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He leaned against the doorframe, all lean muscles and carefree confidence. “Hell no. I have plenty of room.”
“So you decided to bring your collection home because you love your job that much?” I needled. I folded my arms across my chest, and I watched his gaze lazily trail down my body. It was like all my staring had given him an invitation—one he happily accepted, judging by the heat in his eyes. When they met mine again, a shiver went down my spine. I almost didn’t comprehend his words when he spoke again.
“This room sends a message, Moonshine.”
“That you really love your job?” I countered. Why was my voice so breathy when I was trying to be pithy and snarky, unaffected by his sex appeal and the intoxicating scent of his cologne?
He shook his head, holding my gaze until I had to look away. “It says the only space for a woman in my home is in my bed, screaming my name.”
His words came out a low rasp that told me just how much he enjoyed his time there. And despite the pounding in my heart, despite the breathlessness of my chest, I said, “What are you trying to say?”
His lips twisted wryly to the side. “That’s how I stay single. I won’t have it any other way.”
“But that’s not what I asked,” I said.
“Isn’t it?”
I shook my head. “I asked how you stayed single and happy.”
“They mean the same thing.” He gestured that we should leave the room, so I stepped farther down the hallway and he turned out the light before shutting the door. The snap of the latch against the strike plate was just the cleanser I needed as I walked to his living room, feeling Hayes’s eyes on me as I went.
A question was stirring at the edge of my tongue, but before it came out, Hayes asked, “Want a beer?”
I raised an eyebrow, surprised at the question. “Thought the only place for a woman was in your bed?”
He ran a hand through dirty-blond hair. “You don’t count.”
“And why is that?” I asked, trying not to show how much that bothered me. It was just a reminder of all those times men’s gazes slid over me at the bar like I didn’t really exist. Or how, when I was in college, guys only befriended me to get my skinnier friends’ phone numbers.
My interest in Hayes frustrated me, because he clearly wasn’t interested in me.
“Actually, I will take a beer,” I said with a sigh.
He went to the fridge, bottles clinking as he pulled them out. Using the hem of his shirt, he twisted off the lids, showing another slice of his stomach, which I tried hard not to stare at.
I didn’t meet his gaze again until he passed me a bottle. I pulled it to my lips, letting the tangy liquid distract me from this sinking feeling.
Hayes was known to be a womanizer. What did it say about me that I was the one woman he wasn’t interested in?
He gestured at the couch across from him, and I defeatedly went and sat on the cold black leather. Damn, he was right. It was fine for a little bit but wouldn’t be comfortable enough to sit on through a whole movie or anything. The first thing I would change about this place would be adding some throw pillows and blankets to make it more comfortable.
His voice was low, eyes trained on his beer bottle when he finally spoke. “I don’t shit where I eat, Della. That’s why you don’t count.”
“What does that even mean?” I asked. I picked at the corner of the label on my own bottle, pulling back the paper.
He took a swig of his drink, and it was hard not to stare at his lips forming a seal around the bottle, the bob of his Adam’s apple, the swipe of his tongue over his shining mouth. “I don’t want my... relationships to make things worse for my family.” He held up his fingers to count off a list. “My nieces’ teachers, employees, and family friends.” He gestured at me. “That would be you... All off-limits.”
I put my hand over my chest, pretending to simper. “Did you just call me your friend? Aw, Hayes. So sweet!” Okay and maybe I was secretly relieved that it wasn’t just about my looks.
He waved his hands while swallowing his drink. “I said family friends. Not my friends.”
I pulled his move and winked at him. “Don’t worry, your secret’s safe with me.” I set my beer on his coffee table while he looked curiously at me.
“You still haven’t told me, friend, why do you care so much about finding someone?” Now his eyes were fully on me, unabashedly staring while waiting for my answer.
My stomach twisted uncomfortably. “You wouldn’t get it. Not when you’ve set up your whole life to keep women at arm’s length.” I was genuinely curious, so I had to ask, “You came from a big family, Hayes. Almost all your brothers are happily married. Don’t you see the allure?”
His gaze darkened for a fraction of a second, but then he was back to his cavalier façade. And I realized it was a mask... with something hiding behind it. “I see the allure of a relationship in one place, and that’s?—”