Becca didn’t like the fact that her palms were sweaty and she had a hard time acting normal. What was the big deal about standing on Mitch Flashman’s doorstep or getting a glimpse into his private world? She’d brought her cousin and son. This wasn’t a date.

She wanted to laugh at her nerves, but she couldn’t. Instead, she centered herself and remembered her heart-to-heart with Nora earlier in the day.

“Look, it’s obvious he’s attracted to you.” Nora blew at her bangs, which continued to obscure her vision. “And I’ve seen the way you look at him. What’s the problem?”

Becca sighed. “I don’t know. He’s different. I like him, even though I don’t want to. And yeah, he’s handsome. I don’t know.”

“You said that already.”

“What?”

“I don’t know.” Nora smiled. “You want to know what I think?”

“Not really.”

Nora being Nora ignored her. “I think you like this man, that maybe you’re kind of crushing on him. And he’s the first man since Neal who’s made you feel all girly and goofy.”

Becca wanted to disagree. Miserable, she’d nodded.

“Good. It’s about damn time. Neal was amazing. And he’s dead.” To the point. “Nothing wrong with dating someone else that you actually like. And by all that’s holy, have sex again. If he won’t work, put an ad on Craigslist or something before you have cobwebs growing in your hoo hoo.”

The conversation had ended in great gales of laugher, and it put a smile back on Becca’s face.

So when Mitch opened the door, he saw her grinning instead of looking as if she might pass out.

He smiled back. “Hello. Come on in.” He stood back, and she entered through the grand door to his mansion. Okay, not mansion. Palatial estate set on many acres in the mountains. His view of the snowcapped peaks was amazing. Heck, she’d been impressed with the circular stone driveway and gorgeous landscaped front, visible even under a layer of sleet covering it.

Simon and Nora crowded her in the entryway as they took off their shoes. She followed suit, then saw Mitch staring at them.

She blushed. “Sorry. Habit. Makes your floor last longer.”

He nodded. “A trick my mom taught me years ago.” He wiggled sock-covered toes at her. And wow, were his feet huge.

Simon, holding their offering of sweets, stared. “Dude, you have big feet. What are you? A fifteen?”

“Thirteen.”

“I’m a twelve,” Simon said, proudly.

She sighed. “Yeah, and he keeps growing.”

Mitch looked sympathetic. “It only gets worse. I didn’t stop growing until I was in my early twenties. Went through a ton of clothes.”

“Me too.” Deacon joined them holding a beer. “Mitch got a lot of hand-me-downs.” He smirked. “But I always had to have new. Because I’m so huge.”

“Yeah, his head is so big it barely fits through the door,” Mitch muttered.

Simon laughed.

Nora remained quiet, so Becca turned to her. But her cousin was focused on the house, her mouth open. “Look, before this goes any further, I want the tour.” Nora shoved the plate of cookies she’d made at Deacon. “I know how this goes. You’re being nice because you want Becca helping you with Linda the Man-Eater Madison. Good call. But eventually Becks, Simon, or I will annoy you, and you’ll want us out of your house. Before that happens, the tour. That’s our price for helping you.”

Mitch blinked. “Ah, sure. But I wouldn’t just throw you out for being annoying. I’ve been dealing with Simon on a daily basis, and I don’t think I ever kicked him out of the coaches’ office.”

Becca was pretty sure he was teasing.

“I make him run laps. I almost kicked his sorry butt off the field two weeks ago,” Deacon admitted.

Simon rolled his yes. “Yeah, right.” Then he cleared his throat and tacked on a respectful, “Coach.”

Mitch laughed and drew Simon into a headlock, then walked them into the house with Deacon at his side.

She and Nora followed, and Becca pulled back to whisper, “Nice going. You’re gong to get us kicked out before we get to swim.” She’d been looking forward to the heated pool ever since Mitch had mentioned it.

“Oh, relax. This way we get to see the house for sure.” Nora looked more animated than she’d been in a long time. “Can you believe he lives here?”

They walked through a massive living area, decorated with a sophisticated cabin-meets-modern style. The open floor plan connected the living space with a kitchen that filled Becca with a bad case of envy. My God. It had upscale appliances, an eight-burner Viking stove, double ovens, a prep sink in the giant island seating eight, as well as a large ceramic farmer’s sink by the window overlooking the mountains. Bowls and plates of delicious smelling food sat on an expansive black granite counter. The amount of prep work and cooking she could get done in a kitchen this size boggled the mind.

She couldn’t look away from so much culinary goodness, so when Simon took her by the arm, she jumped.

“Easy, Mom. We’ll come back to heaven in a minute,” he teased.

She turned to see the group laughing at her. “Sorry. I have a weakness for kitchens.”

Mitch’s smile lightened his whole face, and she found herself unable to look away.

