Page 136 of In Sheets of Rain

Whisper lounged in his cat bed beside a ranch slider in the sitting room. He purred when I knelt down beside him.

“See,” Michael said. “Still alive.”

I laughed, scratching Whisper under the chin and making him purr louder.

“So, no killing each other yet,” I said.

“Not yet. He sticks to his side of the house; I stick to mine. We have an agreement.”

I leaned forward and placed my forehead against my cat’s and just inhaled. Michael watched from his lean against the kitchen counter. Whisper smelled the same. He felt familiar. My breath slowed as I closed my eyes and stroked his silky fur.

When the cat had enough and stalked off, Michael laughed.

“Glad it’s not just me,” he said.

I scowled. He grinned.

“Want a tour of the place?” he asked.

“Sure.”

He showed me the garage and the new addition to the ranch slider window. He had a boat in there, next to where his Commodore would go.

“For fishing,” he said.

“Where do you go?”

“Out from Half Moon Bay or down at Lake Taupo.”

“Taupo? That’s miles away.”

“I own a cabin there.”

Yeah, he was rich. Or had an enormous mortgage.

The kitchen was small but well-appointed. The office had its own entrance and a dark wood partners desk sitting proudly in the centre. There were two guest rooms with a bathroom between them.

And then we came to the master bedroom.

“I can’t show you the ensuite bathroom,” he said.

“Why not?”

“I haven’t cleaned it,” he admitted, sheepishly.

Somehow that made him more appealing.

“One day, though,” he promised.

I kept looking at the bed.

It was large and right there.

Michael approached slowly. His hot breath wrapped around my neck. His large frame wrapped around my body. His hands skimmed over my stomach, my hips, up to my breasts. I tipped my head back, and he kissed me.

Somehow we ended up on that bed. Kissing madly. My heartbeat fluttered. I didn’t care about my breaths. Michael made me feel alive.

We couldn’t keep our hands off each other. It was electrifying. I needed to touch him. He needed to touch me. We explored each other with frequent sighs.

He made me climax. I hadn’t had an orgasm with a man in over three years. I refused to think of Sean. Michael wouldn’t let me.

I lay in his arms afterwards and felt content. Felt . . . right.

He asked me to stay the night.

I did.