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prepared to eat a lot, so come over with an empty stomach.”
“I’ll be there with bells on.”
*****
Dinner had been a great experience, and Sierra was pleased that Evan had wanted a home-cooked meal instead of going to a fancy restaurant. Not that she wouldn’t have enjoyed it, but Dusty always had to be on his best behavior when they ate out at restaurants, and with all the pent-up energy and excitement of having Evan with them for dinner, she knew it would be a challenge.
“Dinner was amazing, Sierra. I haven’t been this full in a very long time.”
Sierra took a sip of her wine before responding, “I’m glad you enjoyed it. Dusty wanted to make a little bit of everything for you tonight, so you can blame him.” Her insides were getting warm and tingly as they sat within inches of each other on the couch. Being so close to this man was wreaking havoc on her libido. Did he not realize how strongly he affected her?
Conversation had been fun and light, with Dusty regaling Evan with stories of school and baseball, and the hazards of being nine. Evan told funny stories of his Marine buddies and some of the funny practical jokes the troops had played on him and other officers. Some of the stories were so hilarious Sierra ended up holding her stomach and wiping tears from her eyes. She had never seen her son laugh so much, or simply enjoy himself without holding a bit of himself back, at least not since his grandfather died. Sierra would always be grateful to Evan for what he had done for her son.
She felt a light touch on her arm, which brought her back to the present. “Hey, don’t worry about Dusty asking if I’m going to be around more. He’s just excited about having his new friend home. I promise not to wear out my welcome.”
Okay, this would be tricky. While she wanted to blurt out, Come around whenever you want to, she knew that wasn’t possible. She knew a lot about Major Evan Knight, USMC, but she was a single parent with a child and had to be a bit more cautious. Naturally, since the words had never been spoken by either of them, she wondered if Evan felt the same way about her. Did he even want to get to know her better? Or, now that he was home and could live his life the way he wanted, would he eventually disappear from their lives and move on?
“Evan, you’re our friend. You just got home, and we want you to be comfortable. We’ll do as little or as much as you want.” Realizing how that sounded when he lifted one eyebrow and gave her a sexy smile, she quickly amended her statement. “Um, so that you and Dusty can still be friends, but we don’t interfere too much with your life.”
“Sierra, you and Dusty will never interfere with my life. He’s a great kid and reminds me a lot of myself when I was a child. You’ve raised an amazing young man, and as long as the two of you allow me to be your friend, then I’ll be here.” The look in his eyes was telling her so much more than the words coming out of his mouth. Oh, goodness, she really wanted to kiss him right now. Which meant she needed to get up…right now!
“More wine?” She winced at the loud volume of her voice, but it did the trick. Evan moved back slightly and lifted his glass of wine to his lips. He took one last gulp of the very expensive wine he had brought with him and handed his empty glass to her.
“Yes, please.” His finger brushed up against hers and goose bumps rose along her skin at his touch. How was it possible that she reacted to him so strongly? No man had ever made her feel this way before.
Making her way into the kitchen, she stood at the counter for a few seconds to gather her bearings. Something about that man called to her inner core. Sure, he was drop-dead gorgeous, with his six-foot-three-inch frame, short dark hair, deep blue eyes, and muscles to die for, but it was more than that. Physical attraction was only a small portion of what drew her to him; there was something about the man
“I’ll be there with bells on.”
*****
Dinner had been a great experience, and Sierra was pleased that Evan had wanted a home-cooked meal instead of going to a fancy restaurant. Not that she wouldn’t have enjoyed it, but Dusty always had to be on his best behavior when they ate out at restaurants, and with all the pent-up energy and excitement of having Evan with them for dinner, she knew it would be a challenge.
“Dinner was amazing, Sierra. I haven’t been this full in a very long time.”
Sierra took a sip of her wine before responding, “I’m glad you enjoyed it. Dusty wanted to make a little bit of everything for you tonight, so you can blame him.” Her insides were getting warm and tingly as they sat within inches of each other on the couch. Being so close to this man was wreaking havoc on her libido. Did he not realize how strongly he affected her?
Conversation had been fun and light, with Dusty regaling Evan with stories of school and baseball, and the hazards of being nine. Evan told funny stories of his Marine buddies and some of the funny practical jokes the troops had played on him and other officers. Some of the stories were so hilarious Sierra ended up holding her stomach and wiping tears from her eyes. She had never seen her son laugh so much, or simply enjoy himself without holding a bit of himself back, at least not since his grandfather died. Sierra would always be grateful to Evan for what he had done for her son.
She felt a light touch on her arm, which brought her back to the present. “Hey, don’t worry about Dusty asking if I’m going to be around more. He’s just excited about having his new friend home. I promise not to wear out my welcome.”
Okay, this would be tricky. While she wanted to blurt out, Come around whenever you want to, she knew that wasn’t possible. She knew a lot about Major Evan Knight, USMC, but she was a single parent with a child and had to be a bit more cautious. Naturally, since the words had never been spoken by either of them, she wondered if Evan felt the same way about her. Did he even want to get to know her better? Or, now that he was home and could live his life the way he wanted, would he eventually disappear from their lives and move on?
“Evan, you’re our friend. You just got home, and we want you to be comfortable. We’ll do as little or as much as you want.” Realizing how that sounded when he lifted one eyebrow and gave her a sexy smile, she quickly amended her statement. “Um, so that you and Dusty can still be friends, but we don’t interfere too much with your life.”
“Sierra, you and Dusty will never interfere with my life. He’s a great kid and reminds me a lot of myself when I was a child. You’ve raised an amazing young man, and as long as the two of you allow me to be your friend, then I’ll be here.” The look in his eyes was telling her so much more than the words coming out of his mouth. Oh, goodness, she really wanted to kiss him right now. Which meant she needed to get up…right now!
“More wine?” She winced at the loud volume of her voice, but it did the trick. Evan moved back slightly and lifted his glass of wine to his lips. He took one last gulp of the very expensive wine he had brought with him and handed his empty glass to her.
“Yes, please.” His finger brushed up against hers and goose bumps rose along her skin at his touch. How was it possible that she reacted to him so strongly? No man had ever made her feel this way before.
Making her way into the kitchen, she stood at the counter for a few seconds to gather her bearings. Something about that man called to her inner core. Sure, he was drop-dead gorgeous, with his six-foot-three-inch frame, short dark hair, deep blue eyes, and muscles to die for, but it was more than that. Physical attraction was only a small portion of what drew her to him; there was something about the man