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This was it. The moment she’d been fantasizing about almost since she’d first met him…

A loud clap of thunder shook her out of the daydream and plunked her back into reality.

“Dammit! Just when I was getting to the good part!”

Turning away from the window, she went upstairs to change into pajamas. It was only seven o’clock, but she wasn’t going anywhere, and pajamas were more comfortable than jeans any day. She slipped on her favorite pair in a soft brushed cotton with bands at the sleeves and ankles.

Kelsey teased her relentlessly about her choice of sleepwear, but she insisted that nobody saw her in it anyway.

She grabbed her book off the nightstand and went back downstairs. She didn’t like getting caught in the rain (unless it was with Nick), but she liked the sound of it pinging against the roof and windows. She curled up on the couch, pulled a cozy throw over her legs, and opened the book.

Soon she got lost in the story of Samantha and Jason. She was halfway through the book, and the couple was in Florida for vacation and to visit Samantha’s parents. The setting made her think of Nick again, and she sighed. If only real life were as fun and adventurous as a romance novel.

Sam and Jason were just about to have vacation sex when the doorbell rang. Stacy dropped the book like it was on fire, and it clunked to the floor. She picked it up, found the page she’d left off at, and slipped her bookmark inside. The doorbell rang again, more insistently this time.

“Coming!” she shouted. The only person who dropped by unannounced was Kelsey, so she assumed it was her. She’d probably seen Hudson at Jared’s and wanted to tell her about it.

But when she opened the door, it wasn’t Kelsey standing there.

“Hi.”

“Hi.” Hers sounded more like a question.

“Can I come in? Please.”

She stepped back and waved Nick inside. After she shut the door, she remembered what she was wearing and crossed her arms over her chest.

“I thought you went to the bar.”

“I did.”

“It’s still early. Is something wrong?”

“Mind if I take this off?”

He was wearing a windbreaker, which was wet from the rain.

She nodded and pointed to the coat rack, and he peeled off his jacket and hung it up. Then he untied his shoes and slipped them off. Apparently, he planned on staying a while.

She led him into the living room, still in shock over his sudden appearance. If he only knew what she’d been daydreaming about earlier…

“Sorry to bust in on you like this.”

“I wasn’t expecting company.”

He sat down on the opposite end of the couch from where she’d been reading. Then she reclaimed her spot and brought her knees to her chest to cover her traitorous nipples.

“Sorry,” he said, offering up an apologetic smile.

“Why are you here, Nick?”

“I wanted to see you.”

She sucked in a breath. Water droplets clung to his hair, shimmering in the lamplight.

“But why?”

“You never answered my question last weekend.”