“Good to know. So the next time I annoy you, I’ll flash a few pictures of my counters and you’ll forgive me, right?”

“Good luck with that,” Simon said. “Now take out the trash without being asked, and you might have a shot at a date.”

“Simon.” She blushed.

“I’ll remember that.” Mitch laughed and took them on a leisurely tour.

The house seemed much too large for one man. The main area seemed all on one level. Several bedrooms, each with its own bath, a study, a reading room, and of course, the indoor pool.

They paused at the sight of the swimming pool and adjoining hot tub, all done in a natural setting. It felt as if the pool was actually outside since the entire room had been encased in thick glass.

“And off there is the weight room. It’s not big. But there are some free weights, machines, and some stationary bikes.”

Simon’s eyes were huge. “Holy shit.”

“Simon.” She glared at her son.

Mitch and Deacon laughed.

“I had the same reaction when I first saw it,” Deacon admitted.

“Your house isn’t as big?” Nora teased.

Deacon turned to her with an odd expression. “Nope. I got cleaned out after my divorce. I live much more modestly.”

To Becca’s surprise, Mitch seemed uncomfortable. “I know. This house is too much. But it’s a good investment, at least.”

“I think it’s great.” Becca didn’t like him feeling awkward about his house. Why should he feel ashamed he could afford something so grand? “I wish I lived in something this nice. But then I think of how much there would be to clean…”

Mitch relaxed. “Yeah. That I have no problem with. Just don’t look too closely at the dust balls gathering. Deacon keeps telling me I need to hire someone.”

“You do.” Nora nodded. “I know a few people you could talk to. Ones who won’t rob you blind or blab to everyone about you being a slob. If you are one.”

“Oh, he is.” Deacon sounded smug.

“Shut up.” Mitch flushed, and she found this source of embarrassment amusing.

“Just like Simon.” She looked for her son. “Simon?”

“In here, Mom,” he called from the weight room.

“Wow. I didn’t see him move,” Mitch said.

Deacon teased, “Probably because you’ve been busy staring at Becca.” 

 “No kidding.” Nora took Deacon by the arm, which must have surprised him, because he seemed to tense. “Come on, love of my life. Let’s find the kid before he hamstrings himself with a free weight.”

“I don’t think that’s possible, but okay.” Deacon walked away with Nora, leaving Becca to face Mitch.

“Forgive my brother. He has a big mouth.”

“So does Nora.”

He nodded. She nodded.

They stared at each other in silence.

“Can I show you something?” he asked after a moment.

“Not your etchings.”

He grinned, and a dimple peeked at her. “Not yet. I was saving that for later.”

She tucked some loose hair behind her ear, nervous. “Okay.”

He led her to a room off the pool, a small conservatory filled with blooms. The twenty-by-twenty foot room had been encased in thick glass, stonework, and drywall where it joined the main house. Sleet filmed the glass roof and outer walls. But the many pots of flowers boasted rich black dirt and overflowed with colorful flowers of all kinds.

In the middle of the room, a tan couch, standing overhead lamp, and coffee table sat atop a patterned area rug. On the coffee table, someone had been reading about the Civil War. It was a perfect area to indulge in a good book, surrounded by green and growing things.

“Oh, wow.”

“Yeah. This is way cool. Unfortunately, I don’t know a lot about flowers. I guess I can learn though, right?”

She stared at a nearby wealth of sweet-smelling red roses and inhaled. Closing her eyes, she took in the scent of past summer and earth and sighed. “This is amazing.”

When she opened her eyes, Mitch stood close. She had to look up to meet his gaze.

“Can I tell you something?”

She nodded, unable to speak, her heart thundering.

“I’ve pictured you here, in front of me. And then I’ve imagined doing this.”

But frozen in place, she could do no more than reach up to urge him closer.

She brushed the hair on the back of his neck and drew him down to her, pleased at his swift intake of breath.

Then his lips met hers, and sensation bombarded her.

Mitch started out gentle, exploring, and let her lead. She moved her hands from his neck to his broad shoulders and felt his hands at her waist.

The kiss changed, and her entire body went boneless. Her legs grew rubbery, her breasts aching, and the place between her legs seemed to take on a hunger all its own.

So turned on she feared she’d combust, she wanted to pull back but found herself clutching him tighter. His chest brushed hers, and she gasped into his mouth.

And that’s when Mitch took over.

His tongue slid inside her mouth, darting deeper to stroke hers. He moaned, or she moaned, and then the kiss became a ravaging need to—

“Mom!”

Simon’s call from the other room froze them both.

“Damn.” Mitch leaned his head against her shoulder, breathing hard. “Just…fuck.”

She felt the same. Still fogged with desire, confused, and overstimulated from a few simple kisses. Nothing made sense.

“Hey, Becca,” Nora yelled. “Where are you?”

