Seth lowered his phone as Tia walked into the room, freshly showered and dressed for the day. “Morning.”

“Sleep well?” she asked, giving his rumpled T-shirt and basketball shorts the once-over.

He couldn’t help noticing that her eyes were brighter, she had more energy in her step and her voice contained confidence that hadn’t been there since he’d met her. Those slight adjustments made a huge difference. It was almost as if he could see the beautiful and capable woman he’d watched on-screen last night begin to overtake the hurt and angry person he’d encountered in the guesthouse when he’d first arrived. “Not really,” he admitted. “You?”

“Like a baby.”

Was she rubbing it in that last night could’ve gone much differently for him? He had no doubt he would’ve had a far better time with her, but she deserved more than he could give her. He couldn’t trust love again even if he could get over Shiloh. “Now you’re just being salty,” he grumbled.

“Salty about what?” she asked, but he could tell she was only pretending not to understand.

“You’re not going to make this easy on me, are you?”

She didn’t answer. After studying him for a moment, she moved into the kitchen. “What would you like for breakfast?”

He followed her. “You’re doing the cooking?”

“I am.”

“Then I’ll have whatever you make.”

She burrowed around in the refrigerator and pulled out some blackberries, raspberries and blueberries. “Oatmeal okay? With fruit on top?”

He wrinkled his nose. “Oatmeal? That’s the best you can do?”

“For now, yes. I’m going on a diet. I have to get off the weight I’ve gained.”

“Why?”

“So I’ll feel better about myself. Maybe I can’t fix the scars on my face, but there are other things I can fix, and this is one of them.”

“Your body’s already perfect. It’s all I can think about.”

Obviously surprised by this comment, she looked over at him. “If you’re trying to get me back into bed with you, it won’t work. I hope,” she added with less certainty.

Her equally honest comeback made him chuckle. “Okay, but I’m not gonna lie. If you changed your mind, I wouldn’t be disappointed.”

When their eyes met and held, several images of her naked in his arms paraded before his mind’s eye. Those encounters weren’t something he’d soon forget.

“Maybe I should move back into the guesthouse,” she muttered as she tore her gaze away.

He lowered his voice. “I’m flattered to think I might be that much of a temptation.”

“I’ve made plain what I want,” she said.

“I know. And I’m sorry. I don’t want to make your life harder. That’s the truth.”

“I know,” she said with a sigh.