His jaw twitched when he clenched his teeth. The last thing he needed to do was blurt out something stupid like, “Can I lick your ass cheeks.” Not a smooth move, Colin.
Just when he thought of something more civilized to say, a black and white dog came loping onto the porch. The clickety-clickety of its nails chimed in time with its waddle. “This is Charlie. She’s my girl.” Lea bent down to scratch it behind its bat-like ears. The mutt’s muzzle scrunched when its lips spread into what looked like a huge smile. The sight would make even the grouchiest man laugh.
He grinned and knelt down to give the dog’s neck a scruff. “She’s cute.”
“And she knows it. I got her two years ago when we finalized the divorce. She’s kind of been my rock.” They stood up and Lea opened the screen door. “Ready to see the place?”
Colin had to slow his steps. He wanted to run inside and explore every room like a kid on Christmas morning, but sensed how uneasy she must be about the new arrangement. “Sure,” he said and held the edge of the door above her head so she could go through first. Trying to be a gentleman was proving damn hard. All he could do was hope she didn’t turn around and notice the way he was staring as she walked through the open door.
The inside of the house was amazing. With the style of architecture, he expected to find the pale pinks and greens like at his grandmother’s house, but instead the cozy modern style welcomed him to sit down. “This place is beautiful,” he said as she led him up the wide staircase leading from the foyer.
“Thanks! Redecorating took a while after my ex left, but I like it. I guess the purists would be upset because I didn’t keep the decor original to the era, but I live here. This place isn’t a museum.” She stopped in front of an open door on the second floor. Focusing on the way her ass swayed as she walked down the hall he almost crashed into her. “Here it is. The bathroom’s down the hall on the right. My room’s on the left and I use the attic for storage. The staircase is around the corner at the end. You’re more than welcome to use it, too. The space is finished. At one time I thought it’d be perfect for a playroom.”
The crests of her cheeks pinked as she looked away. There was too much history laden in the comment to press for her to open. Instead, he shifted the conversation to make her more comfortable. “This place is amazing,” he said as he walked into the room. The spacious decor was accented by the heavy, dark wood complementing the cream-colored rug in the center of the hardwood floor. “I’ll take it.” He spun around in time to watch her bend over and pick up Charlie. Damn if his cargo shorts didn’t try to split at the zipper.
“Do you want to see the rest of the house first?” she asked, her gaze snapping just over his shoulder before spinning around toward the doorway. “We can go in the kitchen and get something to drink and discuss the details.”
He glanced at the mirror above the dresser. His complexion flushed, hands fisted at his sides. There was no willing away the impressive tent stretching the front of his shorts. Holy shit, could he be more of a fucking idiot? Thankful she didn’t look over her shoulder, he said, “That’d be great. We can iron out the details.” He followed her into the hallway then walked into the bathroom careful to keep his hard-on out of her direct line of sight. “Do we share this bathroom?”
Charlie started to wiggle as Lea placed the dog on the floor. “No. This one’s for you. I have one off my bedroom. My ex-husband wanted to keep everything white in this one. White tiles, white tub and shower—the man was void of color and personality.” Her lips slid into a snarky smile. “Will this be okay?”
The fact she had a sense of humor about her ex made him relax. When it came to relationships, hate mirrored love and the last thing he wanted was for Lea to have any emotional attachment to the dumb fuck who screwed her over. Even if they never their new found friendship any further, he’d never want her hurt again.
He followed her out into the hallway, studying the pictures on the walls. After a few moments, the tension in his groin started to ease. Before she turned around, he made a quick adjustment, giving some much-needed room to his softening cock. “It’ll be perfect,” he said. “So, what are the ground rules?”
She leaned against the wall. “Well, I guess, be courteous. If you get it out, put it away. I go to the grocery store once a week. I can pick things up you like.”
“I can handle those things. What about rent?”
She averted her gaze to Charlie who sat on the floor by her feet. “I don’t want to charge too much, because I know you. Well, I kind of know you. What do you think is a fair amount?”