“What are you doing?”
“Hmm,” he hums, distracted.
I join him in the kitchen and roll my lips, holding back a smile at the winsome, pensive look on his face as he reads. He meets my eyes briefly and then returns to reading.
“I’m looking over the instructions,” he says quietly.
I freeze, a little stunned. Some of the worst fights I had with Brandon stemmed from his refusal to read instructions. He would always repeat the same sexist line to me.Instructions are for women. A red flag if I’ve seen one.
I didn’t expect Ethan to stick around any longer than it took to drop off the box, let alone set up the coffeemaker for me. But that’s what he does, removing it from the box and then connecting all the pieces. It’s not complicated. I could’ve easily done it myself, but not having to do it at all and stand back and watch is nice. It’s more than nice.
“You didn’t have to do that.”
His shoulders rise, and he lets out a breath as if it was nothing. “I’m still groveling, remember?” He moves to put a pod in and sets a coffee cup under the drip. As he hits the start button, he shoots me a wink.
My mouth falls open. Who is this man?
The coffee presses out of the coffeemaker loudly, and Ethan works to clean up the plastic and packaging, but I’m still stuck on the wink.
He sets the box aside and hands me the cup of coffee. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
I take the cup from him and turn to grab my creamer out of the fridge. With my back to him, it’s easier to conceal the blush that’s heated my cheeks. When I turn back to face him, he’s waiting. His gaze is steady. Patient.
“It’s just a little weird, that’s all.”
His forehead crinkles. “What’s weird? The coffee?”
I haven’t tried the coffee yet. It’s honestly the last thing on my mind right now. I’m too distracted by the tall man, swallowing up my kitchen, shooting me winks, and making me feel flustered.
“You’re being nice and it’s weirding me out,” I blurt.
His head tips back, and a deep laugh rumbles out of him. My body jolts, completely unprepared. When our eyes collide, I find his vivid and strikingly clear as they regard me.
“First I’m too much of a dick and now I’m too nice?” He laughs again, shaking his head. “I told you I was going to be nice to you.”
“I know.” My voice is girlishly high. “I wasn’t expecting… I don’t know what I was expecting.”
He narrows his eyes playfully. “I’mtryingto be nice.”
I pout. “Try less. I don’t know how to handle it.”
His eyes drop from mine, and his attention moves to my lips then lower, lazily tracking down, before coming back to my eyes again. “You can handle it.”
I swallow, and it feels like sand going down. The way he’s looking at me paired with this alternate personality I can’t seem to wrap my head around is setting me off balance. My body feels jerked into a heightened awareness, and a shiver runs down my spine, making me take a step back. I’m confused by what’s happening. Am I imagining an innuendo where there isn’t one and mistaking his stare as being more than friendly? I decide it’s in my head. It has to be.
Ethan watches me with curious intent. The weight of his observation makes me acutely aware of every small movement I make.
I take another step back, putting more distance between us. “Well, thank you for setting everything up for me. It was a verynicegesture.”
His lips tick up to a soft, barely there smile. “I should get going.
With a parting nod, he leaves. I take a deep inhale, breathing in the last of his lingering scent. A mistake I wish I could take back, because it’s already infiltrated my senses, rendering me more unsteady and uncertain than ever.
CHAPTER 17
Ethan
I LOOK LIKE A BARN ANIMAL
