For his part, Caleb couldn’t get past the explosion of colors covering her body. The bed looked as if a flower shop had puked all over it. He was secure enough in his manhood to handle just about anything, but this would push any guy’s limits. Pinks, purples, and blues fought for dominance. And not even a masculine blue. More like a sissified blue, as if the other pale shades had beaten it into submission.
If Caleb wasn’t careful, the same could happen to him. Not without a fight.
“You can put your stuff in the chair over there,” Snow said, nodding her head toward the far corner of the room. The term “far corner” was an exaggeration, as the room was barely big enough for the bed and dresser. Whoever had built this dinky apartment must have had a munchkin in mind as a tenant.
Once the estrogen overload simmered down, Caleb dropped his bag onto the wicker chair indicated. The flimsy thing would never hold him, which meant he’d have to sit on the bed to remove his boots. The soft mattress dipped low beneath his weight. A quick glance Snow’s way revealed the blanket had been pulled higher, her eyes and nose barely visible above the lace trim.
He couldn’t help but wonder what she’d opted to sleep in. When they’d been together, neither of them slept in anything. Caleb wouldn’t push his luck, or his body, that far tonight, but he wasn’t going to sleep in his jeans either. Carrying his shaving bag into the bathroom, he hesitated when he spotted the sink. Who would make a sink this small? There couldn’t have been more than four inches between the front edge of the bowl and the end of the faucet, which looked at least eighty years old, with two four-point knobs facing forward instead of up.
Doing the best he could not to make a mess, Caleb finished his nightly business and stepped back into the bedroom. Snow feigned sleep, but he’d caught her watching him out of one eye. She was clearly trying to pretend his presence wasn’t affecting her, which made this the perfect time to show his wife what she’d been missing.
The moment she heard his zipper drop, Snow sat up in the bed. “What are you doing?”
“Getting ready for bed,” he said, choosing not to mention the baby duck–covered pajamas that were buttoned to her neck. If she was going for non-sexy, she’d hit the mark. “You don’t expect me to sleep in my jeans.”
“Then what are you going to sleep in?” she asked, regaining the blankets and hugging them against her chest.
Caleb grabbed the hem of his T-shirt. “Afraid I don’t own fancy pajamas like yours,” he said with a smile, and tugged the shirt over his head.
Snow tried to cover the gasp, but it was no use. His broad shoulders glowed in the soft light of her bedside lamp, rippling with every movement, making her long to run her fingers through the light patch of hair on his chest that she knew would be soft to the touch. Her mouth dried up as other parts turned moist, and Snow couldn’t pull her eyes away. Her husband was gorgeous.
And he knew it.
Holding her gaze as he pushed the worn denim over narrow hips, down muscled thighs and solid calves, Caleb conveyed with a look that all she had to do was break her own rule and she could have anything she wanted. And oh did she want. She wanted this man as she’d never wanted anything in her life, but she couldn’t have him and win back her future.
“That’s far enough,” she said, falling back onto the pillow to stare at the ceiling.
Snow turned out the light and flopped onto her side to face away from Caleb’s half of the bed. She felt cool air against her back as he lifted the blankets, replaced by heat as he settled in beside her. His breath tickled the back of her neck, and she wished he’d face the other way. Of course he wouldn’t. Caleb meant to make this night as difficult as possible, just as she intended to make his days a living hell.
At least they both knew what they were up against.
“Do I get a kiss goodnight?” he asked, his voice a whisper in the silent room.
Snow squeezed her eyes shut tight as a yes danced on the tip of her tongue. She could turn around and fall into him. Experience the security and protection she always felt in his arms. But that feeling is what had gotten her into this.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” she said.
“Just a kiss, Snow,” he pleaded. “It’s been a long time.”
Caleb toyed with her curls, waiting for her to change her mind. The gentle gesture weakened her resolve, and she rolled onto her back. “Why are you making this harder?”
With a deep chuckle, he said, “Something is definitely getting harder, but it’s more your doing than mine.”
His toe slid up her pant leg, and Snow fought to keep her knees together. “Your condition was that I take this seriously,” she whispered, turning to face him. “I’m willing to do that, but you have to honor your part of the bargain. We need to know each other without the fog of sex getting in the way, Caleb. Without lust clouding up our minds.”