for twenty minutes while the beer grew warm.
At the top of the stairs on the third-floor landing, she rapped her knuckles on apartment 3C. The building was surrounded by trees so the lake was less visible. Definitely he wasn’t in his dream home yet, she thought, remembering the house he’d pointed out during her lake tour.
“You’re early,” she heard behind her. She swung around to say hello to her chef for the evening, but the sight of Brady Hutchins nearly naked glued her tongue to the roof of her mouth.
He stood in the doorway, a bath towel slung low on his waist, hiding the part of him she’d enjoyed so much a few nights ago. Screw dinner, she wanted to screw him.
“Keep looking at me like that, Elli Bean, and you’ll get more than a kiss hello.” He raised one eyebrow, which made him sexier. “You look amazing.”
“Thanks.” She swept her hand over her simple white dress and stepped inside.
He shut the door behind her and moved the towel to dry his damp hair. Her eyes traveled along the planes of his abs and down to his heavy cock, hanging temptingly to one side. By the time she’d forced her gaze back to his mouthwatering chest and then up to his talented mouth, she’d forgotten how to breathe.
“You want to put those in the fridge while I get dressed?” A smile spread his mouth. “Or we can eat naked. Your call.”
“Yes, of course.” She shut her eyes, but the outline of his nude body was burned on the inside of her eyelids.
She felt his palm at the back of her neck, and when she opened her eyes, he was close enough to kiss.
“At least let me feed you first,” he rumbled, sounding amused. He took the bags from her hand, set them on the counter, and then laid kiss on her mouth. She touched his damp chest. His skin was warm from his shower, tempting her to lean in and taste his soap-scented skin.
“Sorry,” she said, not sorry at all.
“Be right back. Try and pull yourself together.” He winked before turning for the hallway. She admired his bare ass until he vanished into a back bedroom.
“Pull yourself together,” she reminded herself as she stashed the beer and white wine into the fridge. She set the red wine on the counter next to the stove and bent to see what was in the oven.
“Frozen pizza.” Brady appeared around the corner, pulling a blue shirt over his head. He wore shorts and no shoes, and his damp hair was everywhere. “It was supposed to be lasagna, but I was called in early and ran out of time this morning. I didn’t even have time to pick up Pancake.”
“Pancake?”
“My dog. She’s at my grandfather’s house. Her name’s Lila, but Gramps calls her Pancake. Don’t ask.”
“I didn’t know you had a dog.” It suited him though. A hot bachelor with a dog.
“Yeah. Wasn’t supposed to have one.” He knelt to check on the pizza and then stood again, closer to her than before. “I came across Lila on a call. She was tied to a porch. Underfed and terrified. I intended to give her to someone else, or drop her at a shelter, but she apparently deems me a suitable guardian.”
Elli’s heart ached for the poor pup. Dogs deserved better than chains. “Poor thing. Sounds like you saved her.”
“What can I say? I’m a sucker for cute females.” He touched her elbow, and she lifted her chin to take him in. He was a lot taller than her, which could be intimidating, but like everything else about him, his height only made her feel safe. “Kiss me again, Bean, I’m dying.”
She wrapped her arms around his neck and climbed to her toes. Kissing him was like enjoying a cup of coffee. He relaxed and revved her up at the same time. He was an illustration of tantalizing opposites.
“I brought beer and wine. I wasn’t sure what you liked,” she said as she lowered to her heels. She hadn’t managed to take her arms from his neck yet.
“I like you.”
Unable to reply as boldly, she continued, “White wine, red, an IPA, and a summer shandy.”
His grin was slow and made her recall vividly how amazing his mouth felt whenever it was on her. “So careful.”
No, she wasn’t. If she were careful, she wouldn’t be here. She let go of his neck, and he moved to the oven to check on their dinner. He pulled out