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She glanced over at him, sitting alone at the bar, nursing a pint of beer. He looked weary and forlorn, lost in thought. He also looked famished.
Without stopping to rationalise her actions, she headed over and slid onto the bar stool next to him. ‘I thought you might be hungry,’ she said, placing a plate of food in front of him. ‘I haven’t seen you eat anything all day.’
His eyes met hers, hovered longingly for a second and then drifted down to the plate of food. The look on his face made her laugh.
‘Please don’t tell me you can’t eat this because it’s unhealthy.’ She gave him an admonishing look. ‘There’s a time and place for dieting, and a time for refuelling.’ She handed him a chicken sandwich, oozing with rich mayonnaise. ‘You need carbs, you’ve been running on empty all day and I don’t want you collapsing on me.’
He gazed at the sandwich. ‘I shouldn’t.’
‘Yes, you should. You can go back to eating sensibly tomorrow – one night won’t kill you. Besides, you need something to soak up the alcohol. You’ll be no use to me drunk.’
‘Use to you?’ His eyes widened.
‘I’m not venturing onto that dance floor alone.’ She gestured for him to take the sandwich. ‘Eat.’
He dutifully accepted the sandwich and took a bite. His face clouded over with pleasure and she felt a little flip in her belly. She’d seen that look before – usually after they’d been kissing. It seemed food got his pheromones flowing just as much as smooching did. Interesting.
She ordered herself a glass of wine and gave him some space to enjoy his food, while surreptitiously watching him devour the plate of nibbles. He looked like a man starved of sustenance, and she imagined the satisfaction of sharing her passion for cooking with a man like Matt Hardy. Cooking was one of her favourite pastimes, and watching someone else enjoy her food would enhance the experience even further. She could imagine them messing around in the kitchen together, getting in each other’s way, food forming an intrinsic part of their foreplay…
Whoa, where had that come from?
She turned away. Her imagination had given her a hot flush.
Still, was there any point fighting her attraction towards him? Only a fool would continue to deny her feelings. Everyone else seemed convinced they should be together – she was the only one resisting. But had she left it too late? She’d rejected the poor man so many times, maybe he’d got sick of being messed around. Perhaps he’d decided she was too much effort and had given up on the idea.
Sipping her wine, she risked a glance in his direction. He was picking at the crisps, staring at each one with loathing as if they’d been created by the devil himself. The sight made her smile. Poor man. He really did have an unhealthy aversion to food.
It was such a shame that a man who so clearly loved eating felt the need to restrict himself. She wished he felt more confident about his appearance. He was gorgeous. He didn’t need to change a thing. If only he saw himself the way she did.
She waited until he’d finished eating. ‘Things with your brother looked a little heated earlier. Is everything okay?’
Matt wiped his mouth with a napkin. ‘Not really, but things with Chris are never good. I can’t see us ever being close, so maybe it’s time to stop wasting my time trying.’ His eyes met hers and she wondered if he was still talking about the relationship with his brother.
‘Family dynamics can be complicated,’ she said, her gaze drawn to his mouth. ‘I think sometimes we just have to accept that and not expect miracles. That’s what I’ve had to do with my father. He’s disappointed me, behaved appallingly, but like you said yesterday about your dad, it’ll never stop me loving him.’ She took another sip of wine, dragging her mind away from tantalising thoughts about the man next to her – whose warm thigh was pressed against hers. ‘I feel better about things now I know my mum’s stopped adoring him.’
Matt frowned. ‘That’s a strange turn of phrase.’
‘It’s the key to a happy relationship, apparently. Adoration. It’s not enough to love someone, or simply like them. Happy ever afters only happen when two people adore each other.’ She gave a little shrug. ‘According to my mum, anyway.’
He seemed to mull this over. ‘Maybe she’s right. I think my mum’s reached the same conclusion about my dad. She’s talking about divorcing him.’
Beth placed a hand on his arm. ‘I’m sorry to hear that.’
‘It’s probably for the best. Now I come to think of it, I’m not sure he adores her either. He relies on her, he needs her and depends on her, but I don’t see adoration. I see a man who wants someone to make post-prison life easy, and Mum deserves better than that.’ He looked down at her hand on his arm. ‘She mentioned taking up boxing.’
‘Oh, god. Has she been talking to my mum?’
He smiled. ‘I suspect so.’
‘Mum’s setting up her own business. She plans to coach the over sixties into fitness and improve their self-esteem.’
‘If anyone can do it, she can. Your mum’s quite the force of nature.’
‘As you know only too well.’ She smiled so he’d know she was joking.
He smiled back. ‘I do.’
Beth sighed. ‘What a weekend, eh?’
