Page 33 of Take The Risk

My cheeks felt hot, and I resisted putting my hands to them to see if they burned outside as much as they did in. I kept my eyes focused on the board in front of me and the apple I should have finished cutting by now. The urge to hide under the board briefly flowed through me until I forced myself to shake it off. I’d never been particularly good at accepting praise from anyone. I still struggled with Ty, who seemed to like to do it daily.

“Here.” A sandwich was held in front of my face. “Take a bite.”

Looking at the sandwich, I saw the perfect crescent where he’d taken a large bite, holding that side to me. My body pulsed at the thought of taking a bite where he’d sunk his teeth in. Yep, I was that kind of sick woman.

Shaking my head, I cursed the tank top and the thin bra I’d foolishly worn that clung to me in the heat of the day. I hunched a little, hoping that would hide a few…things from view. “You should eat it.”

​He rounded the island, stopping beside me. Oh, lord. He smelled so good. Sweat mixed with pine and something earthy all drowned out the other scents in the room. It was a smell I associated with him, and my body reacted to it like it’d been set on fire.

​Would it be weird if I just wiped some of his sweat with a towel so I could inhale that scent whenever he wasn’t around and I needed a fix? Yes, yes, it would, Phoebe.

​“Come on, now. You’re not afraid of cooties, are ya?” His Southern accent was a little thicker. Lifting my head, I saw him looking down at me and had to tilt my head back. It was the wrong move. His gaze followed the action, eyes flaring when they reached my breasts, lingering for a second too long, only to return to mine in clear challenge.

​I half wanted to pluck the sandwich out of his hand or grab another one off the extra plate I had sitting on the counter just to make a point. But that challenge gleaming in his amber eyes wasn’t something I could just ignore. Leaning forward slowly, I lined my mouth up with where he’d taken a bite and bit down. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the way he fixated on my lips.

​Flavor exploded on my tongue. The saltiness of the prosciutto mixed with the richness of the pesto and acidity of the tomatoes all smoothed out by the cheese. Only, there was a small hint of bitter coffee that balanced out the sweetness of the bread. And I only knew one man who drank his coffee black. Unable to help myself, I closed my eyes, moaning at the perfect balance of flavors on my tongue.

​Damn. That was delicious. My stomach rumbled in agreement, reminding me I’d forgotten to eat…again.

​The rough slide of a strong, warm hand on my chin had my eyes flying open.

​“You’ve got something,” he murmured, his thumb rubbing across the corner of my lip. He was now standing practically against me, the heat of his body radiating through my clothes, making me feel like I wasn’t wearing any.

​Thousands of shockwaves from where he touched me zinged along my skin. It wasn’t the first time he’d touched me. He’d held my hand that one day, and whenever we went out to hunt for items for the house, he had a habit of pressing his hand to my lower back. Something that did crazy things to my heart rate.

​For the last couple of weeks, we’d spent a lot of time together. He brought me with him to pick out fittings for the house. Often, we’d stop and have lunch because usually shopping like that took a lot of time. He paid every time despite my arguments. Sometimes, Lock would come along too if it was the weekend. Ty seemed to enjoy hanging out with Lock, sometimes waiting until after school to go pick up something if he thought Lock would find it interesting. Watching a man like Ty being as considerate of my kid as he was did things to me.

​Now, Ty was touching me without fabric to dull the sensation. His eyes dropped to my mouth, and I knew, I knew, he was thinking about kissing me. I wanted him to so badly, my lips quivered in anticipation. Later, I’d be horrified at how obviously desperate I must have looked. At the way I’d forgotten that we weren’t alone.

​Oh, God. Was he leaning down? His head was tilted just slightly, and being the shorty I was, it looked like he was leaning toward me. Or maybe I was just wishing he was.

​Of course, someone chose that exact moment to ring my doorbell.

​Jerking back, I almost stumbled, catching myself on the counter. Ty’s hand fell away.

​“I can get it,” Wade offered, moving. My fingers clenched without my meaning them to, rubbing together a second as mortification swept over me. He was here. The whole time. How could I forget that Wade was in the room? Please, God, Satan, whoever is listening, I need a black hole right now!

​“No!” I practically screamed. “I’ve got it.” I all but sprinted to the door.

​With every step of space I put between us, the air cooled and I could think again. I really didn’t want to think. My mind replayed what had just happened, and all the old criticisms and words that tormented me into the fetal position came roaring back. That was so inappropriate, I chastised myself, finally understanding what Dad meant about keeping contractors and workers in their lane. And Ty wasn’t only my contractor; he was my new friend’s son. My friend’s son. Cady-Jo was well on her way to being a good friend, too. I needed to keep my dad’s voice front and center from now on and ensure I kept my distance from Ty in the future before I did something to really embarrass myself.

​Throwing open my front door, I was stunned for a moment.

​ “Jeremy, what the hell are you doing here?”

​The man beside him suddenly turned, considering him. “You’re Jeremy?”

​Jeremy sniffed, puffing up his chest, and I almost laughed. “I am.” He sounded almost proud, like somehow acknowledging who he was gave him the right to preen.

​“Dad, what are you doing here?” Ty came down the hall, having heard Dalton’s voice.

​“Why are you here, Jeremy?” It wasn’t his night for visitation. He didn’t get to see Lock until the weekend.

​Was I being unspeakably rude to Dalton by not greeting him or inviting him in as I usually would? Yes. Would I apologize like I was a broken record later? Also, yes. Did that mean I took my attention off the man who liked to fuck up my life like it was his favorite sport? Hell. No.

​“I’m here for Lachlan’s first baseball game,” he announced. “Now are you going to let me in?”

​Jeremy took a step forward, and I found myself engulfed in heat, chasing away the chill I hadn’t known had washed over me. “Back up,” Ty all but snarled.