“But I wanted to be closer to you and Krew. Could I see the little man? Could we be friendly neighbors?”
“He misses you,” she admitted. “I’ll bring him by after school. If you promise to be clothed by then.”
He held up his hand in the three-fingered Scouts’ symbol.
She thought she’d better go. If she stayed in this house alone with him for much longer, she’d touch that arm again, maybe even let her fingers stray to his shoulder, and then she’d race down the rabbit hole of kissing him until neither of them knew which way was up.
“So what can I plan on with a friendly neighbor?” Caleb asked, stepping closer again and resting that lovely, manly hand on the door next to her head.
Emily panted for air. “Cookies,” she breathed. “I make a mean snickerdoodle.”
“I like snickerdoodles.” He stared deeply at her. “I’d forgotten how beautiful you are.”
Emily blinked up at him. “I hadn’t.”
“Hadn’t what?” A half-smile curved his lips.
“Forgotten how beautiful you are.” Because she walked by and blew kisses at his poster every chance she got.
He grinned and leaned closer. She caught another whiff of that incredible cologne.
“What else might the friendly neighbor gig entail?” he asked.
She licked her lips. Breathing was becoming more and more difficult. “Um … pumpkin bars? Do you like those? I use Paula Deen’s recipe, from back home. Delicious.”
“Cream cheese frosting?” he asked, his gaze wandering to her lips. What she wouldn’t give to lick cream cheese frosting off of his incredible mouth.
“Yes, sir,” she got out. “Thick layer of cream cheese frosting.”
“Perfect.” Caleb put his other hand on the door and effectively pinned her in. He breathed her in, then let out a soft groan that made her stomach flip. “You smell almost as good as you look.”
“You … also,” she admitted. “Smell good. Smell delectable. Smell delicious.”
Caleb smiled. He was so close that if she leaned up at all, their lips would brush. “So could friendly neighbors maybe get together for game night?”
Emily lifted her shoulders, careful not to move her hands; they were begging to snake around his lower back and yank him in tight against her. “Krew and I play a mean game of Uno.”
“I love Uno. What about dinner? Not as a date,” he added. “Just a friendly neighbor bringing over dinner, maybe staying to eat with his favorite buddy Krew.”
She didn’t know but she liked the possibilities. “Maybe,” she conceded.
He didn’t look thrilled by that answer, but he persisted. “What about kissing? Do friendly neighbors kiss, or do they only kiss posters of each other?”
Emily was fighting for each breath. “Kissing is definitely off-limits between friendly neighbors.”
“Really?” He arched an eyebrow. “See, the problem is that the only poster I have of you is the picture of you sticking out your tongue at me. You don’t look like you’re ready for a kiss in that shot. The poster you have of me is a smoldering look just begging for kisses.”
She couldn’t help but smile, though she was dying to just lean up and kiss him. “You didn’t make that awful picture of me into a poster.”
“Yes, ma’am, I did.”
“You are certifiable.”
He chuckled, and his chest expanded and brushed against her. Emily sucked in air and moaned at the same time. It just felt too good to be close to him. His laughter fell away, and the desire in his blue eyes deepened into a sexy smolder that had her knees weak. She pressed into the door, praying for strength. Only two more months and she’d be free of her promise to Jeff. Then she could date and kiss this man any time she wanted.
“Mylee kissed me when she saw me,” he said in a deep voice.
“I’m sure she did.”