There was another knock on the door.
They both laughed and she started for the hallway, but not before she felt a caress on her back. She turned around and saw Law licking guacamole off his finger.
Wow.
Law found the dishes and plated the food. He figured he’d jolt Jill out of her routine and introduce her to her dining room, so he set the table. Plus, it would give them a chance to slow things down.
As much as he wanted to find out what her bedroom looked like, he didn’t want to rush into a physical relationship. He wanted to make sure his head was in a good place before he took that step. Jill was important, more than any other woman he had encountered. He saw a relationship in his future. Maybe it was seeing Ash and Eden, damned if he knew. But this wasn’t something he wanted to fuck up.
He scoured her fridge for her sour cream, which he knew she’d have. He also found really hot and spicy tabasco sauce, God love the woman. That was another thing, she didn’t put on any airs, there wasn’t anything fake about her. If she liked something, she liked it. She was one of the most genuine people he had ever encountered, and she made him feel relaxed and comfortable, as well as hot as hell.
Nope, he wasn’t going to do anything to screw up his shot with her, and that meant taking some time with her.
“The dining room?” Jill exclaimed.
Oh hell, she wasn’t wearing a bra under her tank top, and those cut-offs made her legs look a mile long. He’d better get his head together fast.
Chapter 7
Four weeks. Four of the fastest weeks of her life. They’d flown by as she’d spent time with Lawson Jacob Thorne. There was so much to learn about him. So much to savor. But it had also been four of the slowest weeks of her life as Law had taken his time on the getting to real-live hanky-panky.
“I’m taking control tonight if he cuts us off before nookie,” she muttered as she changed the sheets on her bed. His kisses were to die for. If his team ever needed to go undercover on a Marine assignment and seduce information from some woman, Law was the man for the job. Of course, she’d kill him if he volunteered.
She snapped the top sheet at the very thought of Lawson kissing someone else.
“He’s mine. I called dibs.”
She smoothed out the sheet, then put on the summer comforter. He ran hot, she knew because she had cuddled against him. Law wasn’t going to need an extra blanket on the bed. God-willing that he was spending the night.
He darn well better not be one of those guys who don’t spend the night.
She’d heard of them. Her friends had told her. She’d only had sex with two men in her life, always in ‘relationships’. Normally, it would take her three or four months before she’d move to the hanky-panky stage, but sheesh, nobody else had ever kissed like Lawson. Had dimples like Lawson. Had been as honorable as Lawson. Had held her hand like Lawson did.
“Lawson, Lawson, Lawson. You’ve got it bad, Sister.”
Jill giggled to herself. It was true. She did. At twenty-six, it felt good to be crushing this hard.
Crushing? You think it’s only a crush? It’s time for a reality check, Girly.
“Shut up, inner self. I’m not in love. Falling in love this fast is crazy. I’ll end up chasing him away and I’ll be destined for hurt. Yep, this is only a crush.”
She walked down the long hallway to the large kitchen and stopped in midstride. She’d forgotten to call the people at the gate to let him in. She immediately made the call. She really didn’t need to give Law one more thing to tease her about. It was nice that she was so competent in her work life, otherwise, she’d have to sign up for remedial life training or something for how oblivious she was in other areas.
“Why was I headed to the kitchen?”
Jill grinned as she remembered that she wanted to put out some food to go with the beer. She had fully-loaded potato skins ready to pop into the oven and a tray of veggies. The man did like his vegetables.
When her phone rang and she saw that it was Lesley from the counseling group, guilt made her pick up.
“Hi, Lesley,” she infused warmth into her voice.
“Hi, Jill, I was sorry to see your text. Having you as part of the group was really an asset, but it was also great to know that you were finally in a place where you could move on. That’s the outcome I want for everyone who attends these sessions.”
Jill blew out a breath. “Thanks, Lesley. Your leadership helped.” And it had in the beginning, Jill realized.
“That is very kind of you to say. I really think it’s the whole group’s interaction that makes a difference.” Jill could almost hear her smiling. “The reason for my call is that I was wondering if I could get you to write a one-sentence testimonial for our website. I wouldn’t want you to use your last name, just your first.”
“Absolutely. I’m pretty sure I have your e-mail.” Jill sighed with relief when she saw that she’d already turned on her oven. She kept the phone to her ear as she juggled the baking sheet of potato skins into the oven.
“Ow!”
“Are you okay Jill?”
She shoved the oven door shut and put down her phone. She turned on the tap and ran the
