Damn. He’d hoped to sneak off before she woke up. “Got some things to do.” Because, as much as he hadn’t liked living here without her, having her back felt dangerous.

Brodie set his gear by the front door.

As soon as she’d come home yesterday afternoon, she’d gotten to work. When he’d heard her whispering calculations in the kitchen, he’d itched to trot in there, see what she was working on. Later, before dinner, he’d heard her in the shower, and he imagined the water hitting her naked body.

They’d both agreed not to act on this attraction, but how the hell was he supposed to do that when she was sleeping right down the hall, and he knew what she looked like with her hair spread all over her pillow?

What she sounded like when she kissed him?

The way it felt when she ground against his cock?

Well, he couldn’t avoid her. Heading into the kitchen, he smelled the coffee. She must’ve been up a while. “You still on St. Christophe time?”

“I don’t sleep much.” The pale green of her pajama shorts and top matched her sea glass eyes. Cupping a mug with both hands, she leaned against the counter, legs crossed at the ankle.

He’d gotten a handful of her tits, cupped her ass, but he’d yet to skim his hands over the curve of her calf, the back of her knee, and the soft skin on the inside of her thigh.

And he wanted that more than just about anything.

“It’s when I close my eyes at night that the gears start cranking.” Behind her, she had different colored petals in plastic bags. She set down her mug and picked one up, started kneading it. “If I add the ceramides…if I use less shea butter…and then I’m just dying to get up and try out the adjustments.”

He grabbed a water bottle from the refrigerator. “And what had you up this morning?”

“While I’m waiting for my supplies, I thought I’d play around with another project.”

“Something that requires you to abuse those pretty petals?”

Her smile and the mischief in her eyes were exactly what he’d wanted to avoid this morning. He’d even considered moving in with one of his brothers, just to escape the temptation.

“Bruising them releases the scent.”

Except that’s exactly what I want. Her temptation. It surprised the hell out of him, but he liked how she got him so worked up he couldn’t think. It was bizarre, this need to be around her all the time. Made no sense.

She’s just a woman. Yeah, she’s pretty. She smells nice. She’s smart and interesting.

But she’s just a woman.