“She can’t have gotten lost,” she heard Deacon say with amusement. “Not with my capable brother to show her around.”

“I’ll be right there,” Becca managed and hoped she sounded sure, not shaky. Her hands remained firm on Mitch’s shoulders, her breath brushing his chest. The scent of his cologne mingled with the roses, and she smiled. “You smell good.”

He groaned again. “So do you.” He lifted his head and took a step back, forcing them to release their hold on each other. “I’m not sorry about the kiss.” He announced, almost confrontational.

“Neither am I.” To her surprise, she wasn’t.

He seemed to relax. “Good. I’ve been wanting to do that forever.” Then he let out a breath. “So, uh, why don’t you go out and show them I haven’t buried your body on the grounds.”

She laughed, feeling amazing. “Sure. Aren’t you coming?”

He glanced down at himself, and she saw his problem. Even through his jeans she made out a very impressive erection. “At some point, probably.”

When she caught his meaning, her cheeks heated.

He laughed. “Sorry. That was crude. I’ll be out in a minute. Go away, would you? You’re making this…hard.” She hurried to leave, but as she got to the door, he said, “Becca? We’ll get back to us later. Don’t even think of pretending this didn’t happen.”

“Don’t tell me what to do, Mitch Flashman.” Hmm. Maybe I should stick out my tongue at him and sound even more childish. She wanted to smack herself. “And you’re darned right we’ll get back to this.” 

“Good.”

“Fine.”

“Mom!” Simon again.

“I’m coming,” she yelled, annoyed. But as she rejoined the others, she realized fear of what Mitch might mean to her hadn’t made a dent in her desire for the man. Perhaps Nora had the right of it. It was time for Becca to stop worrying over being attracted to someone like Mitch. She could handle a flirtation that might turn into something more. Couldn’t she?

“Where were you?” Simon asked. He didn’t look suspicious, just curious.

Praying she sounded calm, Becca smiled. “Mitch was showing me his roses.”

“He has flowers?” Simon put a lot of disdain into his question.

Nora nudged him. “Hey. Girls like flowers. Don’t knock it.”

Deacon nodded. “She’s right. Though don’t credit my brother with the roses. The previous owners had a thing for gardening, and the wife wanted to be surrounded by flowers all year round. Unfortunately, Mitch has never had a green thumb in his life. We’re taking bets on how long before the poor things die.”

“Liar.” Mitch stuck his head out the door. “Come on, guys. I’ll show you.”

They looked around the small conservatory, and even Nora seemed impressed.

“So, girls like flowers. It’s not just a stereotype?” Simon asked…Mitch.

Why did the boy look to Mitch for answers about women? Becca happened to be a woman. So was Nora.

She met Nora’s amused gaze. “We could have told you that.”

“Um, yeah. Most women do,” Mitch answered. He gave her a look she couldn’t decipher, but nothing in his eyes gave away the fact he’d had his tongue down her throat moments ago. “Do you like flowers?”

“Well, yes.”

“And you?” Deacon asked Nora.

She nodded. “Who doesn’t?”

“But what kind?” Deacon continued. “Not every woman likes the same kind of flowers. And sometimes, if you get them, it’s a sign you did something wrong.”

“Not true,” Nora argued. “Sometimes it’s just a man trying to be romantic.”

Deacon snorted. “Yeah, right. You see a guy getting flowers, ten to one he’s apologizing for something he’s been told he’s done wrong.”

Nora glared. “Maybe if he would get her flowers for no reason, then it wouldn’t have to be an apology. Men are so dense, sometimes.”

“And women aren’t a pain in the ass to please?” He looked as if he meant to say something more, saw the rest of them hanging on his every word, and turned red. “Um, I mean, that’s how some men might react. Not me.”

Nora rolled her eyes. “Sure, love-buns. We all get that.” Then she latched onto his arm again and dragged him outside. “Now let’s eat. I’m starved.”

Simon glanced from Becca to Mitch but said nothing. “Me too. What’s for dinner?”

Mitch slapped him on the back, and they walked out behind Becca. “The question should be, what’s not for dinner? Rumor has it you eat a lot. And we have two more football players at the table. We have food out the ass.” He paused. “Er, it’s a lot.”

Simon laughed. “Cool. I’d race you to the table, but I forgot how to get back to the kitchen.”

“Don’t tell anyone, but sometimes I get lost here too.”

Becca smiled.

They sat down to eat, and she did her best to ignore the subtle glances Mitch shot her. They spent time at the table eating, the brothers telling stories about each other that she found hilarious. Then they all played a board game that showed the competitive streak in everyone but Becca. Talk about bloodthirsty.

She’d been doing well keeping her attraction for Mitch to herself. Until they went swimming, and she found herself unable to look past his incredible physique. The man had muscles…everywhere.