Close to You

beating heavily against her own, and she wrapped her
arms around him.
    He hummed and turned over, taking her
with him so she was sprawled over him. He held her thigh against
his hip, his other hand buried in her hair.
    She nuzzled closer and bit him lightly
on the shoulder.
    He tugged her head back and kissed
her.
    Something inside her melted. Where
their kisses had been explosive before, this one was soft and
lingering and sweet. She felt her heart expanding and would have
started to panic if he didn’t break the kiss.
    “ Bath? Or are you hungry?”
His voice was a sexy whisper, and she had the feeling he was
talking about more than just food.
    “ I want it all.”
    He stroked her face, pressing another
sweet kiss to her lips. “So do I.”
     

Chapter Twenty-two
     
    Eve didn’t argue when Treat sent her
to take a bath while he whipped up some food. She eagerly went into
his awesome bathroom, filled the tub, and sank into the hot
water.
    “ This is nice,” she
murmured, closing her eyes. She soaked until she felt boneless. For
the first time since she opened her café to find it waterlogged she
didn’t feel like she was overwhelmed and drowning.
    It was the nicest thing anyone had
ever done for her.
    Drying off, she slipped back into her
underwear, covered it with a buttoned shirt she found in the
closet, and went to find Treat.
    Curious, she poked her head into the
doorways as she walked by. A guest room as lavish as his bedroom,
another lush bathroom. Pale hardwood floors gleamed
throughout.
    His living room was huge. It had a
large fireplace with a cushy rug on the floor in front of it, and
his couches big and plush.
    But it was his kitchen that blew her
away. Airy and light, one wall had wide glass doors that opened
onto the deck. There was a long kitchen table with a bench on one
side and chairs on the other.
    The workspace itself was a chef’s
dream—a professional range and grill, a large island, plenty of
gleaming counter space and lots of cabinets. She wondered if Treat
liked to cook. She wasn’t sure why that would surprise her, but it
did. He didn’t seem like the kind of guy who would take the time to
put together anything more than a frozen dinner.
    He had his back to her. She watched
him before she cleared her throat to let him know she was there,
admiring the muscles rippling across his back as he moved. In
clothes he looked broad and strong, but in the flesh he was
incredible. Well-defined muscles upon well-defined muscles. She’d
never been one for bulky men, but she had a feeling her tastes were
changed forever.
    When he turned around and smiled, her
heart thudded and her face flushed.
    “ Hey. Come here.” He held
his hand out to her. He’d pulled his jeans on, but they were
unfastened. The line of hair down his hard stomach gave way to a
thicker thatch not quite concealed—and she knew what lay hidden
beyond.
    She padded over to him, torn between
shyness and wanting to explore what his pants hid.
    He took her hand and pulled her to
him. With open eyes, he kissed her. He tucked her hair behind her
ear. “I thought I’d make steak and a salad.”
    She nodded, wondering what she’d have
to do for another kiss.
    “ Sit with me while I
cook.”
    She looked at the table. It seemed so
far away.
    Before she could say anything, he
picked her up and set her down on the cold counter. “Stay here. I’m
going to get a bottle of wine.”
    She watched him disappear and come
back with a dark, dusty bottle. Expertly, he popped the cork and
poured them each a glass.
    “ What are we going to toast
to?” She could think of any number of things, hot sex being at the
top of the list.
    “ To beginnings.” He tapped
his glass to hers and sipped, watching her as she did the same.
Then he stepped between her legs and kissed her. It was deep, dark,
and rich, just like the wine.
    One last soft brush of his lips, and
he set his glass down to chop vegetables.
    Eve watched his deft handling of the
knife, impressed. “You’re good at that.”
    “ My mom insisted. She
didn’t want some poor woman to wait on me,” he said, coring a red
pepper.
    Eve smiled softly as she pictured him
as a little boy, standing at the counter. He probably had unruly
dark hair and big, earnest eyes that sparkled devilishly. “Your mom
must be proud then.”
    His brow furrowed. “My mom’s been
going through a hard time,” he finally said carefully.
    “ I’m sorry to hear
that.”
    “ She’s been lost ever