All of Daisy’s tension from the long drive evaporated the second she dipped her toe into the oversized bathtub. When she’d first arrived at the address Gerri had given her, a fresh wave of panic almost sent her speeding back to her tiny apartment in the city. But she held her ground, thinking instead that if some lonely wolf wanted to treat her to the lap of luxury for a few days, she was game. After all, what did she have to lose? It wasn’t like she expected to fall madly in love at first sight or some crazy shit like that. She read romance novels for fun here and there, but knew they were nothing more than random fantasies dreamt up by people far more creative than her—and besides, her life didn’t even come close to the sexy women always cast as the heroines in the garden-variety romance books she found tucked neatly behind action/adventure books at her local grocery store.
She found the front door unlocked, just as Gerri had promised, and made her way inside. Her jaw nearly hit the damn floor on her solo tour of the gorgeous log home. Private accommodations were one thing, but this place was off the charts, with windows stretching from the floor to the three-story ceiling, beautiful hardwood floors extending from one end of the home to the other, and a large library packed with leather-bound volumes that left her well and truly speechless. She could spend her entire vacation poring over the vast texts housed on perfectly framed bookcases.
And then she spied the master bedroom with its glorious four-poster bed and puffy comforter. Daisy couldn’t help but launch herself halfway across the room onto the bed just to see if it was as comfy as it looked. Heaven help her, it was.
Just when she thought life couldn’t get any better, she stumbled into the bathroom to find a glorious jetted bathtub that beckoned her as if she were a mermaid who’d been stuck on dry land for far too long.
Her stomach grumbled, letting her know that food would be required in the very near future, and she had to agree. Promising the tub she’d be back shortly, she went off in search of the kitchen. The sparsely filled fridge would need to be remedied if she planned on staying there for any length of time. Searching through the pantry and freezer, she found enough ingredients to throw together a quick—but guaranteed to be yummy—beef stew. Filling the crock pot with all the fixings and setting it on ‘high,’ she headed back to the bath in a state of sheer excitement.
Stripping off her jeans and T-shirt, Daisy adjusted the temperature of the water and climbed in, reveling in the heat of the water as it quickly surrounded her. She had no idea how much time had passed as she soaked, enjoying the gentle massage of the jets pulsing over her skin, nor did she care. She closed her eyes and began softly singing the catchy tune that had been stuck in her brain for days.
Suddenly she shot forward, thinking she’d heard the sound of a door closing. She called out, but no one answered. “Huh. Must be my imagination,” she said out loud. Daisy managed to shake off the notion that someone had entered the home, leaning back once again and letting the sweet melody flow from her lips until she felt as if she were being watched.
Cocking her head to the side and slowly peeling her eyes open, she sucked in a deep breath when she saw a stranger standing in the doorway watching her every move. Daisy gasped at the sight of the man before her, and not just because he was leaning against the door frame staring at her with his mouth agape. Oh no. It was much more than that. Every hormone in her body sprang to life with one glance in his direction.
Her eyes roamed greedily over the man, sizing him up. Starting at the top and working her way down, Daisy catalogued each of his remarkable features, committing them to memory, from his dark shaggy hair—which she itched to run her fingers through—to his high cheekbones, strong jaw, and Grecian nose. His shoulders nearly too wide to fit through the door frame, he leaned against it at an angle. A black T-shirt stretched over his broad shoulders and thick chest to meet his perfectly defined arms, which she wanted nothing more than to feel wrapped tight around her.
She drew a shaky breath as her eyes dared even lower to his trim waist, and the firm backside encased in a pair of faded blue jeans that was barely visible. Daisy bit her lip and tried to glance away as she spied the bulge that became more evident as he shifted his stance.
Sweet Jesus, the man exuded an air of sexuality like she’d never felt radiating from another male. He looked raw and dangerous—and built for sin. She had no problems imagining all of that raw sexuality stretched over her body. His rippling muscles flexing to—
“Stop that, you little perv! You don’t even know the man and here you are fantasizing about him.” She thought as she looked away sharply, embarrassed by her brazen behavior. She opened her mouth to speak, then quickly snapped it shut again. What could she possibly say to make the situation any less awkward than it already was?
“Nothing! Zip. Zero. Zilch.”
With that thought in mind, Daisy did the only thing she could think of. She folded her legs and allowed her body to slip slowly under the water, hoping like hell that when she came back up for air, the sexy stranger would be nowhere in sight.
“Do you make a habit of breaking into homes and trying to drown yourself in the owner’s bathtub?” The stranger’s amber eyes sparkled as he pulled her, flailing and sputtering, from the water that she’d hoped to seek refuge under.
Daisy swatted him away. His hands were far too warm on her skin, and she had to break contact before she warped into a babbling lunatic. She needed her wits about her.
More now than ever.
“Your home?” Daisy asked, confused by his statement, knowing damn well she had triple-checked the address Gerri had given her. She had even called to confirm it when she arrived. “There must be some mistake! I was given this address by a friend who—” Her voice trailed off. What the hell was she supposed to say? And how desperate did she want to look in front of the male she’d just undressed with her eyes?
The stranger cocked his head, waiting for her to continue. “Go on.”
“Well—I was given this address to stay at for a few days while I met someone.” Daisy grabbed a fluffy white towel and quickly covered her chest, suddenly embarrassed by his nearness and her complete state of undress.
“Why don’t you get dressed and meet me in the kitchen? We can discuss this matter further there.”
Daisy bobbed her head in agreement, feeling like a complete idiot.