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“You don’t have to work?”
“Nope.” After filling up a mug with coffee for me, he grabs his plate with his other hand and joins me at the table, sitting in the chair next to me. Steam rolls off the top of the mug and I reach for it to take the first sip. The hot liquid slips down my throat with ease and the taste is strong on my tongue.
I glance at the chair across the way and back to him. He’s too busy shoving his fork into his egg to notice my confusion. “You don’t like sitting too far away from others, do you?”
“Not when the other is you.” He smiles around the silverware. Shifting in my chair, I force my attention back on my food instead of the way he’s watching me. The air between us grows thicker the longer his attention stays on me. It doesn’t falter the whole time we’re eating. Shoveling the last bite of food into my mouth, I slide my chair back and quickly lift my plate. “I need to get going before I run into heavy traffic. I want to be back before dinnertime. I have some recipes I want to try out for tomorrow’s menu.”
“I can’t wait.” He hovers behind me as I’m washing the dishes in the sink. “I bet it’ll all be delicious. My stomach’s already buzzing from excitement. Can’t you tell?” He presses his front to my back and my throat tightens. I can feel way more than his stomach and I’m liking it way more than I should.
How did he get up so fast? I didn’t hear him walk behind me. The running water and clashing dishes must have drowned out the sound of his footsteps. His arm snakes around me and he stacks his dirty plate on mine, not moving away for what feels like hours.
His warm breath travels along my neck and my brain fizzes out. Normally his sudden closeness doesn’t affect me but after his tongue came in contact with my skin and he made a promise last night my body can’t forget, nothing feels the same anymore.
“If I were to have you stick around longer, it wouldn’t be to sleep.”
Ugh. What’s wrong with me? Nothing about what I’m feeling or thinking is right. He’s half my age and my brother’s stepson. Besides, I don’t want Finn and he doesn’t want me. It has to be some natural reaction to having a good-looking man this close and touching me this much. Wait… Did I just think of Finn as good looking?
I’d be lying if I said any different. He’s an attractive person and he grows more handsome each day. It’s hard to not notice. Finn makes it impossible for anyone not to pay attention to him. He’s constantly in my view. Almost as if he wants me to see only him all the time.
He steps back and the little bit of distance between us has my body relaxing against the counter. I set the dishes on the teal rack before drying my hands on a paper towel. “We aren’t going anywhere. It will be faster if I go alone. Besides, I was really looking forward to the quiet drive.”
“I can be quiet.”
If he could, his mouth wouldn’t get him into so much damn trouble, and trouble is exactly what has been blooming between us lately. Laughing, I turn around and shake my head once we’re face-to-face. “Those puppy dog eyes won’t work on me this time, so don’t bother. You’re going home and I’m driving to the store.”Because if you keep touching me the way you do, I’ll reach the point where I won’t want you to ever stop.
I walk around him and grab my jacket from the hook by the front door. I reach for my keys and he snatches them away before my fingers can wrap around the key ring.
“I’ll drive and pay for everything.”
I sigh, struggling to not give in. “Gas too?”
“Yup. You won’t have to open your wallet once today and can lie back in your seat while enjoying the ride.”
“And silence?” I cock my head, smirking.
He opens the door and leans against it. “You were serious about that huh?”
“Very.”
“Alright. A nice quiet drive you’ll get then. Come on. We’ll make a day of it. Have lunch downtown and visit some of the other shops.” The door sways back and forth with his body as he rocks on the balls of his feet. “I can grab Ma’s birthday gift while we’re there. They have a crafting and sewing supply store by the restaurant I want to take you to. You know how she loves to hoard pretty fabric and never has enough thread. Then we can grab some ice cream at the creamery across the way.”
So much for coming back home before dinner. “Fine. Then when we get back, I’m putting you to work in my kitchen.”
“Feel free to use me anyway you want. Tonight, I’m all yours.” He winks before walking toward the car. My head spins so fast, I forget how to move.
“Earth to Theo. You coming?”
Gripping the edge of the door, I nod. “Yeah. I’ve got a bit of a migraine. They’ve been coming on randomly again.” The last part isn’t a lie. The recent stress has triggered the sharp, shooting pains in my head. Finn knows about my struggles with migraines. I have my good and bad days. It’s when the worse ones come along that I’m not able to get out of bed.
The doctors haven’t been able to give me a clear reason as to why I’m getting them. One day they showed up and never fully left. All the prescription painkillers, recommended diet, and lessening my work load only helps so much. Finn has no way of knowing if I’m experiencing one now or not. I hate lying to him but I can’t tell him the effect his words keep having on me. He’s more than likely not meaning it the way it sounds.
“You able to walk to the car or am I going to have to carry you?” His face beams, the bright light of the sun catching his eyes, making them appear as blue as an ocean. It’s hard not to want to swim in them.
Shaking my head, I close and lock the door behind me, using the spare key buried in one of the potted plants. My words stay caught in my throat the whole time and I swear I can feel him grinning at me. By the time I turn around, he’s in the driver’s seat, starting the car. The engine hums as I walk down the porch and I smile at the sight of a purple flower sprouting from the ground on my way to the passenger side. The first one of the year.
Purple is my favorite color and I always look forward to summer when my whole yard becomes covered with it. I slip into the car and Finn is glancing in the rearview mirror, not saying a word. He remains quiet the whole drive the way he promised he would and I kind of miss the low rumble of his voice.
It’s the reason I need to learn to welcome the silence more. I won’t want to be surrounded by Finn’s laughter and jokes if I do.
