Her face bloomed with color, and he suppressed a grin.
“I’m sorry for intruding, but my dog has absconded with one of my delicate unmentionables. Not for the first time, it would seem.”
Her full lips twitched, and the almost-smile encouraged him to continue in a similar dry vein. “So, am I to assume that you have an impressive collection of my odd socks and undies?”
“I do not,” she denied. “I return them every morning while you’re out on your walk.”
“How long has this been going on?”
“These past four nights or so.”
He sucked a resigned breath in through his clenched teeth while he considered that information. “This is my fault. I’ve been leaving her uncrated while I shower. And she’s always in the room, right where I left her, when I return from the bathroom.”
“Oh, these visits are usually very fast. She drops her “gift”, begs for a treat, and then dashes back out. I probably shouldn’t have rewarded the behavior. Would I be correct in assuming you thought you’d misplaced the missing items?”
His eyes dropped to Stormy who had bounded off the couch and was now at his feet, rolling around on her back. She stopped in mid roll and watched him with a comical tilt to her head, mouth open and tongue lolling.
“Quite,” he said, with a chuckle.
Charity found it hard to catch her breath with Miles right there, in her private domain. He was shirtless and shoeless, her gaze dropped to those long, masculine bare feet, and she wondered how the hell she could find the sight of his unshod feet so sensuous. Perhaps it was the way his toes kept digging into the plush pile of the rug—as if he were enjoying the texture of it—or maybe she just liked how earthy and approachable it made him seem.
Her gaze skittered up to his chest and then darted away. In the week since she had seen him in his swim trunks, he had put on even more weight and muscle mass. Those broad shoulders now had more power to them, as did his long, corded arms. And his chest…God, after a week of being around him, having him within touching distance but never allowed to indulge in what was becoming an obsessive need; the urge to pet and stroke every inch of that naked expanse was much stronger in her tonight.
She watched him all the time. When he was working in the garden, chopping wood, walking with Stormy. She loved seeing him with that dog. He was endlessly patient with the pup. A far cry from the curt, commanding man she had considered him to be in the past.
And it was bizarre, but the more she looked at him, the less ordinary he appeared. Nothing about him had changed and yet, from one breath to the next, he had transformed into something utterly beautiful. She didn’t understand how it had happened…but now when she looked at him, all she could see was a dangerously attractive man, with striking eyes, strong features, and an irresistible smile.
Right now, he was using that smile on Stormy who was still on her back, her tongue lolling from her grinning mouth. His eyes, usually so unfathomable were soft with affection.
“You know you’ve been bad, don’t you, you naughty little bitch? That’s why you’re flirting with me like this.”
For a shocking moment Charity absolutely believed the words were aimed at her, and she didn’t quite know how to react to them. But good sense reasserted itself seconds later, and she coughed to cover up her irrational misconception.
The sound drew his notice, and he eyed her curiously.
“Sorry,” she coughed again, for emphasis, and circled her forefinger in front of her neck. “Ahem, frog in my throat.”
“Do you need some water?” His eyes were grave with the beginnings of concern.
“I’m good. Thanks. You never raise your voice at her,” she said, thinking it prudent to change the subject. “Even when she frustrates you or disobeys you.”
“Of course not,” he responded, sounding shocked. The thought of raising his voice to the dog had clearly never occurred to him. “That would scare her.”
Such a simple answer. And yet it said so much about his character.
His eyes roamed around her small home again, and landed on her textbooks and notepad on the kitchen table. She had been studying when Stormy had bounded into the room.
“What are you doing?”
“Paperwork,” she lied. This was too personal, something she hadn’t shared even with her family. But she had