Chapter 4 Evan
Igripped the sheets in my arms until my knuckles turned white.
Sweetheart.
If you only knew what you did to me.
Becca laid on her yoga mat at the foot of the bed, hinged at the waist, and bent over her legs, her cheek resting on the floor.
She”d taken off her hoodie and her curves were on full display.
“What”s up?” she asked, turning her face so her cheek was on the floor and she could look toward me.
“Sheets,” I said. Feeling like a goddamn caveman.
I probably sounded like an asshole, but it was really that this young woman had stolen all the fucking words from my lips.
After the way she’d kissed my jaw…
My mind was blank. It took all my effort not to think about this young woman in a way she didn”t deserve.
“Sheets?” she echoed, a hint of amusement in her voice as she gracefully unfolded herself from the pose and stood up. “I was wondering about that. Thank you.”
She crossed the room to take the sheets from my arms, careful not to let our fingers brush. The air between us felt charged, the memory of her soft lips on my cheek still fresh in my mind.
I cleared my throat, taking a step back to put some distance between us. “It gets cold up here at night,” I said, my tone flat. “I”ll light the wood stove for you.”
“Oh, that would be great.”
I crossed the room to the small wood stove nestled in the corner, taking a log and some kindling from the neat stack beside the stove.
I busied myself with building the fire, acutely aware of Becca”s gaze on me as I worked. Couldn’t she pull out her phone or something? She had Wi-Fi, now, and she still chose to watch me with her full rapt attention.
I struck a match and held it to the kindling, watching as the flames licked hungrily at the dry wood.
When the fire was crackling, I straightened and turned to face her. She’d finished putting the sheets on the bed and stood beside it, smoothing the comforter, giving me a small smile.
For a long moment, we just stood there, eyes locked, neither of us daring to move. I knew I should leave, should put some distance between us before I did something stupid. But I couldn”t seem to tear myself away.
I wanted to pull her into my arms, to bury my face in the softness of her hair and inhale her sweet scent. I wanted to lay her down on that newly made bed and worship every inch of her perfect body until she was crying out my name.
But I couldn”t. I wouldn”t. She deserved so much better than a lonely, old recluse.
Finally, with a herculean effort, I managed to take a step back. “Get some rest,” I said, my voice rough with the effort of holding myself in check. “We’ll head out first thing in the morning.”
And with that, I turned and strode out of the room, closing the door firmly behind me. I leaned against the wall in the hallway as soon as the door shut, my heart pounding and my blood surging hot in my veins.
Becca had gotten under my skin faster than a splinter, and I had a feeling she”d be just as hard to shake.
Trouble had never looked so damn tempting.