Page 51 of Romancing His Heart

I guess he fixed the electrical issue.

Loki moves with graceful ease in the tight space but still gives me a wide berth.

“Well, I write at night until three or four, so I guess I normally get up around noon.”

He opens the fridge and pulls out my favorite peppermint mocha coffee creamer. I notice someone has also stocked the shelves with the basics.

“Where did you get all this stuff?” Opening a cabinet, I see canned and packaged food stacked in neat rows.

“I pay someone to look after the place most of the time. Whenever I visit, his wife comes out and gets the place ready. That’s why I was so surprised about the damn raccoons,” he grumbles. “They couldn’t have been inside long, or Marianne would have seen them.”

“Oh, the babies. Do you think they’re doing all right out there? Maybe I should bring them more crackers.”

“Do not feed them, Red, or we’ll end up with bears next time.”

“Bears? Seriously?”

“We’re deep in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Wildlife is all around. Granted, the bears are probably hibernating, but let’s not tempt them, okay?”

“Eesh. Yeah, okay. No feeding wildlife. Can I check on them?”

“I have no idea, but my inclination is to let them be. Raccoons are wild animals. They have this ‘living off the forest’ thing down.”

Inching closer, I watch the muscles in Loki’s back work with each movement he makes. When he turns to hand me my coffee, I almost end up wearing it. I’m standing closer than he was expecting. Our proximity and the way he is holding out my mug cause the back of his knuckles to brush against my nipple, which pebbles immediately. Holding eye contact, I physically restrain myself from thrusting my chest forward into his palms.

“Dangerous,” he growls but doesn’t back away or move his hand. The heat radiating from him and the coffee a mere millimeter from my skin ghost over my hardened peak. It causes an almost painful sensation, and I swallow the urge to moan.

My gaze travels to his lips before darting back to his. There’s a storm brewing in his eyes, and I want to dance in it. “Mhm,” I finally agree. He has me tongue-tied, so I clamp my jaw shut before I make a fool out of myself.

I take a step back just as he steps forward. Bending at the knees, so we’re face to face, he scans my features. “Please, get dressed, and then we’ll make ground rules for while we’re here. No matter how much my body reacts to you, Red, you are a job.”

Ouch.

“I need to keep it that way. You’re too important to my family for me to fuck this up.”

A humorless laugh falls from my lips. “I’m not important, Loki. I’m a complication. Thanks for the coffee.”

Geez, that hurt the old ego.

“You are a job.”

Feeling foolish standing in silk lingerie after that, my face flames as I make a hasty retreat. I don’t get far before his grumbled apology fills the air.

Chapter 17

Loki

Fuck. I can be such an asshole.

“Sloane, wait. That’s not what I meant. It didn’t—”

She missteps at the sound of my voice but doesn’t stop. Without making eye contact, she nods. “No worries, Loki. I know what you meant.” Her falsely cheerful tone grates on my nerves, but she’s locked herself in the bathroom before I can comment.

Pulling out a chair, I sit and wait for her. I cradle my head in my hands, tugging at the ends of my hair. I’m so out of my element. It has been years since I’ve had no direction. I’ve lived my life by a strict military schedule. I don’t know what to do with myself now that I have nowhere to be and nothing to do.

The sound of water running drags me from my thoughts and plunges them right into the gutter. I force my eyes to stay open because if I even blink, my mind will conjure images of Red stripping out of that fucking silk bralette. Water cascading down her collarbone and dripping from her perfectly hard nipples. Remembering how they reacted to my brief, accidental touch has my cock springing to life.

Glancing down, I do what I haven’t done since I was a teenager. I talk to my fucking dick. “I will not get you off while she is in the next room, fuckwad, so get it together and go back into hiding.” When that doesn’t work, I forcefully adjust him and go in search of our phones. Fucking Preston is going to get an earful.