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She narrowed her eyes. “What kinds?”
“Cream cheese bagels.” I motioned to the bags. “One cherry pie, and one apple pie, and four different types of donuts.” I nudged the boxes to her and put the carrier bag on the floor.
She looked from one bit of food to another. “And it’s all for me?”
“Well, one of the bagels is for me. It is lunchtime.” I slid it back with a grin. “But if you wanna eat the rest, go ahead. It’s a peace offering.”
“What exactly are you making peace for?”
“For breaking your toe? For making you trip on your own doorstep and spill your coffee? For bugging you at lunch when you didn’t want to be bugged?”
She considered this for a moment, tucking her hair behind her ear as she examined the donuts through the clear window in the box. “All acceptable reasons.”
“Also, I wanted to actually say sorry for breaking your toe.”
“What?” She jerked her head from the box so hard her hair fell back from behind her ear.
“I never said sorry for breaking your toe. We just argued instead.” I reached over the counter and pushed her hair back, letting my fingers linger for my apology. “So, I’m sorry I scared you and am the reason you broke your toe.”
Rae swallowed, her fingers moving to the spot mine had just been and hovering there for a moment before she ran them through her hair as if she was brushing my touch away. “It’s okay. I mean, it’s not, but it was an accident. It’s not like you slammed a wooden pole onto my foot.” She shrugged a shoulder and looked down, toying with the edge of the bagel bag. “You didn’t have to do this. It’s sweet.”
“The way to your heart is through your sweet tooth.” I half-smiled, one that grew to a full, wide smile when she blushed.
“Well, thank you. And—” She paused, once again looking up. “Thank you for helping me after my toe. I appreciate it.”
“Anytime.”
“Like right now, anytime?”
My eyebrows raised. “Why? Are you finally admitting you’re not superwoman and you can’t do it all?”
“Not quite.” Her lips twitched, but her eyes were laughing. “I’m admitting that my toe really hurts, and I forgot to bring any painkillers with me this morning.”
I pretended to sigh and dropped my head forward before looking back up at her. “So, you’re asking me if I can run to the drugstore for you.”
She bit her lip and nodded.
“That’s a whole fifteen minutes away.”
She was still biting her lip. If she was doing that to manipulate me, it’d be working even if I weren’t messing with her.
“I know,” she said, finally releasing it. “But I can’t drive. I can’t walk there. And Sophie is working. I don’t want to ask you, believe me, but—”
“Do you have any idea how much I don’t trust you to get back up on that counter and start painting again?” I pointed to the counter she’d just been on. “Who knows what kind of trouble you’ll get yourself into in the next thirty minutes?”
She opened her mouth, then pursed her lips as realization flashed in her eyes. “Here I was, thinking we’d reached some kind of truce, and you’re still fucking with me.” Then, she bit her goddamn lip again like she thinks I’ve forgotten how she always used that instead of puppy dog eyes.
I leaned forward, smiling ever so slightly. “Rae, me fucking with you is some kind of truce, especially if you don’t stop acting like you don’t know how much you biting your lip like that turns me on.”
Surprise flashed in her eyes, and she released her lip like it burned her.
“You fuck with me; I fuck with you.” I cupped her chin gently and dropped my gaze to her mouth just long enough for her lips to part—for her to tell me without words that even if she hated me, I still affected her. “Now, I swear to God, if I get back here and you’re on that damn counter, and you’re painting, I’m going to kick your tight ass, understand?”
Apparently having lost complete control of her tongue, she nodded, eyes still wide and lips still parted.
I wanted to kiss her more than I ever had in my life.
And, as her gaze dropped to my mouth, I wondered if that feeling was even just a little bit mutual.
“Good. A broken toe I can cope with, but I’m not sitting in the ER for five hours with you because you’ve broken your ankle.” I grinned and let go of her chin, winking before I turned around and headed for the door.
When I turned around before I shut it behind me, she was still staring at me, except this time, her cheeks were warm, and there was more than a little curiosity in her beautiful dark eyes.
