As If You Never Left Me (Crimson Romance) by Katriena Knights Page A

think when he was in there flaunting his beautifully constructed chest.
    One thing she knew for certain — he was spending another night on the couch. Even that wasn’t quite far enough. She felt like she needed some distance, so she could make a rational decision.
    Was there such a thing as a rational decision in this situation? She wasn’t even sure about that. This wasn’t a business decision — it was a matter of the heart.
    Unfortunately, she wasn’t at all sure she could trust hers anymore.

Chapter Six
     
    The next morning, she found him shivering again in the kitchen, pouring freshly brewed coffee into a mug. At least he was dressed this time. “Good morning,” he said when he saw her. “Want some?” He gestured toward the coffee.
    “Sure. Thanks.” She went to the table and sat. This was nice, actually. Nice to be waited on for a change.
    She watched him pour the coffee, then he sat across from her at the table, pushing her cup toward her. He curled his hands around his mug, letting the steam caress his face. He was still shivering.
    “Cold?” she asked.
    He shuddered. “You really should turn up the heat a little.”
    “You really should wear some pajamas to bed.”
    He made a face. “Pajamas are for wimps.”
    “I wear them.”
    “You’re a girl.”
    “I see.” She smiled and sipped her coffee, watching him desperately clutch the heat of his mug. “I’m not shivering, though.”
    “All you have to do is turn the heat up.”
    “Heat’s for wimps.”
    His eyebrow quirked, his mouth compressing as if holding back a smile. “Touché.” He swigged down the last of his coffee and went back for more.
    She watched his retreat into the kitchen, focusing on the way his jeans hugged his rear end. Maybe she wouldn’t have to worry about his staying the whole month. His citified, pretty-boy genes couldn’t take it in the mountains.
    “It’d be a lot warmer if we’d been in bed together,” he said then, and she rolled her eyes reflexively as he leered and poured more coffee.
    “We’d just be that much colder now. It’s like getting out of the hot tub when it’s snowing outside. It feels twenty degrees colder because you’re already so warm.”
    His eyebrows rose. “You have a hot tub?”
    “Yes, I do.”
    His sober nod spelled danger. Something was going on behind those gray eyes. He was hatching some kind of plan. “Sounds nice,” was all he said.
    She decided to let that rest, for fear of putting other thoughts into his head. Let him work out his seduction scenario on his own. “I have to be at work in a half hour. What do you want to do?”
    He gave her a wicked grin. “What do you mean by that?”
    “You know what I mean.” She barely repressed the urge to roll her eyes. “You can come with me, or stay here and try to drive down to the shop later. I can leave you directions.” Rey had never been much for driving, though, city boy that he was. She was half afraid he might end up in Shawnee if he tried to drive to the shop by himself. Or Utah.
    “I’ll come with you.”
    “Are you sure? It might be just as dull at the shop.”
    “Maybe, but there are other places within walking distance of the shop. I can snoop around what passes for downtown if I get tired of hanging out with the pots and jewelry. Plus I can follow you in my rental car, so if I get too bored I can come back here or take a drive or something.”
    “That’s fine.” She stood, drained her coffee mug and set it in the sink. “I’ll be ready in a bit.”
    He wanted to follow her into the bathroom and watch her morning routine. He’d always enjoyed watching her put on her makeup. He liked the funny faces she made when she applied her mascara. But he had some things to get ready, too. He finished his coffee and toast, found eggs in the refrigerator and started a couple frying on the stove, then headed into the living room. His laptop was ready to go, already folded up in its case. He checked the outside