Page 10 of Burning Love (Looking For Love #7)

YOU STILL GOT ME

“ Y our kitchen is gorgeous. The rest of the house is going to look awesome too. I just know it.”

After Jace shared more of his life story than he said he was going to do, he hopped back on his bike and took off to the mall.

He needed time to think about why he was volunteering so much.

Maybe it was because Talia’s story was a sad one too for part of her life.

No one would look at her today and feel sorry for her.

He did.

He knew what it was like to not have a father.

She might have known hers and that made it worse. She didn’t even have the four years she was alive with him since he’d been deployed more than half of it.

Jace had the past twenty with his father and hoped to have fifty more.

Had he survived?

Sure, in his way.

But he was bitter that he didn’t have any of that growing up when a teen could have used a father.

Especially knowing how great Dean had been with his daughters.

“I hope so. Thanks. It was a lot of work. I know everyone is going for the whole white and gray now.”

“Nope,” she said. “I like this. It’s natural. It suits you too.”

He thought so with the woodland brown shaker-style cabinets. He had brushed brass pulls on them, a forest green backsplash in squared-shaped tiles, and an ivory granite counter with flecks of brown and gold.

The floors in the entire downstairs were wide plank light antique wood with multiple shades of brown throughout.

“I couldn’t decide but knew I didn’t want white. I put the floors in first and then had to go around that.”

“They are beautiful. I’m not sure I’ve seen anything like this before.”

“I’m sure you’ve seen all sorts of high-end houses.”

Considering the worth of her family and the places they lived. Yeah, his humble home couldn’t compare.

“I have,” she said. “But I think I’m simple at the heart of it. Some of my siblings are pretty fancy but not over the top.”

“And if they were, you wouldn’t say.”

“Nope,” she said, grinning.

He could appreciate the loyalty.

“Sorry about the rest of the house. If I knew we’d come back here, I would have picked up more.”

He had drop cloths on his living room and dining room floors to cover the flooring while he painted. That was what he’d planned on doing after he put the trim work in the half bath he’d just finished.

Time and money got in the way of a lot of things.

Sometimes money more than time, but the big projects were done at this point with the exception of the upstairs hall bath.

“Don’t worry about it,” she said. “Your kitchen is clean so that means you’re a neat person.”

“I try to be.”

“Show me the rest of the house, please.”

He walked her through the downstairs.

“Just a basic house. Living room, dining room you can see from here.”

“It’s nice and open. Did it come this way or did you knock down walls?”

“I had to knock down walls.”

He and his father did that before he moved out of his apartment. Once the house was structurally sound, the roof repaired and new windows, he knew he could move in.

“I guess it was a lot of work. Do you like having all this land out here?”

He was in an older area and had a little more than an acre of land. He had neighbors he could see, but not close enough to have a normal conversation with.

That held more appeal than anything else.

That and the price of the house that was in tax sale he’d gotten at a steal. The mortgage he took out covered the bulk of the big costs and repairs.

When it was done, it’d be close to a brand new house.

“I do. It’s quiet and no one is giving me shit over my motorcycle.”

“That’s a good point. I like that we’ve got some space between the houses, but there are still a lot of people around and they all know who owns the house.”

“I’m sure,” he said.

“My mother is good about putting her foot down and people don’t come around. At least those she doesn’t trust.”

“My half bath is here. I finished it last week. I was going to put the trim up today.”

“I’m sorry I pulled you away from work.”

“Don’t be sorry. I’d rather have a smoking chick on the back of my bike any day over listening to a saw running. I can do that any time I want.”

She laughed. “I’m sure you can get a smoking chick on the back of your bike any time you want too.”

“I’m not out there trying.”

“And yet you still got me.” She bumped her shoulder into his. “Give me the rest of the tour and then I’ll start dinner.”

He showed her his laundry room, half bath, office and then the two spare rooms that had new sheetrock and nothing but subflooring in them, then the hall bathroom that was bare down to the studs.

“This is the next project once the downstairs is complete. It was better to demo it with everything else at once. The only reason I didn’t put sheetrock in here like I did the other rooms is because I’m not positive of the layout yet.”

“It’s like a blank canvas. How fun.”

“It’s fun when you’re not the one doing the work.”

“If you didn’t want to do it, you wouldn’t be. Right?”

“True. This is my room.”

They moved into the room. The first one complete. He’d had this done before his kitchen when he moved in.

“This is so you too.”

He shrugged. “It’s just a room.”

“You’re not big on decor, but it’s still nice.”

His blue walls were bare of any artwork. He had a king sized bed and matching dresser with a TV hung on the wall over it. Nothing more. It was pretty bare. He hadn’t seen her space when he answered the alarms, but he was betting she had all sorts of decorations.

“My bathroom.”

She popped her head in. “That shower is massive. I wish mine was that big. It’s not. I’ve got a shower stall, but it’s about average size. If I want to take a bath, I have to go to a bathroom upstairs.”

He didn’t want to picture her naked in the tub.

Bubbles floating around, a glass of wine next to her, maybe a candle lit. Music would be playing.

He started to laugh.

“What’s so funny?”

“I got an image of you in the tub. Nice and romantic and then I figured you’d have music going and it’d be the head-banging type with sirens and alarms going.”

She laughed with him. “I’m never going to live this down. My mother even gave me a hard time about that too.” She leaned in close to him. “When I do take a bath, I enjoy all those romantic things you were thinking of.”

He groaned. “I figured. No tub here for you to soak in.”

“I don’t see you as a tub kind of guy.”

“Not really. I’ll put one in the hall bath. There should always be one in the house.”

“For kids,” she said.

He squinted at her. “Not on the radar.”

She giggled. “I bet. So, how hungry are you?”

“Very,” he said, backing her against the wall. “For something other than food.”

She allowed herself to be pinned, then lifted her arms and put them over his head. “You know, Jace, for a guy who made it seems as if he was just a fuck buddy, it’s taking you a long time to get a kiss.”

“Maybe I’m trying something new.”

“Why is that?” she whispered against his lips. “It better not be because of who my brother is.”

“I don’t care who your brother is. I care who you are.”

He actually paused when those words came out of his mouth.

Where the fuck had they come from?

She didn’t give him a chance to think more on it though when her mouth landed on his.

The kiss started slow on her end.

He turned it up on his.

He nudged her mouth open, his tongue sliding in, playing, teasing, tasting.

She let out a little sexy moan that sent the blood spiraling through his body.

Anyone else, he might have wanted to pick up and toss on his bed.

He hesitated with Talia.

Was it her age?

Or something more he was afraid to address?

She lifted her head, her eyes staring into his.

They were wide and full of arousal, but also confusion.

Yeah, welcome to the club!