Free Unexpected Love by Melissa Price

herself.  Great.  She didn’t want to get dressed without it.  Since she had heard Sean moving around downstairs, it would be safe.  The bathroom was right across the hall.  A very short trip.  Grab the deodorant and back here in a flash.
    She peered out of her door and checked the hall, no noise.  No Sean.  She hurried across the short distance, at least what was a hurry for her, and grabbed the container.  She smiled.  She had never had to consider anyone would see her in her small apartment.  It had felt a little risky to come in dressed like this, but Sean was downstairs.  She giggled to herself. 
    When she came out, Sean was standing at the top of the stairs, staring.  He looked frozen in place.  She flushed a bright red, there was nothing to hide behind.  She held the deodorant up to her chest.  Yeah, like that was going to hide anything. She tried to reason that at least she wasn’t naked.
    Neither of them moved.  She realized finally that she was still standing there, half naked.  She bolted into her room and closed the door, leaning back on it.  She hoped she had looked more casual and less like a scared rabbit running for cover.  Or a deer caught in the headlights of a car on a dark road.
    She sighed.  How awkward.  She was feeling that stare into the very depths of her body.  He had a different look on his face.  First it was stunned and then something else flickered across his handsome features.  She decided it was better not to think about it.  But she shivered, the goose bumps were back and he hadn’t even touched her.
    What if he thought she had done it on purpose?  She was not extending an invitation.  Would he take it that way?
    She dressed in jeans and a medium blue V-neck t-shirt.  Blue was her favorite color and she owned a lot of clothes in some shade of blue.  Maybe she should start wearing more colors.  She pulled her damp hair back into a ponytail.  She considered putting on a touch of make-up, something she rarely did.  She used the pink lip gloss she had worn to dinner at Maggie’s and a smattering of powder on her face.  Her lashes were naturally long and thick so she skipped any mascara.  Besides, she didn’t want to give him the wrong impression, especially after the hall scene.
    What if he said something?  What could she possibly say back?  What if he gave her a weird look or worse, leered at her?  What if he saw that as a sign that she wanted him?  Well, she couldn’t stay upstairs forever.  She dampened down her fears, gathered her courage and went downstairs.
     
    Sean was still thinking about the hall incident when Paul arrived.  He had been stunned and then he felt an all-male reaction, his body definitely reacted with heat.  He had to remind himself to breathe when he realized he was holding his breath in the hall.  She looked so damn sexy in that skimpy blue underwear.  Seeing her like that was more than he had even imagined.    It was an image he was going to remember for a very long time.
    He knew she hadn’t done it on purpose, her red face and slight gasp had proven that.  He thought about the amazing body he had just seen, all curves and soft skin.  He swallowed hard and pushed away the stirrings in his body and concentrated on what Paul was saying.
     
    When she got downstairs, she looked around hesitantly.  She was not sure how to face him.  She was relieved to see Sean was outside with a stranger.  The big man had a truck full of firewood and they were piling it on the back deck.
    Sean was handling the wood with more get-up-and-go than usual.  He needed the exercise and to forget the hallway.  It took less time than usual.  Paul even remarked that he had unloaded and stacked faster than he normally did.  Sean was trying to decide how to handle going back into the house.  She would be there by now.  Play it like nothing had happened.  That would be best.  It would not embarrass her and he didn’t need to keep