On the sofa sat Aunt Sue, clad in a fuzzy powder blue bathrobe and matching slippers, and beside her Cal, arms folded over his chest, hair still wet from his shower, his nose just slightly swollen still. Light stubble lined his jaw, telling me he’d been too macho to use the pink razors in the bathroom. Though the five o’clock shadow was a good look on him. Instinctively, my hand went to my bed head, trying in vain to smooth the errant strands.

On the end table was the source of the full-blast Today show airing—Aunt Sue’s hearing aid, conspicuously not in her ear.

“You’re going to wake the entire neighborhood,” I pointed out, crossing the room. Cal’s eyes followed me, and I suddenly wished I’d stopped to throw on a pair of jeans first. Instead, I tugged at the hem of my T-shirt, willing it to cover my butt.

It almost complied.

“’Morning, peanut,” Aunt Sue said, her eyes riveted to the cooking segment.

“’Morning.”

“What?”

“I said, ‘morning,’” I yelled. “Why aren’t you wearing your hearing aid?”

She gave me a blank look.

“Your hea-ring ai-d,” I repeated, pointing to it.

She waved me off. “I don’t need that thing. I can hear the TV just fine.”

“So can Canada. Can you turn it down?”

“What?”

“Down! Turn it down!”

“Actually, yes, I’d love some coffee, thanks.”

I threw my hands up. It was useless. “I’m gonna take a shower,” I muttered instead.

“With cream,” Aunt Sue shouted after me.

I ignored her, instead shutting the bathroom door behind me with a click.

The room was still warm and steamy from Cal’s shower, a lingering scent left behind that was subtle yet very clearly male. As I stepped into the spray of water, I couldn’t help thinking that just moments ago his naked body had been where mine was now. An odd awareness tingled in my belly.

Yeah, I really needed to get laid, didn’t I?

I shook it off, opening the tiny window over the bathtub to let the steam out as I lathered my hair.

Twenty minutes later I was washed, dried, dressed in jeans, a pair of hot pink converse (yes, I owned them in multiple colors), and a white button-down shirt. I swear it had nothing to do with the way Cal had looked at me last night that I matched it with a hot pink bra that showed just the slightest bit underneath. Nothing at all.

I emerged from my bedroom to find Aunt Sue now engrossed in Regis and Kelly, a cup of java in hand. Cal was manning Mr. Coffee, and as soon as he saw me, he pulled down another mug, filling it to the brim with sweet life-giving liquid. I’ll admit, I was beginning to warm to the guy.

“My fault,” he said, gesturing to Aunt Sue.

“What is?”