as she leaned back into the couch cushions. “Well. I guess it’s just that I’ve spent my life moving around. With Cynthia leaving me this place, I took it as a sign to, y’know, stand still for a while.”
Stand still for a while. What did that mean? Was she running from something? He had so many questions, but he didn’t want to freak her out. So, he settled on just the one. “Where did you live before?”
“LA. I was only there a year, though. Before that, San Francisco and before that, Scottsdale.”
“Okay, I’m sensing a theme: You’re a city girl. So, what makes a city girl think she’s gonna like living in a small ass town in the middle of Wyoming?”
Her smile was so wide it hit him full force in the chest. “I’ve lived in small towns before.”
