Page 9 of Shock to the Heart

The only thing that distracts me from her words is her hypnotic blue eyes…well, and her sexy figure. Her curvy hips, lusciously round ass, and graceful legs… I want to worship every inch of her.

A week ago, if someone had told me I was going to meet the woman of my dreams, I would have resolved to take things slowly. Savor every step. Now my heart is pounding with the need to ensure she is mine. Immediately.

We go into the studio again to check on the plaster. "I know this will look better when it's finished," she says, "but I'm still freaked out by that big messed up chunk of wall. You said there's one more coat of plaster?"

"Yeah." I tap along the edge with my fingertip. "Looks like I'll be able to do that in about three hours."

Electra grins. "You wanna stay for a movie while you wait?"

"Sure. Something totally cheesy, or action-packed? Or both?"

She leads me through a living room that looks almost like a library to what is clearly the TV room, complete with a giant U-shaped comfy couch and a massive flatscreen.

I'm hoping to kiss her again, but that's it. If we sleep together right away, she'll always wonder if that's all I wanted from her. It's bad enough that I'm older, and have to lurk in her house due to this tight repair timeline. Never mind that I'm just an average guy and she's an angel. No, being patient and playing my cards right is my only chance to make this last.

She looks slightly unsure of where to sit, so I plunk myself right in the middle. "There. This way, you can't be more than a half a couch away. Smart, huh?"

She bursts into laughter, sitting a polite few inches to my left. Then she goes quiet. "I'm really sorry about this afternoon," she says quietly, staring down at her hands. "I don't want you to think that I don't want to be seen with you."

I hold my hand out, palm up, and she takes it. "Electra, you're absolutely radiant. Smart, and funny, and charming, and heart-wrenchingly beautiful." Her pale cheeks turn a perfect shade of pink as her fingers squeeze mine. "And here we are thrown together by…what? Fate? Equipment breaking?"

She looks up at me through her lashes with a sweet smile. "A bolt of electricity, actually."

I chuckle. "Years from now this could be a great story to tell our kids, if you want to give this a try." Her eyes lock with mine and I can't shake the feeling I'm begging. "If you want to take a chance on a guy who's nothing more than a boring electrician, whose only goals in life are a nice home and a great dinner out every Saturday night."

Damn, I love the way she smirks at me. "I'm sorry that I've ruined your grand Saturday night plans this week."

"Ah, but you see, grand Saturday night plans are nothing without the company of a lovely young lady. And I haven't dated in ages."

She moves a bit closer. "Even though my parents…are who they are… I've never wanted that kind of life for myself. I work in a kitchen because I want a routine. Normalcy." Her eyebrow quirks up. "I don't want to answer the landline at home and have it be a magazine wanting to check the spelling of friends' names. Or a news show demanding to know where certain people are going on vacation so they can have a photo crew standing by."

"Ugh." I release her hand so that I can wrap my arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer. "I know some people dream about that, but it sounds exhausting to me."

"Same. I just want a quiet life."

"With plenty of time to write your own songs, paint, that kind of thing, right?"

"Right." She looks at me carefully. "I wonder, though…what about you? Would you really want to be seen in downtown Sandersville with the daughter of the local weirdos?"

Leaning in, I drag my lips gently along the top of her ear before whispering, "I don't think I've met a person yet who wasn't a bit of a weirdo in their own way."

"That's a good way of looking at things."

I can't possibly admit that I looked her up. "Electra, how old are you?"

"Twenty-two." She blushes again. "I know, I shouldn't still be living in my parents' house. I've been saving up for an apartment?—"

"Oh, no, I think you should live here as long as you want." I look around and shrug. "It's a great home with plenty of space. If you get along with your family, and you can live here for free, why not? Save your money, build a nest egg, right?"

Her head tilts. "Practical. I like that."

"Good. But my point is that I'm thirty-one. Before I fall head over heels for you, is that a problem?"

She bursts out laughing. "Certainly not for my parents. They keep trying to fix me up with their friends' sons, anywhere up to forty years old."

My fingers tighten slightly on her shoulder, and she looks up at me in surprise. "I can't stand the thought of you being forced to go out with some guy you didn't like. Or even know."

She nestles in a bit closer. "It's all about connections with them. If their daughter married the son of another Nashville sensation, or a TV star or whatever, it would be great publicity for them."