them. Putting her hand on one of those strong shoulders.
She didn’t need experience. She only needed to follow instinct.
She steeled herself, and took that first step. He pressed his strong hands to the edge of the countertop and leaned forward. And she put her hand at the center of his back. Sliding it up to his shoulder.
Oh. There was no pretending that wasn’t making a pass at him. It felt so much more sensual than she’d intended it to.
It was amazing, how loaded a touch could feel. How very not innocent that simple contact could be when there was intent behind it.
When there was nothing but the two of them in this room. No rules. No limitations.
She felt him go stiff beneath her touch.
“Iris...”
His voice was hard, and she wouldn’t let him put her off. She moved her hand down farther, to his chest.
An arrow of desire shot through her. She wasn’t confused. Not now. Because the places that were lit up from touching him were not confusing at all.
She wanted him.
She really did.
He turned around suddenly, his blue eyes wild. He was so close to her, like he had been that day at the house. He pushed his hand over the top of hers, pressing it flat to his chest, and she could feel his heartbeat raging there. Her own was most certainly keeping time with it. She felt overwhelmed. Overwrought.
Deliciously so.
She had spare few opportunities in her life to feel this way. To feel this much.
Not when it wasn’t bad.
She knew the crushing, absolute devastation of grief. Of shock. The kind of loss that left you feeling hollow. Yes, she knew that.
But this. This exhilaration. She didn’t know what would happen. Perhaps she had put herself out there for nothing. Maybe his heart wasn’t beating for the same reason hers was. Maybe he didn’t want her.
But this felt... Dangerous.
As if she had stepped up to the edge of a precipice and was gazing down at the bottom, impossibly far away.
As if she was staring into that abyss and nearly laughing at it.
She was lost in all that blue. The blue in his eyes, a flame flickering low and hot.
“What are you doing?”
“Isn’t it... It’s pretty obvious, isn’t it?”
“I want to be very sure.”
Her tongue suddenly felt thick, her throat tight. She didn’t know how she was supposed to speak, not now.
She was shaking. Down to her soul, she was shaking.
But again, it was different than fear. Different than sorrow. She was familiar with both, and this was something else altogether. This shivering that was happening beneath her skin. As if the blood in her veins was turned to effervescent lava.
“I...”
“Tell me,” he bit out.
“I...”
He reached up, gripping her chin firm between his thumb and forefinger. “Tell me,” he said again.
“I thought maybe I might...seduce you. You know. Since there’s no one else here. And there is electricity. It seemed like maybe something I could... That perhaps it was a good...”
“Is your sink really broken?” The question came out hard, filled with grit.
“It is,” she said, brightening. “It really is. I didn’t lie. But I did think that maybe you could... Fix the sink and also... Help me out.”
“Help you out.” That was horribly flat and it made her stomach slip down an inch or so in her midsection.
“Yes.”
“Help you out as in you want to have sex?”
“I do,” she said, heat flaring in her body, a blush blooming hard and heavy in her cheeks. She could feel it. She didn’t have to see it to know what was there.
“Why?”
She blinked. “I... I didn’t know that would matter.”
She didn’t want to get into her virginity. Didn’t want to get into the fact that she’d never felt this way before.
“I want to know why. Because you marched up to my cabin just a few days ago holding cookies, and you wanted to open a bakery. I’m fine with that. I’m fine with helping you with that. But I don’t understand what would make you want me. We had a couple of conversations, most of them have ended very well. I was an absolute ass to you the other day, and now you’re standing there telling me that you want me?”
“I don’t know what to say,” she said. “I’m attracted to you. I...” Tears started to fill her eyes. She felt stupid. She felt small. “I didn’t mean to do something wrong. I... I guess you don’t want me. And that’s... That’s fine...”
“Iris, stop talking. I want to make sure you’re