“Impressive. You did it all by yourself?” His finger had abandoned her hair, had moved on to trace down the length of her nape. A shiver stole over her, her entire being focused on that narrow spot he touched.
“Alison and Mac helped me a lot. Especially Mac. Your brother is pretty handy.”
Cameron snorted, his hand dropping away from her neck. Disappointment filled her. She’d made a mistake, mentioning Mac. For whatever reason, Cam seemed jealous of the relationship she had with his younger brother. Which was silly, considering there was nothing between them beyond a fond, long-abiding friendship.
“Next I’m going to redo the bathroom,” she forged on, wanting to forget mentioning Mac. Hopefully Cameron would, too. “That’ll be a long process but I already have a plumber picked out. I think we’ll start it in the fall.”
“Why not now, when you have the time?” His arm slipped so it settled around her shoulders, heavy and warm. She held her breath, surprised when he nudged her closer to his side.
“Well, we were supposed to start this next week but I postponed it because of the accident,” she answered breathlessly. She was nestled so close to him, her thigh pressed against his. He had on cargo shorts that were long, hitting him at the knee even when he sat, but she could still feel the muscular warmth of his flesh through the thick fabric.
She studied him covertly, admiring his handsome features. Strong square jaw lightly covered in stubble, full, generous mouth that knew how to kiss every thought out of her head. His green eyes had smoldered just seconds ago, when he talked about denying himself what he wanted.
Those words had left her hot and bothered. He was definitely something she wanted. She just had no clue he actually wanted her, too.
What made him change his mind?
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He remained silent for a long moment, his fingers now stroking along her shoulder, the one bared by her top. She’d chosen the shirt with him in mind, along with the sexy red bra. Wanting to tease, she supposed, which was crazy considering her no-sex rule.
And now he was the one who teased, slipping his finger beneath her bra strap, gently stroking her skin. Her breath hitched in her throat. When was he going to kiss her? He was driving her crazy with need, making her already reconsider that stupid rule she’d established…
He rocked the swing with a push of his feet and they swung back and forth slowly, both of them silent, the sounds of the forest at night surrounding them. Raccoons lived nearby and were probably lurking in the shadows, waiting for a chance to come out. She knew this because they kept trying to get into her garbage cans and made a mess of things. Deer often came to graze farther down the hill, closer to the lake, but they usually made their visit at sunset.
She loved living here. And she liked that he liked her home, too.
“You have very soft skin,” Cam murmured, drawing lazy circles on her shoulder and upper arm. “Silky.”
She remained quiet, not sure how to answer. Maybe he wasn’t looking for an answer. Perhaps he was trying to seduce her. Which was silly, considering she was a sure thing, kissing-wise.
“Do you own a house?” She felt as if she knew nothing about him beyond his past. Oh, and what she read and saw in magazines or on the Internet. But that didn’t count. And if she was going to reveal bits and pieces of herself, it was only right he return the favor.
“No. I had a loft apartment in Brooklyn but I let the lease go after I had the—after I left Afghanistan.”
He hesitated and she wondered why. “What happened to all of your things?”
“In storage. I didn’t own much anyway. I’ve been on the move pretty much since I left here.”
“I can’t imagine that. I have too much.” She laughed softly. “Too many shoes, too many books, too many coffee cups.”
“You’re a collector?”
She laughed again. “Either that or a hoarder.”
“Ah, I doubt that. You seem pretty neat.”
Chloe glanced up at him. “Have you ever watched that hoarding show? It makes me want to toss out half of everything I own and clean everything else until it sparkles.”
“A good motivator, then.” He looked down at her, his expression full of amusement. Goodness, he was handsome, his light brown hair falling across his forehead, those pretty green eyes locked on her, his mouth soft…sexy. She sorta couldn’t get over it, having him this close. Knowing she’d kissed that delicious mouth and was about to again. “And I’ve seen the show. You are definitely not a hoarder.”
They gazed at each other in the darkness, the moon their only light. It was nice, having a real conversation with him. He was being relatively open, considering who she was dealing with, and the words flowed easily between them.
Not to mention she thoroughly enjoyed sitting so close to him, his arm around her, his fingers lightly touching her. It was…sweet.
Romantic.
“Thanks for humoring me,” she whispered.