Chapter Six

The door swung open to reveal Mia standing there with his coat buttoned up to her chin, and he grinned when he noticed that the waistband hit her mid-thigh.

She spun in place, then put one hand on her hip, smiled, and asked, “How do I look?”

She’s so tiny! The top of her head barely comes to my shoulder, he thought as they stared at each other. And she’s gorgeous. I wonder what she would look like in my pajama top… and nothing else…

I am in such, such trouble.

With effort, he broke eye contact to move to the bed and grab her suitcase and the two plastic bags that the medical staff had supplied for her wet clothing.

“You look great,” he said softly. “Let’s head home.”

***

They rode in silence, and Tanner’s full concentration on the road conditions gave her a chance to check him out, so Mia took full advantage of the opportunity.

He’s taller than I remember, she realized, her eyes surreptitiously scanning his long, lean frame. And he’s definitely got more muscles than I remembered, as well. He’s even more of a hottie now than he was back then, and I didn’t even think that was possible.

She felt her cheeks get warm as she imagined what it might be like to have those strong arms wrapped tightly around her. A picture of tangled sheets, murmured endearments, and soft caresses popped into her head next, and she cleared her throat and turned her head to stare out the passenger side window at the storm swirling around them.

Get it together, girl!

“You okay?” Tanner asked in that smooth baritone that made her knees feel all wobbly.

“Fine,” Mia managed to say. “Just… a little tired.”

Yeah, right. A little tired of not having your hands all over me, is all…

Oh my God shut UP!

She narrowed her eyes and focused on the sleet and rain pattering against the window to distract herself from craving him.

***

They turned onto a gravel road that wound back through the trees for a quarter mile, then opened into a small clearing where a rustic cabin greeted them.

“You live here? It’s beautiful,” Mia said quietly, straining to see through the rain and sleet. “I can’t wait to see it in daylight.”

Tanner grinned.

“Built it myself,” he said proudly. “Took me over a year.”

He pulled up in front of the cabin, angling his truck so that Mia would only have to take two or three steps to reach the porch.

“Sit tight, let me come around,” he told her, and climbed out of the truck to grab her things.

He carried them to the porch and set them down, then returned and opened her door for her, holding out his hand.

She smiled and took it, then gasped as she stepped out onto the running board and slipped. In a flash, Tanner had scooped her up into his arms and shut the door, then carried her up the porch steps and set her down gently.

He unlocked the door and gestured.

“After you.”

As she crossed the threshold, he grabbed her luggage and bags and followed her, flipping on the light with his right elbow.

“Washer and dryer are just through there,” he pointed to the other side of the kitchen, and she nodded and took the plastic bags from him.

“I’m going to take your suitcase to the bedroom. Be right back.”

Mia piled her wet clothes in the dryer and turned it on.

“Bathroom?” she called out.

“Back here,” came the reply, and she followed the sound of his voice.

“I need my brush. And you don’t happen to have a blow dryer, do you? My hair is still wet.”

“I don’t, sorry. But you’re welcome to use a towel.”

“Okay, thanks,” she answered as she unbuttoned his coat and took it off. “Where does this go?”

***

He poked his head out of the bathroom to see what she was talking about, and his jaw almost hit the floor.

Little ‘all knees and elbows’ Mia grew some serious curves, and I am digging it, he thought before he could stop himself.

Her dark blue sweater flattered her build and accentuated her breasts, and the jeans she had on drew his eye downward to take in nicely proportioned thighs.

Heaven help me, I can’t take much more.

“Um, here, I’ll hang it up,” he managed, and took the coat from her. When she turned around and he noticed that the denim showed off her toned butt like he thought it might, he almost groaned aloud with want.

Off limits off limits off limits, he chanted in his head almost as a talisman to ward off his impure thoughts about his best friend’s little sister.

“Are you hungry? I can whip something up,” he offered as both a distraction and an excuse to put some distance between him and the tantalizing woman standing next to his bed.

“Starving, actually. What did you have in mind?” Mia asked as she deftly unbraided her hair, then moved to the bathroom to grab the towel he’d talked about.

“Omelet sound okay?”

“Perfect.”

“On it. Make yourself at home,” he told her, and was proud of himself that he left the room in a controlled walk.

Tanner started a fire in the fireplace, then moved to the kitchen to prepare their food.

After he started a pot of coffee, he diced up some green onion and ham for the omelets. He’d just turned the burner on under the pan when he heard Mia walk in from the bedroom.

“Ooh, a fire,” she observed. “That will help.”

He paused his movements, watching her walk across his living room in low-waisted yoga pants and a red tank top that she’d knotted at her hip. When she bent forward from the waist to brush out her long, silky hair in front of the fireplace, Tanner almost swallowed his tongue.

He closed his eyes and leaned against the countertop, silently willing her to stay across the room from him until he got his arousal under control. A slight whiff of smoke broke his concentration, and he opened his eyes to find his saucepan was too hot.

He moved it and turned the burner down, waited a few minutes, then started again, determined this time to focus on the meal prep.