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“Oh. Uh, um, hey,” I stutter out like an idiot. “How long have I been asleep?”
“Three hours and fourteen minutes,” he answers matter-of-factly.
“And you’ve been out here the whole time?”
“No,” he says with a shake of his head. “After tucking you in, I paced around the hall and kept checking on you every ten minutes, but I didn’t want to risk waking you up, so I started pacing in the living room to give you some space.” His eyes never leave mine as he recounts his whereabouts all morning. It’s kind of cute that he wants to get every detail right. “After an hour, I cleaned the kitchen and did a lap around the outside of the house to check on some projects I’m working on. Then I prepared lunch and resumed pacing in the hallway because I needed to be here the moment you woke up.”
I stare at the dark-haired, dark-eyed beast of a man in front of me, watching as the tips of his ears turn red. Is he… blushing? After admitting he was so concerned about me he kept checking in while I was asleep?
A mix of overwhelming emotions slam into me, and I throw my arms around Rider before I can think better of it. He freezes, his muscles tensing the longer I hold onto his torso. I’m about to step away and run out the front door to resume my plan of driving my car off a bridge when Rider engulfs me in his embrace. His strong arms cover me completely, and I’m wrapped up in the warmest, safest hug in the universe.
I snuggle deeper into Rider, soaking up every single thing about this moment. Breathing his warm, earthy scent, I squeeze him harder, still not quite believing this is happening.
Suddenly, my feet aren’t on the ground anymore. I’m lifted in the air, and Rider adjusts his grip to steady me. I gasp, then giggle as he spins me around. It’s silly and sweet and so unexpected, and God, I find myself wanting to stay in his arms forever.
The moment is over when Rider sets me back down, taking a step away from me. I crane my neck to look up at the man curiously, taking in his deep brown eyes with a few crinkles in the corners. I love that he’s older and has experienced more of life than I have. It’s such a ridiculous thought, but if Rider were mine, his maturity would make me feel protected. Safe to explore my life, knowing I had Rider in my corner.
“Your laugh,” Rider murmurs, his eyes searching mine as if I’m a rare treasure. “I’ve never heard it before.” He pauses, his gaze wandering down my face in what can’t possibly be awe. “It’s magical.” I’m unsure who is more shocked at his words, me, or Rider. “Uh, what I meant was…”
“Thank you,” I whisper, not wanting him to be flustered. “No one’s ever… Well, thanks.” I give him an awkward smile, then stare down at my feet.
Rider clears his throat and claps his hands, apparently signaling a scene change. I grin at his tactic, then full-on smile when he takes my hand.
“Lunchtime,” he announces, tugging me down the hall and into the kitchen.
“Oh my gosh, what is all of this?” I gasp, walking forward as I take in all the food set out on the table.
There are bowls of fresh-cut fruit, a container of something creamy and delicious-looking, some egg salad, all manner of bread, including a loaf that looks homemade, a giant tray of deli meats, an equally large tray of cheese, and five bags of varying chip brands.
“Just a few things for sandwiches,” Rider says. I peer over my shoulder at him, one eyebrow lifted. “Okay, well, it started out as a few sandwich things, but then I realized you might be hungrier, so I whipped up some egg salad and a batch of my almond chicken salad with grapes. Then I thought grapes wouldn’t be nearly enough fruit, and, well, I may have gotten a bit carried away when I started chopping up the pineapple…”
He trails off, breaking eye contact with me as he rubs the back of his neck in a nervous gesture. I still can’t wrap my head around what is happening here.
“Wait. So all of this is for… me?” I thought maybe he had a bunch of leftovers he wanted to get rid of, but he made all of this. For me. Because he wanted to make sure I wasn’t hungry.
“Of course,” he responds as if it’s obvious. “But if you want something else, I think I have all the ingredients for enchiladas. Or we can order in. I just thought something homemade would be nice.”
“Rider, I don’t even know what to say,” I whisper, turning to face him. “It’s too much.” I’m not sure if I’m referring to the amount of food, which is undoubtedly more than I could eat in a week, or the act of this near-stranger going out of his way to provide for me.
“Then I guess you’ll have to stay with me until we finish it all,” he answers smoothly. Rider’s lips pull to one side in the smallest, sexiest grin.
God.Swoon. How can I say no to that?
“Let’s get through lunch first,” I say, though I return his smile. It’s not like I have anywhere else to go, and if Rider is content to have me here for now, I’ll soak up every minute of being under his roof.
Rider hands me a plate and goes through the options again, each one more mouth-watering than the last. I make a chicken salad sandwich on the fresh-baked honey-wheat bread and an egg salad sandwich on a delectable-looking croissant. I scoop some strawberries and pineapple chunks onto my plate, and Rider adds a handful of blueberries and blackberries.
“High in antioxidants,” he explains. His tone is so serious, I can’t help but let out a tiny laugh.
“Thank you,” I tell him sincerely.
Rider’s eyes catch mine, sending my heart fluttering and my stomach somersaulting.
I sit at the breakfast bar since the kitchen table is covered in food. Rider joins me a moment later, his plate piled high with three sandwiches. He’s also grabbed a bag of BBQ chips and sour cream and onion chips, setting them down in front of me like the proud hunter/gatherer he is.
This man just keeps getting more adorable and perfect with each passing second. There has to be a catch, right? When is the other shoe going to drop? Good things don’t last for me.
“Oh,wow,” I groan after taking my first bite of the chicken salad sandwich. “Rider, this is incredible. Like… really freaking delicious,” I add after shoving another bite in my mouth.
