Page 47 of Perfect Together

He let out the breath he’d been holding. “I can do that.”

She lifted her gaze to his. The vulnerability in her expression sucker-punched him but good. Everything about her hit him in new ways.

Scary ways.

“What else?” he asked.

She bit down on her full lower lip. “I need to know where you stand. Is this thing between us just sex? Like, when we’re out in public, are you going to pretend we’re just friends? Because I couldn’t handle that.” Her huge blue eyes bore into his.

“Hell no! Just because I’m not looking to settle down and get married doesn’t mean I don’t understand what it means to be with someone. I want tobewith you, to acknowledge it in public and let everyone know we’re together. And I sure as hell don’t want anyone else with you either.”

Her lips parted in a soft O, and he could not resist leaning forward and kissing her surprised expression.

The thing he was drawn to most about Nicole—looks and attractiveness were a given—was her innate honesty. Her vulnerability tugged at his heart, making him want to protect her. Be her white knight, as ridiculous as he knew that was.

He couldn’t help but respond to her and licked her parted lips. She sighed into his mouth, and he slipped his tongue inside. She’d had a glass of wine with dinner, and he tasted the fruity flavor, but most of all, he tasted her. He didn’t want the moment to end.

Unfortunately, his brother had other ideas, as he called out from the door off the kitchen. “Coffee and dessert! Unless you’re already getting some of your own.”

Nicole pulled back and ducked her head with an embarrassed smile. “Geez.”

“That’s what brothers are for,” Sam muttered.

She laughed. “Sisters aren’t much better.”

“True.” He glanced at her flushed cheeks. “Everything okay now?” he asked.

She didn’t pretend to misunderstand him. “Will you come home with me?” she asked. “Christen my new bed?”

Yeah, he thought, everything was just fine.

***

Tyler stepped outof the shower and wrapped a towel around his waist. As he pulled out clothes for his dinner with Macy, he ignored yet another call from his father. He couldn’t bring himself to disappoint the man by telling him he hadn’t made any inroads in getting Nicole back and bringing her home.

The Nicole to whom he’d been engaged had been quiet and easy to persuade to do whatever he needed in pursuit of career or family bidding. She wore designer dresses and suits, not tight jeans or cropped shorts and shirts. The woman he’d found in Serendipity was not someone he’d have become engaged to, and he had the definite sense she was finding herself now and liking the woman she was becoming. He admired her attempt to break free.

He glanced at the new blue jeans on the bed and the casual T-shirt and frowned. What the hell was he doing, changing who he was in order to fit into a place where he had no intention of remaining? The minute he figured out how to fix the mess in his family business, he was heading back to Manhattan. Except this small town was growing on him. And so was one woman in particular.

He grinned as he thought about where he and Macy were going tonight. Miniature golf. He shuddered at the thought. Yet he’d agreed because doing anything with Macy was something he knew he’d enjoy.

No sooner had he dressed than he heard a knock on his door. He opened it to find the woman who’d been on his mind. Macy stood before him, petite compared to his six-foot frame, wearing patterned shorts, a denim blouse tied over a white tank, and a pair of white Toms on her feet.

“Hey, all set to go?” she asked. Her gaze slid over him. “What are you wearing?” she asked, her smile turning downward.

He swallowed a laugh at her look of dismay. “My clothes.”

She scowled at him. “But you’re not going to be comfortable outside in those pants and that shirt.”

“You mean I’m overdressed for miniature golf?” he asked, unable to suppress a grin at how cute he found her.

“That too. I can wait downstairs while you change.”

He shook his head. “Not happening.”

Lines formed between her brows. “Why? We went shopping for all those clothes. Just throw on a pair of cargo shorts, and we’ll be good to go.”

He braced one hand on the doorframe and stared down at her, doing his best to ignore the swell of her breasts above the tank top. “Macy Donovan, are you embarrassed to be seen with a well-dressed man?”