“I’m sorry.” Raegan’s unapologetic laugh said otherwise. “I couldn’t resist.”
“No, that was good. You, uh…” Rocky rubbed the muscles at the back of his flushed neck. “You got me.”
And for some damn reason, that fact made him like her even more.
“The surprising woman’s laughter slowly dissipated as she told him, “Help yourself to the food. I’ll go grab us some drinks.” As she passed by him, Raegan began listing off what she had to offer. “I have bottled water, tea, diet soda…”
“Water’s fine.”
After hammering away in the sun all damn day, his body could definitely use the extra hydration.
He picked up a plate and topped it with a slice from each box plus four of the boneless buffalo wings. A slight burn filled his nostrils as he got his first good whiff of the spicy sauce, and his empty stomach rumbled in excited anticipation.
“Thanks again for all this.” He sat down on one end of the beige, three-cushioned couch.
“My pleasure.” Raegan returned from the kitchen carrying two brand-new bottles of water. “Here ya go.”
The bottle felt cold and slightly damp against his palm as he took the offered drink. But it was the exhilarating spark he felt when their fingers inadvertently touched that left Rocky feeling even more out of sorts than before.
What the hell was that?
He’d felt that same titillating zing of electricity before, when he’d been here earlier, and Raegan had handed him the plastic tool case from beneath her sink. And just now, her fingertips hadbarely even feathered along his skin, and yet he’d felt a rush of…something…the instant the innocent contact had been made.
It was an odd sensation, and he couldn’t recall ever having felt it with anyone. But as she placed a slice of pepperoni and some wings onto her plate, Rocky remembered the locks and the looks, and he couldn’t ignore the urge to make sure there was nothing to worry about where her safety was concerned.
“So.” Rocky took his own advice and got the ball rolling. “We’ve firmly established you’re single,” he began. “Ever been married?”
Raegan grabbed the piece of pizza from her plate and shook her head. “Nope. You?”
Guess we can cross crazy ex-husband off the list.
“Not yet,” he answered truthfully.
Curiosity filled her pretty stare. “Yet?” She waited until she’d swallowed the bite she’d just taken before asking, “But you want that? Marriage and kids and all that jazz?”
“Maybe. Someday. If I met the right woman, that is.” When she didn’t offer up her opinion on the matter, Rocky asked, “What about you? You ever thought about it?”
Raegan took a sip of her water and gave a tiny shrug. “I used to.”
“And now?”
“Now, I’m not so sure.”
“Why is that?” He waited patiently for her to chew and swallow the boneless wing she’d just popped into her mouth.
“Oh, you know what they say…” She wiped some dark orange sauce from her lips. “We make plans, and God laughs.”
Isn’t that the fucking truth?
“Have you ever come close?” He continued with what he hoped she saw as typical get-to-know-you conversation. “To marriage, I mean.”
The tips of her long locks swayed with a shake of her head. “Like I said, I was always too busy with other things.”
“And now?”
“Now…” Her bare shoulders fell with a sigh. “Now, my focus isstillon other things.”
“Such as?”