“No. What’s it about?”
“Let’s see if we can find it first. I don’t want to give anything away.”
We’re in luck, it’s there. Pressing play, the pair of us sink deeper into the couch. At one point, I rest my arm on the back of the sofa. My hand is so close to her hair, I itch to touch it, but I don’t. Instead, I bring my hand back and rest it in my lap.
The movie was better than good. Parts of it scared the shit out of me, so when I jumped a couple of times with surprise, Matilda laughed.
“I’ve got to get ready for my shift tonight.” She knows I have to work tonight because I couldn’t find anyone to cover the shift. The good thing, I’m off the rest of her visit. Tonight’s not a big deal. She’ll be asleep the entire time I’m gone. Sure, I’ll be tired tomorrow, but I’ve done this before. As I walk the pizza box and our dishes back to the kitchen, I add, “Tomorrow morning, we’ll head to Waco. I’ve got a line on a flea market.”
“Really?” She’s now standing in the opening of my small kitchen. “Won’t you be tired?”
“I’ll be okay.”
“If you’re sure.”
“I’m sure.”
ChapterThirty-Four
Matilda
I’mawake before Alec gets back from work. I’m also showered and dressed with pancake batter ready to go when I hear the lock in the door. Moving around the kitchen wall, I watch him enter his apartment.
“Hey,” he says, sounding tired.
“Hey. How was work?”
“Boring, which is good. Nobody was out and about streaking around the post.”
I laugh at the reminder of his story. “Thank goodness for that.” I nod behind me. “Are you hungry? I’ve got pancakes ready to cook.”
“Starving.”
“Why don’t you go do whatever you do when you get home, and I’ll cook.”
“Gonna shower. Be out in ten.”
Wow. It only takes him ten minutes to shower?
When he steps out into the living room after his shower, I stare. He’s wearing jeans… and that’s it. No shirt, no socks, no shoes. It’s the most undressed I’ve ever seen him, and I’ve got tell you, I nearly choked on my own tongue.
He’s got those abs. You know the ones? Like on book covers. And also a line of dark hair that leads from his navel down **clears throat** into the front of his pants.
Holy hell.
Now I’m staring at the front of his pants. It can’t be helped. Luckily, he doesn’t seem to notice that or the drool that’s made its way out of my mouth. “Um,” I croak. “Here you go.” I slide the plate across the small counter that extends through an opening in the wall and into the living room. “Breakfast.”
I made him a tall stack of pancakes with a pat of butter on top, so it looks like every photo of pancakes you’ve ever seen. I also heated up the syrup in the microwave and placed that next to his food.
“Smells great.” He lifts the plate. “Looks delicious too. Thank you, Matilda.”
“You’re welcome. Let me know if you’d like more. I’ve got extra batter.”
“I might.” He uses the fork I rested next to the pancakes and cuts into all six at once. I watch as he devours the entire stack in less than five minutes. I’m still working on my short stack.
“Would you like more?”
“No.” He pats his hard, flat stomach with his hand. “I’m stuffed.” He’s smiling from ear to ear, which makes me smile right back. “Let me go throw a shirt on and we can go.”
