glimpse of his home. Warm pine walls glowed in the low lamplight from two end tables, and a futon-style couch separated the living room from the kitchen area.
“Wow,” she said, as she spun around slowly. “I love it. It’s so rustic and charming and warm.” She narrowed her eyes. “And neat. Are you always this tidy?”
“Depends. Is that a requirement on your perfect-man checklist?”
She laughed. “I don’t have a checklist.”
“You should. How will you ever know when you’ve found him?”
“I’m hoping my well-scarred gut, along with my brain, will help me out with that, thanks. And if I did have a checklist, tidiness wouldn’t be on it. I’m too much of a slob to make that fair.”
He reached out and braced his hands on her hips, making her shiver in anticipation. “All right. Let’s make you a list. What would be on it?”
“Let’s see.” She looked up, pretending to ponder. “I’m really a tall-dark-and-handsome sort of girl, as cliché as that is.”
He nodded, pointing at his hair. “I’ve got the tall and dark covered. You’ll have to look elsewhere for the handsome part.”
Gabi laughed, taking in his gorgeous eyes, the perfect five o’clock stubble, the mouth that promised to make tonight one she’d never forget.
“Yes, I’ve been meaning to talk to you about the homeliness thing.”
He rolled his eyes. “What else would be on your list?”
“Really? We’re doing this? You want me to draw a picture of my perfect man for you?”
“Yes. Because for some reason—and I’ll be really clear here, this has never happened before—I feel like I need to know.”
“Oh.” Gabi bit her lip, feeling the weight of his words hit her way down low. A slow smile crept over her face. “Okay. I want a man who can make me take myself less seriously.”
“Easy,” he nodded. “What else?”
“Someone who’s dead sexy, but doesn’t flaunt it.”
“I’m a total nerd. Got that one covered.”
She laughed. “Someone who’s not afraid to fight coons and skunks and bears, should the need arise.”
“Hm.” He tipped his head thoughtfully. “Gonna be hard to find one of those outside this general area.”
“Someone willing to share his secret stash of coffee, even though I drink more than the average air traffic controller.”
“You do drink a lot of coffee.”
“I do.” She nodded, pausing. “But you know what’s really tops on the list, if—you know—there was a list?”
“I’m dying to know.”
She took a deep breath. “I need somebody who can sweep me off my proverbial feet and make me feel like … the only person in the world. I need the guy who’ll swoop in when things are at their worst, kiss me silly, and make me feel like together, we can face anything. I need the guy who isn’t afraid to be romantic and sweet and self-deprecating, all while he rocks a sexy smile and a deadly five o’clock shadow.” She put up a finger. “The stubble thing’s a new addition, by the way. Never liked that before.”
“Honored.” He smiled, but didn’t say more.
“This is totally ridiculous, and you can freely say so, because I’m already admitting it … but I want the rom-com ending, Luke. I want to take the journey and earn my happy ending, but I want that happy ending, and I’d prefer to find it before I’m a million years old.”
Oh, God. Had she just said that? Had she just practically set her ticking clock right on the table beside them like a huge flipping red flag? Had she even known she was harboring the damn clock?
“Sorry.” She started to pull back, knowing she’d just handed him the nails to the coffin of this fledgling relationship, such as it was. “That was way too much information.”
He smiled softly, reaching one hand up to slide it along her jaw while the other arm pulled her closer.
“It was definitely a lot of information. But it wasn’t the kind that scares me.”
“Sure.”
“I’m serious.” He propped up her chin, forcing her to look into his eyes. “It might have, were you another woman, another place, another time … but … it doesn’t.” His eyes crinkled at the corners as he searched her face. “It really just … doesn’t.”
And then his lips were on hers, and his arms were around her, pulling her close—but not nearly close enough—and she heard herself whimper as his hands slid downward and cupped her rear, lifting her against his body.
He walked them through a wide pine door into his bedroom, and before she had time to do more than register soft