“Come in, come in,” she stammered, closing the door behind him. Could he hear her heart going like a battering ram against her sternum? Despite every wish to the contrary, all she could do was remember him above her, hot, sweaty, and so hungry, the ravenous way he’d inhaled her.

Don’t swoon. Keep it together. This wasn’t a good idea.

“How did you know where I lived?” she squeaked.

He shrugged. “Small town hotline.”

“You dial in and make a request to a busybody?”

“Basically. Or walk into The Dirty Shame and ask my cousin Kit because he picked you up for Thanksgiving yesterday. How was your appointment?”

“Oh, you know.” She waved her hand, hoping the effect looked suitably casual. The last thing she wanted was to saddle him with her medical woes. That’s why she’d run away this morning. But now he was here, and despite everything she couldn’t deny the thrill. “Boring doctor stuff. Wait. How did you get here?”

“Drove.”

“Huh?” She glanced out the bay window at the blue 4Runner parked in her driveway. “Wait. Is that yours?”

“Yeah. Got an automatic this afternoon. Easier for me to drive. See people. See you.”

His gruff tone didn’t offset the hint of underlying sweetness. She didn’t bother resisting a grin. “That is so amazing.” He looked so uncomfortable with the praise that she took pity and changed the subject. “And what’s in the bag?”

He glanced down at the Save-U-More paper bag. “I wanted to take you on a date.”

A date? That sounded like a big mistake. Huge. But she was intrigued. “A date in a bag?” She sat on the couch, checking that her robe didn’t gape. She didn’t want to flash him.

“I’m sort of improvising here. First off we’ve got . . .” He pulled out a box of cake mix. “Red velvet.” Followed by a jar of chocolate frosting.

“This is already in my top ten percent of dates.”

“I’d like to improve on that. There’s more in here.” He rolled the bag shut. “But I think we’ll start with what we’ve got. You ran out today so maybe you don’t want me here, but I thought I’d—”

“No. I am happy to see you.” And that was the truth. She was tempted to run into the kitchen and execute a private happy dance. Instead, she flipped her hair out of her face. “You’re going to bake for me?”

“Sure, you have a sweet tooth, don’t you?”

“Try a whole mouthful.”

She followed him into the kitchen, gave a few directions as to her pots-and-pans cupboard, and fumbled with the mixer. She ducked into her bedroom with reluctance to change into a pair of grey lounge pants and a long-sleeved cranberry colored top.

And maybe did a few steps of the cha-cha.

“Want a lick?” He was pouring the batter when she returned, and handed her the whisk. “My mom always let me do that.”

“Yum. She had the right idea.” She gripped the metal handle, her misgivings retreating the moment her tongue made contact with the sugary goodness. “You lost her a long time ago, didn’t you?”

His eyes went flat. “When I was six.”

She forced the swallow. “That must have been so hard.”

He gave a single nod. “My brothers don’t remember her or my dad. She used to take me to Castle Falls. No one ever went down there, said the place was haunted. But she would laugh at the idea. We’d sit at the top of the cascades, watching the water tumble over, and she’d say if the place was haunted, the ghosts were kind. And there were the fairy rings.”

She set the whisk on the counter. “Fairy rings?”

“Flower circles. No one knows why they came up. It was part of the reason people were uneasy about the place.”

“Sounds beautiful.”

“It was.” He moved his arms aimlessly as if not sure what to do with them. At last he folded them tight to his broad chest. “But Brightwater is a practical place. No one here has much use for magic.”

“That’s why you moved to Castle Lane,” she said slowly, sinking into a chair. A few puzzle pieces clicked together. “Not because you wanted to get away from everyone. It’s because you wanted to be close to a good memory from your past.”

He glanced out the window, averting his face. “Maybe both.”

The sweet smell of cake infused the air as they sat in uncertain silence.

“It was sweet of you to come over.” She paused for a beat. “I need to tell you something. The way I bolted from your bed, I wasn’t sure if I spoiled everything.”

“Don’t mention it.” He put the bowl in the sink with a little too much force.

“I’m serious. I had a hard morning and to have you come by, surprise me—”

“I’m serious. Don’t mention it.” He looked uncomfortable. What was it about this guy that seemed genuinely afraid of compliments, of kindness?

“There is a lot more to you than meets the eye.” She approached him. “Underneath all these big muscles and grumbles is a soft center, isn’t there?” She set her hands on his shoulders and rose on tiptoes, planting a kiss on the scruffy patch between his wide mouth and jaw, right on the hint of a frown line, a tattoo of sadness. How could she resist this man?

Oh yeah, she couldn’t.

“I wouldn’t be so sure.”

She slid her tongue across his, slow, tentative, a stroke, but gentle, an introduction. “You taste pretty darn good.”

“You do too.”

She pulled him closer. He’d been lost for so long, was it too naïve to hope she could kiss him found?

He broke off, glanced at the kitchen table, and took her hand. “Come over here.” He sat on a chair and pulled her down, positioning her legs so she straddled him, her pelvis nestled against his, grazing his hardness. She rocked closer, teasing, unable to get enough, wanting to fist his glossy hair with two hands. God, if she could, she’d inhale him. Her head spun. It could be low blood pressure after the bath, but more likely she’d gone woozy with wanting.

“What do you want?” He sucked on her neck, pulling from her a gasp. “From me?”

She dug her fingers into his shoulders. “To remember that there is still some good stuff out there in the world. What about you?”

His lips twitched against her skin. “I want to forget the bad.”

“We’re quite a pair, aren’t we?”

His hands slid under her shirt, up her bare back, hungrily stroking the braless expanse of sensitive skin between her shoulders.

“We’re something.”

This time his kiss took control, the pleasure almost excruciating. He had the power to render her helpless, hungry, until she shamelessly humped against him, burrowing close, her body rebelling at any place that didn’t make contact. Their teeth collided and they each tasted the other’s moan. Then he dropped one hand, slid it into the elastic waistband of her pants, running his fingers over her soft curls. One slow finger stroked through her center, gathering wetness and bringing it right to the tip of her clit. For a big guy with thick, rough fingers he moved gently.

“Let me know if it’s too hard,” he muttered. “I—I don’t have great sensation here.”

“Wait.” She grabbed his wrist. “You can’t feel me?”

“I can a little.” His glance fixated on her lap, not daring to rise to her eyes. “Not much with the burns.”

“That’s unfair.” She refused to be sympathetic, it was a luxury he didn’t want and she couldn’t afford. Better to offer honesty. “I feel. You feel. That’s the deal between us.”

“I don’t mind.”

“I do.” She peeled off her shirt, her bare breasts tightening in the cold air, nipples two tight peaks.

“Fuck, Trouble. You’re gorgeous.”

She stood and reset her glasses, checking the oven timer before offering her hand. “We have thirty-two more minutes before that alarm goes off. Think we can put it to good use?”

He laced his fingers with hers and rose. “Wager we can have a damn good half hour.”

They got to her room and somehow her pants disappeared on the journey. She was naked while he was completely dressed. For some reason she liked it, though, loved the roughness of his wool and denim against her exposed skin.