Chapter 9
DEX WALKED OUT of the cabin with Luke, grimly. By the time they’d gone back inside Allie’s home, the raccoon was gone. They’d boarded up the hole with a piece of cardboard, but it was only a temporary fix. If the raccoons really wanted in, they could do it with very little effort.
Which meant that Dex either needed to repair it tonight or let Allie stay in his guest room and come over to take care of it in the morning.
Or she could just share my bed.
No, that was a bad idea. He couldn’t get involved with her, especially after what Hunter had said the other night. It was one thing to have a casual thing with his tenant—that’d be wrong in itself—but to screw over his best friend?
He wasn’t that much of an asshole.
After Luke left, Dex made his way back to his place and found Allie on the floor of his living room, playing with Kermit. When she looked up at him, he forgot for a second that Hunter had called dibs and she wasn’t meant for him.
What he really wanted to do was cross the room and kiss her, just to see what she tasted like.
“Did he get it?” she asked.
“No, it was gone and will probably be back, especially now that it knows there’s food inside. So I can set up the spare bedroom for you and fix the—”
“You … you want me to stay here tonight? With you?” Shaking her head, she said, “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“Look, it’s not as if I’m going to sneak into bed with you. It’s late and it seems like the simplest solution.”
“I think I’ll take option two and go back to the cabin. You covered the hole, right? It probably won’t come back tonight, anyway.”
Dex didn’t know whether to be exasperated or exhausted. “You would rather sleep in the cabin and risk another animal encounter than stay in my very comfortable guest room?”
“Yes, I think I would.” She stood up with Kermit in her arms. “What are your plans for this guy?”
“I don’t have any yet, besides getting him in to see the vet—”
“So if I wanted to adopt him that would be okay with you?”
“Aren’t you gone all the time?” Dex asked.
“I can find a pet sitter to watch him while I’m at work.”
Dex couldn’t say it was a bad idea. Allie did seem taken with him. “He needs his shots.”
“I’ll get them. I promise, he’ll be in good hands.”
Unable to come up with a reason to say no, Dex grabbed the crate he’d set up for Kermit and nodded toward the door. “I’ll walk you back and get him set up.”
“Thank you. I’ll return it when I get my own.” They walked outside and Allie paused. “Thanks for everything tonight, too. I may have misjudged you.”
As they crossed the yard toward the cabin, he shot her a wolfish grin. “You mean I’m not a conniving liar who has no business getting in the way of professionals?”
“Yet another apology I meant to give you. I am sorry I was so horrible at the hospital. I’m not usually like that, it’s just—”
“I get it, you don’t like me and I was stepping on your turf.”
“I’m not territorial and I didn’t say I didn’t like you!”
He reached past her to open the cabin door, and their chests brushed. Allie sucked in a harsh breath, and when his gaze dropped to her parted lips, it took every ounce of willpower not to do it. Not to give in and press her up against the door and kiss her until she was begging for more.
Of course, with Kermit in her arms like a furry shield, it would be a little hard to do, but if he really wanted to, he could probably manage it.
“So you’re saying you do like me?”
“I’m saying that everyone deserves another chance at a first impression.” She moved past him, leaving him to watch her hips swing as she walked into the kitchen.
“That’s mighty nice of you.”
Damn, she made a power suit hot.
He saw her face fall as she surveyed the damage. “It’s going to take me hours to clean this up.”
“Tell you what. Let’s get Kermit set up, and then I’ll help you.”
“Well, I suppose that’s only fair, since it’s your fault it got inside in the first place,” she said teasingly.
“You know, a simple ‘thank you’ would work.”
“Just speaking the truth.”
Dex followed her into her bedroom and set the crate down, surveying the changes she’d already made to the room. A set of blackout curtains covered the window, and across the dresser were a couple of picture frames. One of an older couple, and another with Allie hugging two other women who looked so much like her they had to be her sisters.
Dex almost asked about it, but figured it was none of his business.
Pulling out the bowl of food and water bowl that had spilled a bit in transport, he said, “He might need a dry towel or something.”
“I’ll take care of it.”
Dex left her bedroom, the image of Allie curled up under her black-and-white bedspread too tempting by half.
Dex got to work on the kitchen, and a few minutes later, Allie walked in. “You know, you’re probably tired. I can finish up.”
“I don’t mind. Besides, I thought this was my fault,” he said.
“I just … I want to be clear that we need to keep things between us cordial. You’re my landlord—”
“Actually, a landlord gets paid.”
Frustration marred her pretty face, and she seemed to be clenching her jaw. “Be that as it may, I’m not looking for complicated. And I feel like if anything develops between us it will be just that.”
Why her assumption bothered Dex, he couldn’t guess. He deliberately brushed every last bit of cracker into the trash and came around the counter. Standing in front of her, he said, “Actually, things with me would be pretty simple, sweetheart. We’d have fun until one of us got bored and we’d say good-bye. Nothing complicated about that.”
Dex saw a flash of something in the brown depths of her eyes. Temptation? Whatever it was, it was gone as soon as it appeared and her expression became hard as steel.
“Well, I’m not in the market for that, either. I need to get settled in and concentrate on work. Nothing more.”
His lips a hairsbreadth away from hers, he whispered, “Your loss.”
Before she smacked him, he turned and headed for the door. Pausing with his hand on the knob, he had to get the last word in.
“But just so you know, winter is coming and it can get mighty cold round here. If you change your mind and need some warming up, you know where I’ll be.”