Sometimes, we kissed. Sometimes, I fell asleep on the sofa with my head in his lap. And sometimes, we fought hard over the right way to fold a bath towel and didn't want to talk to each other all day because of it.
It was fine.
We were fine.
Everything was fine.
Except for those moments when he'd look at me and I'd swear I saw a wolf behind those eyes. Like now, when he gazed at me with brutal intensity every time I handed him another dish to dry. Staring of that sort while someone was elbow deep in soapy water was excessive. It just didn't fit.
Except it did because this was Linden and everything about him was intense and excessive. That didn't mean I had to like it. "Those are some serious looks you're giving me. Are you still worried I don't know how to operate a garbage disposal?"
"I'm not worried that you don't know how to operate it," he replied. "I know for a fact that you don't know how to operate it andthatworries me."
"Like I said earlier, I just won't use it." I handed him a bowl. "It's not that complicated. I can just pretend it doesn't exist."
"You think that will work?"
I reached into the sink to pull the drain. "I mean, yeah. I didn't know what that switch did until I flipped it earlier. It was purely accidental and I'll probably forget all about that switch."
"Until you go to turn on the light over the sink again and hit the wrong switch," he murmured.
"Oh my god," I groaned. "Would you just let it go?" I shook the water from my hands, giving him my most annoyed glare as I reached across him for a dish towel. "So there was a fork that had slipped into the opening and got whirled around a bit. It happens. We recovered it before anything tragic occurred so why don't we just put it behind us? It's not like I stuck my hand down there while it was on."
"Only because I stopped you from doing that," he cried.
I slung the damp towel over the front skirt of the sink. "Do you have any idea how obstinate you are?"
He leaned back against the countertop, his arms crossed over his chest. I was getting the sense that he knew how much I liked it when he crossed his arms like that. It was even better when he had his sleeves rolled up to his elbows. That dark dusting of hair on his thick forearms, the ropy muscle against the soft fabric of his plaid shirts.Gahhhh.It was amazing.
"I have a very good idea, yes." He shot me a smirk. "Do you know you're just as obstinate?"
"I am nothing of the sort."
"You are the most stubborn woman I've ever met."
"Wow.Wow.That's unspeakably kind of you to mention," I said. "I have to wonder, Linden, why you'd go to such trouble to keep me around when I'm obstinate and stubborn and dangerous with household appliances. Better yet, I'll stop wondering and return myself next door for the evening. I'm sure you could use a break from telling me how to do everything."
"You're not going over there."
"No? And who do you expect will stop me? It can't possibly be you since you're very busy being right all the time."
"How are you feeling?" he asked.
I narrowed my eyes at him. "What? Fine. What are you talking about?"
He pushed away from the counter and stepped closer, trailed his knuckles along the buttons running down the front of my shirtdress. "I'm asking how you're feeling tonight."
I laughed as I shook my head because I couldn't understand why we were talking about this now. "For a stubborn, obstinate woman, I'm all right. Why do you want to know?"
His brows pitched up as he considered this. "I mean, it helps to know if you're tired or feeling down or just want to scream at me a little longer."
"So you can get out of the way?"
He jerked a shoulder. "Yeah, that. You know I like to see you mad but I'm not a total beast. I want to know if you're having a rough time."
"And why is that?"
He stared at my buttons for a second. "Is there anything else I should know? About how you're doing, I mean."
