Page 208 of Securing the Pucking Rebound

A smile twitches at his lips, and it only grows when his eyes drop to my body and he discovers what I’m wearing.

“Horses?”

My cheeks heat.

“Yeah. You like them?” I ask, as I walk past him and into his apartment.

His attention makes my skin prick with goose bumps and causes my temperature to soar.

My slippers pad against the wooden flooring, and as I get deeper into his home, the scent of him gets stronger and all-consuming, blending with the rich smell of garlic from whatever he’s cooked.

“Oh wow,” I breathe when the hallway opens to a huge open-plan space.

I’m not sure what I was expecting. Messy bachelor pad, I guess. But this apartment…it’s home. It’s all light colors and soft textures, and the wall of windows…I can’t help but gravitate toward them, my eyes taking in the unobstructed view across the city.

I can see a sliver of it, and I thought that was impressive. But this…this is something else.

“It must be so pretty at sunset.”

“It’s never been better than it is right now,” he rasps. His deep voice rumbles through me, and I spin around.

He’s standing a few feet away with his eyes zeroed in on me.

“Calvin?” I breathe as he takes his fill.

He swallows thickly, his eyes bouncing between mine and my lips.

“Fuck,” he breathes, his hand tugging at the back of his neck as he fights some kind of internal battle.

“Are you okay?”

One side of his mouth lifts in a smile. “Darlin’, I’m fucking amazing. You look…You look too fucking good in my apartment.”

I tilt my head to the side with a soft smile. “Then maybe you should have invited me before.” It’s meant to be a tease, but from the way his expression drops, I don’t think he takes it that way.

“I know. I should have, I⁠—”

“Hey,” I say, stepping forward and taking his hand in mine. “Let’s forget about the past for now.”

He nods, his shoulders relaxing.

His hand lifts, cupping my cheek, and I melt into his touch.

“You look incredible.”

It doesn’t seem to matter that I’m standing here wearing pajamas with horses all over them, no makeup, and exhausted from my day. There’s heat in his eyes that makes my thighs clench, reminding me just how long it’s been since we were together.

Desire coils in my lower stomach as I vividly remember just how good things can be between us. How electric.

“Don’t look at me like that,” he begs quietly.

“Like what?” I ask innocently.

“Like you want me to throw you over my shoulder, lay you out on my bed, and spend the rest of the night eating you instead of what I’ve made.”

Fire shoots straight through my veins as the image he paints appears vividly in my head.

“Dinner,” I blurt, making him chuckle.