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Kelsey was in the shower and he really had to leave.

He wanted to toss that woman over the nearest chair and have his way with her. But she was getting ready for her boyfriend to come over, so why was he hanging around? What kind of man was he? A sick man, that’s what kind. A sucker for punishment. A real sad case.

Time to pack up his remaining stuff and hightail it out of Kelsey’s house.

Just for a moment there, he’d seen something in her eyes, felt something go snap in the air between them. Despite all evidence to the contrary, he’d thought she wanted him as much as he couldn’t help wanting her. And that had felt too damn good.

But, as she’d told him, she had a boyfriend. Of course she did. Women like Kelsey Simmons didn’t hang around unattached just waiting for a guy like him to come along and pay them some clumsy attention. Women like Kelsey owned skimpy red dresses that they wore for any guy they chose. And she had already chosen someone.

Enduring the image of some other guy tossing Kelsey over the nearest chair for an agonizing moment, KD grunted in disgust and threw the last of his tools in his battered red toolbox. He was just heading out when Kelsey’s phone rang. He hesitated in the kitchen doorway. Should he answer it?

Nah, he decided when the answering machine kicked in and a man’s voice, smooth and cultured, spilled into the room. “Kelsey, are you there? It’s Stefan.” A pause before the sound of a throat being cleared. The guy sounded nervous. “Ah, I guess you’re not home yet. Listen, I’m sorry but I won’t be able to make it tonight, after all. Something’s come up. Enjoy the steaks. I’ll call you over the weekend, alright? Bye-bye…darling.”

KD scowled as the machine clicked off. Something’s come up? Enjoy the steaks? Jeez, it was the lamest fob off he’d ever heard. And on her answering machine! The least the guy could have done was call back and talk to her in person. And he’d hesitated over that “darling”, like he’d been unsure about using it. How long had the two of them been dating anyway?

Barring an earthquake complete with tsunami, nothing would stop KD spending the night with Kelsey. Especially if she was wearing that dress.

Belatedly, he realized the shower had stopped running. Hell. He stood there in the hall, hanging on to his toolbox like a dummy, some Bob the Builder cardboard cutout, and Kelsey was going to stick her head out any minute and find him.

But what should he do? Leave without telling her about her lame boyfriend’s message? It might be ages before she checked her machine and realized the doofus wasn’t coming. Double Hell.

He had just resolved to knock on the bathroom door and deliver the message through the safety of two inches of solid timber when the door in question opened and Kelsey stepped out.

She had her arms up, twisting her damp hair into a ponytail. The action caused her breasts to jut out against the silky damp material of the chocolate brown robe she wore, her puckered nipples an erotic relief against the thin fabric. The short robe exposed most of her thighs. Damp and dewy fresh all over, she smelled like lavender and good, clean woman.

It was a minute before she saw him. A minute KD spent immobile, staring like a dolt, his mouth drying out like the sun-baked earth in midsummer. He’d never wanted to just grab a woman and take her so much in his whole life.

At last she saw him. Her eyes shot open and her hands covered her mouth as she let out a scream and stumbled back against the bathroom door.

“Shit. Sorry.” He moved forward, making a conciliatory gesture. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”

Her hand moved to cover her heart. “You scared the shit out of me!”

He couldn’t help it. The sound of Kelsey swearing made him laugh. He bet she never swore, ordinarily. She might be tough, but she was also a lady.

“What’s so funny?”

“You saying shit.”

“Hilarious. That’s what happens when someone scares the…shit out of me. Shit, shit, shit!”

He laughed harder. Before long Kelsey’s mouth twitched and her answering chuckle rewarded him. It sounded warm and melodic and, despite her recent outburst, pleasantly ladylike.

It felt nice, laughing with her. “You should have seen your face.”

“You should have seen yours. What were you doing, just standing there like that?”

KD hadn’t blushed since he was fifteen and hadn’t been able to hide an inconvenient erection from Heather Winchester, his high school crush. “Ahh…I was, well…when a man sees a woman who looks like you, dressed like that”—he used a hand to encompass her form from head to toe—“staring is kind of involuntary.”

She gasped, suddenly realizing how uncovered she was. She crossed an arm over her breasts and used the other to pull the robe farther down her legs. “You were spying on me?”

“No, dammit. I hung around to tell you you got a message on your machine. Stanley’s not coming.”

She frowned in confusion. “Do you mean Stefan’s not coming?”

“Whatever his name is,” KD muttered. Whatever his name is was a complete idiot.

“Did he say why?”

“Something’s come up, he said.”

“Oh.”

Her blush was telling. She thought it as lame a fob off as he had, and she’d just been humiliated in front of him. In her robe.

“Hey, I’m sure something did come up.”

“Sure. Something more important than me.”

“Aw. That can’t be right.”

But if it wasn’t more important than her, the guy would be here, wouldn’t he?

KD had the strong urge to step forward and gather her in his arms. Just to reassure her. Bad idea. Reassurance wasn’t the only thing on his mind and he couldn’t trust himself. Besides, she wasn’t likely to welcome such an act from him.

“Well, that’s a waste of a couple of rib fillet steaks, isn’t it?” Kelsey said, a little too brightly.

“The man’s a fool.”

She gave him a small smile of appreciation. “Thanks for saying that.”

He just shrugged, struggling for words that didn’t take the conversation to sexual areas. Why don’t you let me show you what a fool I think he is? I’d appreciate a woman like you more than he does. Let me take you to bed, for Crissakes.

“Well, I’d better go,” he said instead, proud he’d managed to get the words out.

But she went and ruined all his good intentions.

“Unless…you’d like to stay and eat with me?”