Page 54 of Sheltered

But it had only been three weeks, and I didn’t expect a woman like Harlow made decisions like this on a whim. She was careful, cautious. She’d lived a bit of a sheltered life, and this wasn’t something I wanted her to feel rushed or pressured to do.

So, I had to have realistic thoughts about what her intentions were now and understand she was taking the steps necessary to get to know the man she was with before she took things further.

When we made it back to my place, I didn’t need to tell Harlow to wait in the truck for me to come around to open her door, because she was sitting there, staring at my home, looking awestruck. I didn’t think there was anything that should have been making her look that way. I lived in a small cape cod home. It was just big enough for me to not feel crammed, but it wasn’t a place I’d stay forever. It just wouldn’t be ideal for raising a family one day.

I met Harlow on her side, opened her door, and led her inside. “Welcome to my home,” I finally said.

She glanced around the space just inside the front door before bringing her eyes to mine. “I thought you were upset.”

“What?”

“That’s the first thing you said to me since I asked you if you’d bring me here,” she noted.

I wrapped my arm around her back, curled her in toward my chest, and kissed the side of her head. “I’m far from being upset, baby. I just hadn’t expected you to ask to come back here. Let me give you a tour.”

Since the house wasn’t very big, it didn’t take long to give Harlow the grand tour. The last room I’d shown her was my bedroom, and there was no question the tension amped up in there for me.

God, I wanted to throw her on my bed, make love to her, and inhale the scent of her lingering on the sheets days later.

“You’ve seen it all now,” I declared.

Seemingly unaffected by the fact we were standing at the foot of my bed, Harlow replied, “I think it’s lovely. Your home is so cozy.”

I shrugged. “It’s enough for me for now. One day, I’ll move.”

“Move? Not out of Steel Ridge, right?” she questioned me, the worry etched into her features.

My lips twitched as I shook my head. “No, baby. I’m not planning on leaving here.”

Relief swept through her. “That’s good to know.”

“Can I ask you a question?”

Harlow dipped her chin. “Sure.”

“Why did you want to come here?”

Her brows shot up, silently questioning me. “To see your place?” When I gave her a nod in return, she explained, “A couple of reasons, I guess. Meeting your sisters at lunch made me realize I don’t know everything there is to know about you. And while I don’t expect one trip to your home will tell me everything, I thought it would give me something.”

Just as I had suspected, Harlow hadn’t had any of the same thoughts I’d had about why she wanted to come here.

“Is there something specific you want to know about me?” I asked her.

“What do you mean?”

Taking a step forward, I closed the gap between us and took her hand in mine. “You said you believed a trip here wouldn’t tell you everything you want to know about me. I’m curious what it is you want to know. When it comes to you, I’m an open book, Harlow. All you’ve got to do is ask.”

The corners of her mouth tipped up as her eyes danced. She lifted her free arm and draped it over my shoulder, her fingers sliding up the back of my head. “There isn’t one specific thing I’m curious about. I guess I just want to know more about you, and coming here could give me answers to some of those questions.”

I raised her other hand up to meet the one at the base of my skull before I wrapped both of my arms around her waist. “What questions?”

“Well, for starters, are you a messy kind of guy, or do you keep a tidy home?” she began. “But I was also wondering about things like whether there was something you collected, or if you sing in the shower, are prepared for a zombie apocalypse, or have any allergies.”

My eyes searched Harlow’s face, trying to determine just how serious she was about this. And when I realized she wasn’t joking, I burst out laughing, eventually burying my face in her neck.

I hadn’t quite pulled myself together when, with a slight rasp in her voice, she asked, “Do I amuse you?”

If it hadn’t been for the fact I wanted to see the look on her face when her voice sounded like that, I wouldn’t have moved from where I was. The scent of Harlow—a misty, feminine fragrance—was enough to hold me captive.