“Ibuprofen,” he explained, handing both a water and the bottle to me.
“Thanks,” I said quickly downing the entire bottle of water and swallowing two of the pain relievers.
“I’ll order dinner. It’s the least I can do for the inconvenience. How about Chinese? Lotus Blossom Palace delivers here.”
“They have the best lo mein. Oh, and their sweet and sour chicken is my favorite.”
“I’ll add crab rangoons and an order of beef and broccoli. Anything else?”
“No, that’s good. Thank you.” Watching him order through an app on his phone, I waited until he leaned back against the couch. Steeling my nerves, I cleared my throat. “There’s something else I need to say to you.”
“You’ve got my undivided attention for however long we can last without arguing or winding up in bed.”
My brat would never settle if he kept talking and low-key flirting with me. “You wish! I wouldn’t sleep with you if you were the last man on earth!”
“A few dozen orgasms might help you relax.”
“A few dozen…”The nerve! “Listen here, buddy–”
A cocky smirk played on his lips adding to the smugness of his overall personality. “I’m trying and apparently failing to ease those worry lines. You know the ones drilled into your forehead? I really wish you’d let yourself get some rest tonight. Orgasms are optional.”
“I’ve been hurt way more times than I can count. Okay? A relationship isn’t on my horizon. Not now. Maybe not ever.”
“A relationship, hm? Nobody said anything about that. I mentioned giving you orgasms as an alternative to whatever the hell is spinning through your brain. Are you sure you aren’t looking for a relationship, Eli?”
It was a good question, one I didn’t have an immediate answer to. The sexual tension between us simmered. Once it reached a boiling point it would be even more difficult to put the lid back on. “I don’t know,” I finally said. “I’m uncomfortable. My hand hurts. I want to be home on my couch.”
“One–I can get you some sweats and a t-shirt. Two–I can find someone to drive you home. Three–King might be able to leave work early so that I’m not alone. If not, I’ll find another solution. You don’t have to worry about me.”
“No, no. I said I’ll stay and I will. But thank you, something comfy to sleep in sounds like a good start.”
Two
Eloise
I followed Reed into his room and stood awkwardly next to him, watching him open different drawers. He handed me sweatpants and a t-shirt. They would hang off my frame, but it was better than my tight jeans and blouse. Reed glanced at my lips before his eyes grazed my face then slowly traveled upward to my eyes again.
No. Don’t look at me like that.
That look happened before a kiss and I had a feeling that one kiss from Reed Hampton would have me tumbling head over heels. I refused to give him a chance because of our pasts. Falling for Reed wasnotan option. Yet he had been on my mind nonstop since the first time we met.
“Do you think I’m mad at you, Eli? I’m not,” he reassured softly. “You didn’t make me get hurt.”
“It’s my fault that you were injured. Youshouldbe mad at me.”
“It wasn’t your fault, lemondrop. Sometimes shit just happens.”
Instead of continuing to argue the point, I frowned. “You’ve been calling me that nickname for a while. How come?”
“Because whenever I use it, your pretty face loses its perpetual scowl.”
“Who cares if I scowl?” That he’d called meprettywasn’t lost on me. My killer curves usually resulted in men calling me hot or sexy. I liked being called pretty instead.
“I care, beautiful. May I kiss you? If you don’t enjoy it, then we can go back to the couch and pretend it didn’t happen.”
Not happening! I needed to draw a firm boundary, though a kiss wasn’t the worst thing that could happen. Why was I pretending like it was? Oh. I didn’t want him to know that I had thought about it before. I went with changing the subject because it was easier than explaining. “Why don’t we just go back to the couch?”
“Tell me you’re not attracted to me at all. Then of course we can. I’m just curious, but it feels like there’s something brewing between us.”
