I grab the large plate I set out earlier and start dishing his food. Mac and cheese. A few spicy chicken wings. And tossed salad arranged on the side. All very neat and domestic and not at all like my insides are currently melting.
Taking a deep breath, I gather what remains of my courage and turn back to face him. He’s seated himself in the small dining area a few paces from the kitchen with just one small table and two chairs. My throat tightens as I walk over, hyperaware of his gaze tracking my steps.
I place the food in front of him, then hurry to the fridge for two bottles of beer. One goes beside his plate, and the other comes back with me to the kitchen island, where I portion out a much smaller serving before sinking onto one of the stools.
“No.”
I go still at the sound of his voice and look up.
He’s gesturing to the chair across from him. “Come here.”
My stomach churns as I eye that chair with dread. I was afraid he’d invite me to sit there. “No, it’s okay, I’m fine here.”
“I insist.” His voice hardens, leaving zero room for argument.
I lick my suddenly dry lips and stand, carrying my beer by the neck in one hand and my plate in the other. Each step towards that table feels like walking towards my execution—or something equally dangerous but infinitely more tempting.
After a brief hesitation, I slide into the seat across from him, and the intimacy of it nearly steals my breath.
This is too close. Way too close.
I had planned to sit across from him when I was rehearsing this scenario, but I didn’t factor in his magnetic presence or how my attraction to him has somehow tripled after spending days in his space. Or maybe it’s because I can’t stop thinking about that kiss, about the way he tasted, the way he?—
“So you do drink alcohol, then.” The question lands between us, that slight brow lift telling me he’s not missing a single detail. “Why did you insist on water when you had dinner withAtëand me?”
Because I needed my wits about me when I was drowning in lies. Now, it’s not so much that I want to drink the beer—I want him to relax enough to drink his without thinking I’m trying to trick him.
I shrug noncommittally, and thankfully, he lets it go.
My eyes stay glued to my plate as I eat, the food tasting like ash while I struggle to ignore the tingling on my skin where his gaze burns me and the relentless pounding in my chest.
“This is really good.” His compliment catches me off guard. “Where did you learn how to cook?”
“I had to learn if I wanted to feed my sister and me—” I bite my tongue viciously as soon as the words escape, but it’s too late. I just handed him information I never intended to share.Idiot.
Roan immediately pounces on the slip. “Sister?”
I press my lips together, giving nothing more away. I’m supposed to be workinghim, making him relaxed. Why does it feel like the opposite is happening?
“I get it. Sisters can be particularly annoying, but mine isn’t so bad I won’t talk about her. Elira was like a little brother growing up. She was always willing to try whatever crazy thing I wanted, at least once.”
I can hear the smile in his voice and can’t resist glancing up. There it is—the softness I knew had to exist somewhere inside him. I guess it’s reserved for his sister.
“I saw her picture in the gallery,” I say quietly. “She has red hair like you.”
He nods, actually chuckling. “Yeah. It made her think she was invincible. That she could be strong like me. And I tried my best to make her even stronger.”
Eliraisstrong. She managed to outsmart Emily last year; hot-wired her car to escape. I was shocked to discover the supposedly overprotected Albanian princess had those skills. Now I know it was thanks to the man sitting across from me.
“She sounds like an incredible woman.”
“She is,” he agrees without hesitation, and a twinge of jealousy scrapes through my chest.
What would it be like to have someone’s face go that soft when they talk about me? To smile and say I’m incredible?
What would it be like for it to be Roan?
I shake my head hard and shovel some mac and cheese into my mouth.Stop thinking nonsense.
