Page 48 of Take The Risk

​“Yeah?” I looked at him.

​“For that kitchen scene?” He looked at me over his shoulder. “He would have had her completely naked. He wouldn’t have let a pair of panties come between them.” He delivered this with a wink, walking away as if what he’d said was perfectly normal.

​Standing just outside my door, I stared at his retreating back. My thighs tightened at the image that popped into my head. When my finger started to twitch in that familiar way, I knew it was because I was in need of my pen or my vibrator. Probably both.

​By the time I got to my office, though, reality rushed in. Opening the door and seeing the evidence that someone else had been in there…

​Quietly, I closed the door, sank down against it, and cried.

Chapter 19

​“Like it?” His breath tickled my neck and I shivered.

​I took in the polished floors, the moss-green cabinets with the quartz countertop that gleamed in the light. The double ovens fit perfectly into the wall, somehow making the green seem richer. The island was huge with so much space; I couldn’t wait to fill it with baked goods. The wine fridge Ty had talked me into glowed in the corner, but didn’t look too modern in the space, which was hilarious given it was an ultramodern item. Accents of copper and chrome gleamed in the low light of the setting sun.

​“It’s perfect,” I whispered.

​Ty’s heat surrounded me. I wanted to lean back, to sink into him, just so I could make sure this was all really happening.

​“The city inspector just certified it, too.”

​That was a relief. I didn’t love the idea of baking at the café given everything, and now I didn’t have to.

​His hand found my hip, and I trembled. “Go check it out.” He pushed me forward gently, and I went on feet that couldn’t feel the smooth wood of the floor.

​He moved with me, thank God, keeping a hand on my back or I might have fallen over from the pure awe flowing through me.

​For a woman of words, I found I had none. Not that that seemed to bother Ty. He showed me all the little details. He’d gone the extra mile and had unpacked my kitchen boxes and all the new things I’d ordered, putting them away for me.

​I turned in the space between the island and the counter lining the wall. “It’s everything I could have ever wanted and never thought I could have,” I marveled.

​Completing my turn, I found myself face-to-face with Ty, who was standing practically against me.

​The air around us crackled. I was no longer warm from the heat of my house but from the feelings swirling around me. I hadn’t seen him since I’d gotten home, except briefly. I’d thought he’d done it on purpose, giving me time to adjust to him knowing my secret. All he’d done was make me miss him.

​“You can have everything you want.” His voice was low, and I knew he wasn’t talking about my kitchen.

​“I can?” My heart hammered in my chest.

​Ty stepped into me. I could feel the hard planes of his muscles beneath his clothes.

​“What do you want?” he asked, his hand coming up to cup my face.

​I placed trembling fingers on his chest, feeling his muscle jump beneath my touch. His heart pounded in his chest, and each beat echoed through me.

​We’d been dancing around this for weeks, and now that it was here, I found myself leaning forward—

​“Mom! Cady-Jo and Scarlette are here!” Lock’s voice succeeded in doing one thing. It smacked me in the face with the bat of cold, hard reality.

​The sound of footsteps echoed down the hall. Ty saw my reaction, sighing. Giving me one last long look, he stepped away just as Cady-Jo appeared in the doorway.

​I missed his warmth, my face tingling from his touch. Blindly, I reached for the edge of the counter, grabbing onto it. The stone was cold, the hardedge biting into my palm.

​“Hey, Mom,” Ty greeted his mother, putting his hands in his pockets.

​“Hey, Ty.” Cady-Jo looked between us, suspicion etched clearly on her face. “I thought you’d be gone by now?” She looked pointedly at her watch.

​Glancing at the digital clock on my new oven, I saw it was past five. According to his contract, he was supposed to clock out at four thirty. He hadn’t exactly been leaving according to that schedule for a while now, and I was both relieved and surprised Cady-Jo didn’t seem to know it.