Or maybe it had been the best idea he’d had in a long time.

He drove Paige’s car back to her studio and apartment. The streets were clear and dry, but he wondered what it would be like to drive on ice and snow. Might be kind of fun. Could be like driving through a downpour or thick mud, both of which he’d done plenty of.

He had thought about dropping by the houses where Mike and Larry were working and then swinging by the town square to see if he could figure out what was going on with the electrical wiring down there, but he had to see Paige first.

He’d do all of that. He was used to pulling long days. He simply put together a to-do list at the start of the day and then worked until it was done. He’d do the same here.

But first he needed to see Paige.

He let himself in the side door of the building with the key she’d given him and took the steps up to the second floor two at a time.

He knocked.

It only took a couple of minutes for her to open the door.

She was still wearing the sweatshirt that drove him crazy and those silky pants. She gave him a smile that hit him right in the gut.

He stepped in, nearly on her toes, backing her up, and swinging the door shut behind him.

“How did it—”

He cupped her face and kissed her.

She was clearly startled but only for about two seconds. Then she was gripping his biceps and going on tiptoe and arching close.

This at least made sense.

She was a gorgeous blond with delicious curves who smelled heavenly. Of course he wanted her. That was absolutely rational. As were her responses to him. He wasn’t too full of himself, not like his cousin Owen, but he knew women found him attractive. He hadn’t slept alone for the past six months because there weren’t any women interested.

Their attraction was completely reasonable. The rest of it… the wanting to defend her and know her better and date her was all completely… unreasonable.

So they’d just focus on the part that he could explain.

He swept his tongue into her mouth as he backed her up against the nearest wall. He slid his hands down to her ass and dipped his knees to fit his cock against her softness.

She gave a quiet moan, and Mitch felt the resultant lick of fire in his belly. He pressed into her, suddenly hungry and completely focused on eliciting that same moan from her again and again.

“Mitch,” she whispered raggedly against his mouth as he curled his fingers into her ass.

“Need you, Paige.”

“Yes.”

That’s all he needed to hear. He slid his hand up under the sweatshirt that teased him with glimpses of her skin whenever she moved. He drew it up, making sure his big palm met as much of her silky skin along the way as possible. The soft cotton bunched as he dragged his hand up her rib cage, causing her to suck in a breath, and then around to her back and up to her shoulder blades.

He lifted his head, needing to see everything now. “Arms up,” he commanded softly.

She met his eyes as she followed his direction. Her arms stretched up so he could whisk the sweatshirt over her head. He tossed it to the side, his gaze on the gorgeous breasts behind the pale blue sports bra.

He cupped her breasts firmly, the wide band circling her ribs, and crisscrossed over her upper back, and, honestly, he had no idea how to get it off. There were no hooks or snaps or zippers. It occurred to him that he’d never removed a woman’s sports bra. He’d seen them, but now that he thought about it, those must have been in photos or something. Most of the bras he’d been up close and personal with were of the tiny, silky, lacy type. That was interesting. Kind of.

Paige must have read that he was stumped in his expression because she laughed lightly and then gripped the bottom of the spandex piece and pulled it up and over her head.

Just pull it off. Noted.

Then he was all about the naked breasts. Because he was really, like most guys, always all about the naked breasts. But Paige happened to have a pair of the best he’d ever seen.

“God, you’re gorgeous,” he told her gruffly as he studied her.

“Thank you.” She reached for one of his hands and brought it to her breast. “Touch me, Mitch.”

“Fucking gladly.” He cupped her, running his thumb over her hard nipple and relishing her moan.

She leaned into him, kissing him as he played with her nipple, rolling it and plucking and squeezing just hard enough to get a quick gasp and then a louder moan.

He’d just bent his knees and taken a taste when there was a knock at her door.

5

They both froze.

Then Paige’s head fell back against the wall.

“I told you,” she said.

Her family. Stopping by as predicted.

He pulled in a breath. Well, fuck.

He straightened. “Okay.”

She stepped around him and bent to grab her sweatshirt, pulling it on sans bra. He quickly grabbed that up too. Then she was pushing him toward the bathroom. “Hide in the shower.”

“What if they come look in there?”

“Josie was here while you were gone. She brought some leftovers from their dinner last night.” Paige rolled her eyes. “She checked out the kitchen. You know, to see if there were two wineglasses or signs that another person was here eating with me. So this is Amanda and she’ll fake that she needs to borrow clothes so she can check out my bedroom and see if the bed is unmade or if there are men’s socks on the floor or something.”

He grinned as he stepped into her tiny bathroom. “They’re predictable.”

“Painfully so,” she said with a nod. Then shut the door on him.

He looked around, then down at the bra in his hand, then sighed. And took a seat on the edge of the tub.

“Hi, Amanda.” He heard Paige greet her sister.

The apartment was tiny, and he appreciated how well that allowed eavesdropping.

“Hi! I can’t stay long but wondering if I could borrow your pink sweater?”

“Oh, a sweater? Sure,” Paige said.

Mitch smirked. A sister here to borrow clothes. She’d nailed it.

“Let me go grab it,” Paige said.

“I can get it. No problem.”

Mitch heard her move past the bathroom door on the way to Paige’s bedroom.

“Sure, help yourself to anything,” Paige said.

Mitch could almost picture the eye roll.

“What do you need the sweater for?” Paige asked, her voice a bit louder as if she was standing outside the bathroom and calling down the hall.

“I was going to wear it to help at Emily’s Girl Scout booth at the festival.”

“Oh, okay. So, like under your coat where no one would see it anyway.”

Mitch didn’t think Paige was buying it. He grinned.

“Well, it will be nice and warm,” Amanda answered, her voice louder. Clearly she’d moved closer to the bathroom door again.

“Sure. That makes total sense,” Paige said.

Mitch guessed her older sister noted the touch of sarcasm in her voice.

“So… things seem nice and warm up here,” Amanda said.

“Yep.”

It now sounded like they were standing right outside of the bathroom.

“I mean, you’re hardly wearing any clothes.”