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Leaning an arm on the open door, Reed stayed there as he said, “I hope you haven’t eaten dinner yet.”
“Why?” she asked, coming toward him.
The hint of caution in her voice was not unwelcoming, and neither was the pleasure that suffused her face when her gaze landed on the take-out bag from Ina’s.
“Because I took a chance on you being home and hungry about now. Ina’s special tonight is lasagna.”
She looked up at him with a slow smile. “You remembered. Why didn’t you call?”
“You know, Lily,” he replied, reaching for the bag, “that’s one of the things I like about you. When you’re not flustered or distracted, or upset, you have no problem asking a straightforward question.”
“Yes, well, the two times I’ve seen you since coming back home, I’ve been both flustered and distracted. You can settle my confusion tonight while we eat. Come in and give me a minute to wash up.”
I’m not here for sex,Reed lectured himself when he followed Lily inside and his eyes were again drawn to her butt and legs. But, damn, she looked good in a pair of shorts. He was pleased with her reception, so now, all he had to do was stay focused on his goal of starting a relationship and not on getting her naked.
Lily waved a hand toward the kitchen as Reed shut the door behind him. “Have a seat, and I’ll hurry.”
“Take your time. It’ll warm up if needed, and you weren’t expecting me.”
He subjected her to another potent, scrutinizing gaze that never failed to get her blood pumping faster, and guessed he was searching for a sign she objected to his surprise visit. She’d spent the last two weeks trying to come to terms with how much she wanted Reed after thinking of him as nothing more than a friend for so long. Now, he was here, in her house, and her only reaction to his sudden presence was a thrill of happiness.
“No, but it’s not a problem. You had me at lasagna.” He grinned at that and her heart did a little flip. “Be right back.” Lily dashed into the bathroom and washed her hands and face, wishing she had time to put on a little makeup. Instead, she quickly redid her braid, which was coming out then used a light floral body spray while questions about his visit ran through her head. Gazing in the mirror, she muttered, “The only way for answers is to get back out there.”
“You have quite the collection,” Reed stated from where he now stood checking out her mystery movies and books on shelves next to the fireplace.
Lily padded over, proud of her alphabetical display. “It’s taken years to amass all these. If a movie is made from a book, I like to read the book first then watch the video. Sometimes, though, the changes script writers make for the movie version are irritating.”
Her stomach grumbled at that moment, and Reed sent her an amused look, placing his hand on her lower back. Even through her top, Lily felt his touch all the way to her toes. She didn’t fight the pleasure or question her response again. Why bother when she’d been unable to find answers for her attraction to him for what, several weeks now?
“Food’s getting cold, and I’m as hungry as you sound. What do you have to drink?”
Glad he was making this easier with his casual dialogue, she replied, “Beer, tea, and water. Vickie and I finished my wine and I haven’t replaced it yet.”
“I’ll have tea, and, next time, we can go out and have wine with dinner.”
Lily went to the cabinet and retrieved two tall glasses, keeping her back to him for a moment so he wouldn’t notice the quick zing of happiness she was sure reflected on her face. If he was already planning a next time, maybe tonight wasn’t just a stop-by-and-check-on-her visit. She filled the glasses with ice and tea and set them on the table before grabbing silverware from a drawer.
“That smells awesome,” she noted, taking a seat across from Reed where he had opened a take-out box containing a large portion of still-hot, cheese-smothered lasagna. She glanced at his order and grinned. “Meatloaf and potatoes. The men all seem to love that dish.”
“What can I say? We’re easy to please, not to mention the Hendersons always cook from scratch, like my mom. Nothing tastes better.” He took a bite of potatoes then said, “This place looks good. Did it need a lot of repair work?”
She beamed at him, pleased he noticed all of her efforts. “Not too much. The inspection found a few things the seller agreed to fix, and there’s only been a glitch with the electric since. Vickie and I returned from Casey’s to no lights.” She shuddered, remembering the pitch darkness that had resurrected her fear from the late-night mugging. She just now realized the strange coincidence that both incidents occurred after being with Reed.
Reed put down his glass, his gaze narrowing. “What? Did something happen?”
I have to stop forgetting how astute he is.
Lily didn’t want to ruin the meal by bringing up the attack on her, so she hedged around it without lying. “I’m a wimp when it comes to dark places. I like mysteries, not scary or horror films.” She concentrated on taking several bites and missed his displeasure until he spoke again.
“Lily, what happened? Did you have a break-in? Was someone lurking around the house?”
If he had her in restraints and used that tone, she was sure she wouldn’t hesitate to give him a full accounting. There had been something about his authority and her vulnerability that had triggered a hidden need inside her she still couldn’t define. Thankfully, there was a table between them and he wasn’t muddling her thinking with his touch.
“No, nothing like that. We got spooked is all. The electrician showed me where several wires had become frayed.” Reed eyed her as he ate the last bite of meatloaf, and Lily forced herself not to squirm under his intense regard, not relaxing until he changed the subject to a topic she was more than comfortable with.
“I saw the movieClueon your shelves. Is it any good?”
“That’s a recent purchase, and I haven’t had time to watch it yet.” She closed the lid on the box, saving the other half of her meal for tomorrow, hoping he didn’t have to leave yet. It was nice not spending the evening alone. Or maybe it was his company she found so enjoyable. “As good as my lasagna is, there’s no way I can finish it. Thank you. I owe you one.”
