Unexpected Rush (Play-By-Play #11)(15)

He stepped into the kitchen and laid his bags on the counter.

“What would you like to drink?”

“A beer would be good.”

“Coming up.” She opened her refrigerator and pulled out a beer, handing it to him.

“Thanks.” He took out the chicken and slid it into her refrigerator, then pulled up a seat at her kitchen island and popped open the beer, taking a couple long swallows.

“Nice place.”

“Thank you.” She smiled. “I fell in love with it as soon as I saw it, and I knew it had to be mine. The view from the bedroom balcony is fantastic. I’ll give you a tour later.”

He wasn’t sure he wanted to be anywhere near her bedroom. She was already too tempting as it was. “That sounds great.”

She took a peek inside the grocery bags. “Interesting.”

His lips curved as he took another swallow of beer. “I’m going to rock your world tonight.”

She swiped her fingertip along the condensation sliding down her glass of iced tea. “I look forward to that.”

Her warm brown eyes melted him when she said those words, and his dick got hard.

Dammit.

“I meant the food, Harmony.”

She blinked an innocent smile. “Of course you did.”

“We discussed the rule.”

She shrugged. “That’s your rule, Barrett. Not mine.”

Damn she was frustrating. “It’s a rule I intend to adhere to.”

She reached across the island and patted his hand. “Whatever you say. So, would you like to see my town house? It’ll give you an idea of my decorating style.”

He got the idea she’d just patronized the hell out of him, and he wasn’t sure how to feel about that. But he wasn’t about to continue that line of conversation, so the best thing to do was let it drop. “Sure.”

“This is obviously the kitchen. I bought into the town house before it was built, so I chose the countertops, backsplash, cabinets and all the hardware.”

The kitchen was spacious. It had dark maple cabinets with dusky gray quartz counters and stainless steel appliances. The white and gray glass herringbone backsplash seemed to work well with everything else and wasn’t wild or crazy.

She moved around the island. “The flooring is actually a porcelain tile that looks like hardwood. I had it put in throughout the house.”

It was a dark terra cotta color, and really looked like wood flooring. “I like it. I definitely might want to consider it for my house.”

“I thought you might. Easy to clean, holds up much better to our high humidity than wood floors. We’ll talk about it when it comes time to order flooring.”

She led him into a spacious second living area.

“This is the family room, where I spend most of my time because of the view. It has a balcony as well.” She went to the doors and opened them, walking him out onto what was a decent-sized deck.

“I sacrificed backyard for two decks and a view,” she said, as she stepped out next to him.

The view of the water was pretty awesome. “This is nice. But I guess no dog for you, huh?”

She laughed. “Sadly, no. My hours are so erratic I don’t think it would be fair to get a dog anyway.”

He turned to her, leaning an elbow against the wood rail. “I remember when I first met you. You told me that after you graduated college you were going to get your own place because you wanted a puppy and your mom was allergic, so you couldn’t have one at her house.”

She frowned. “I said that? I don’t remember.”

“You told me that the first day we met. You told me a lot of things, because you talked all the time and never shut up, but that’s the one thing that stuck with me the most.”

She laughed. “I did have a tendency to talk a lot, especially when I was nervous.”

He cocked a brow. “I made you nervous?”

“Exceedingly.”

He knew he shouldn’t, but he couldn’t help stepping closer, breathing in that sweet, citrusy scent that always seemed to surround her. “You don’t seem nervous now.”

She stepped in as well, her fingertip tracing circles around his forearm. “I am most definitely not nervous around you now, Barrett. Back then I was young and inexperienced and not accustomed to being around extremely attractive men like you.”

This was dangerous territory and he knew better than to court that kind of danger. He should put his defenses up and maintain his distance.

But damn if he wanted to right now. Not when Harmony’s mouth was painted a sweet, kissable shade of plum, and her tongue swept out to lick across her bottom lip, tempting him to lean in and take a taste. Or maybe even a bite.

She leaned in, expecting it. So easy to grab hold of her and take what she offered, what they both wanted.

But then he thought about Drake, and how betrayed his best friend would feel if this happened between Harmony and him.

Nope. Not gonna happen. He took a step back. “So how about I cook us some dinner?”

He read the disappointment on Harmony’s face, but she immediately masked it with a smile. “Sure. I’m anxious to see if you can really cook.”

He moved in beside her as they headed downstairs. “Honey, I never say what I don’t mean.”