The more she looked at him, the tighter his snug shorts felt, and he was very aware that there was a bed nearby to alleviate the pain he was feeling. He glanced at his bed, and then back again at her—and he smiled.
Stormy’s eyes widened the slightest bit as she looked into his and then looked down, before jerking her head back up and looking more like a mouse cornered by a very hungry cat.
“I’m . . . uh . . . sorry for coming into your room. I was just looking around, trying to get a feel for the layout,” she finally muttered. “I really like your chest . . . I mean, uh your house, especially your room,” she said before turning scarlet. “I mean that it’s very hard . . . I . . . uh . . . I mean comfortable.”
She finally lifted her hand and put it over her mouth to stop the flow of words.
Hot damn, he wanted this woman with something that bordered on obsession. Not good! Her sweet scent drifted over to him, bringing an exotic flavor that had never been in his masculine room before.
His mind wandered as he imagined moving across the room and pulling her into his arms, a gasp of approval sliding across her lips right before he claimed her mouth. He would slowly peel her summer dress away, revealing her shoulders and then her sweet perky breasts for him to feast upon. He wouldn’t mind nibbling his way down her body, trailing his fingers until he found her center.
His hardness was now a screaming mass of pain that he seriously had to do something about. Moving quickly over to his bathroom, he grabbed a towel and wiped the sweat from his brow before moving it over his naked chest and then holding it in front of him. This woman got under his skin like no woman ever had. Something about her called to him, and even though his mind couldn’t for the life of him clear the foggy feeling that he’d met her before, his body decided it didn’t care either way.
“My room is open to you anytime,” he heard himself say.
And then he enjoyed the gasp from her suddenly puckered lips, but he didn’t get to feel her warm breath against his mouth. Dammit!
“I think I should finish unpacking,” she stuttered. “I won’t be here very long,” she added as she took a step toward his bedroom door.
She seemed to think twice about it, though, when she realized she was going to be left with no choice but to come intimately close to him. He decided not to move. He wanted her nearer to him.
“Be my guest,” he offered when she stood there for a few more seconds, completely frozen in place.
“Well, okay then,” she said and she began to make a wide arc past him. He inhaled while she walked past.
She made it to the door before he spoke again. “We’ll talk after I shower, Stormy.”
She stopped in his doorway but didn’t turn around. She was feeling the sexual tension as much as he was. Cooper really wasn’t disappointed about his new housemate.
Screw the shower. He needed to move! After dressing in some swim shorts, he made his way outside.
It took a while, but his arousal finally died down. Still, there was something niggling against his brain—something about her smell—about the gasp from her lips and the widening of her eyes that was so damn familiar.
But how could he ever forget a woman like Stormy if he’d met her before?
He couldn’t have. He might be somewhat of a rogue, but he didn’t forget his bed partners. Maybe he hadn’t bedded her, though; maybe he’d just met her at a party? But why wouldn’t she tell him if he had? Cooper flashed through his mind the last couple of years of women, and there was no Stormy.
He would figure it out. She was now his guest. He had plenty of time.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Breathing deeply in and out, Stormy moved down the staircase, not wanting to hear the shower running with Cooper inside the large room—wet . . . naked . . . soapy. Oh, living here was so not a good idea.
As she walked, she became engrossed again in the beautiful nautical pictures lining the walls. Whatever else she could say about Cooper, she had to give the man his due. He had good taste.
When she felt it was safe again, she moved back upstairs to her sparsely furnished room. Luckily there was already a mattress and dresser in it, but no extras. Her few possessions didn’t take up much space at all.
She was drawn to the large window and the view of the large, well-manicured backyard and the nearby harbor beyond. She hated that the place belonged to Cooper because otherwise, it would be a dream come true to live in such a lavish location.
Beggars couldn’t be choosers, though, and she’d just have to make the best of the situation. She was an adult. She could handle this. She needed to handle this. She turned back to the luxurious bed. Even though she wasn’t thrilled with her new housemate, the place clearly had its perks. She swiftly rushed over to the ultra-comfortable oasis, flung herself on top of its welcome warmth, and sank down into the soft mattress. She couldn’t stop herself from allowing a giggle to escape.