“That and I like their beer. I mean, wine is good but…” he shrugged, trying to maintain his train of thought. All he could think about was how close he’d come to kissing her. The story she shared about her mom, only strengthened a growing need to comfort her. Why he felt that need still flummoxed him.
“Beer is better?” Once on the deck, she halted at the outer door, skeptic lips turned down.
He almost ran into her and stopped just in time. His shoes squeaked on the wet wood and the blowing rain wet his pant legs and socks. “With pizza, yes.”
Belle collapsed the umbrella and shook out the nylon. Her hair had been ruffled by the wind; the mass wild about her shoulders. They were under an awning that blocked the rain which was falling more heavily. “That’s up for debate.”
The door was opened by a member of the crew. After the first show, he’d become used to the crew being around. They had a habit of blending into the background, which made it easy to let his guard down. Warmth flooded out of the house, along with the yeasty smell of pizza dough. His stomach growled. With all the filming he’d done today, he hadn’t eaten much and he was starving. She was right, eating was their thing.
“Okay, Darius wants me to remind you both that we’re rolling.” Tim said and disappeared into the shadows.
“The kitchen is to the left.” Erik had been given a tour of the house by Darius and he’d been tasked with remembering the layout. Darius wanted to give the illusion that this was Erik’s house, even though it had been featured on the show before.
His hand on the small of her back, he guided her into the chef’s kitchen. She had a tiny waist and curvy hips, and if he lowered his hand just a touch, he could explore the firm swell.
“This is a beautiful house.” Her tone was clipped, the smile she flashed reserved.
“It is very nice.” Erik had to remind himself that they were doing a television show and to stay in the moment and stop focusing on her beautiful body. “Do you live in a house or an apartment?”
Her smile turned mischievous. “I share an apartment with my friend, Kendra and my brother, J.J. And it’s about the size of this kitchen. Wow, this place is huge. And is that a double refrigerator?”
“It is.” Since Kendra had been dating Cash, Erik was familiar with her and her love for this show. Belle was doing this as a shout out for her friend. “I share a house with another player.” He wasn’t about to mention Cash’s name, lest people put two and two together. “Can you pour the wine?”
“Cats? Dogs? Parakeets?” she asked, moving farther into the all-white kitchen, a huge marbled countertop island separating the cooking area from the dining room. Pouring two glasses, she swirled the wine and slipped onto the stool at the counter. Like their previous lunches, he remained on the cooking side. The oven timer was counting down, the delicious smell of pizza overwhelming.
“Ferrets. Three of them. Larry, Daryl and Darrel,” he grinned at her raised brow.
“Where have I heard those names before?” she wrinkled her nose, head tilted in contemplation.
“An old 80s sitcom. We didn’t have cable so we watched old shows with an antenna. My mother believed that kids should be outside in the fresh air and refused to let us watch television. Me and my sister would sneak into the attic of the garage and watched them on my grandfather’s old television set.” A shadow passed outside his peripheral vision. Darius and the director.
“We didn’t have a television set. We read.” Nostalgia underlined the sentence.
“I wasn’t much of a reader.” Living with a learning disability hadn’t been easy, at least not in his formative years. It wasn’t until he got one-on-one instruction by his teachers that he’d gotten over the first hurdle. “But I do encourage reading. I support a literacy program for kids with learning disabilities. My sister, Steph, has Down syndrome.”
Her eyes widened at that bit of information. His charity was twofold, both for him and Steph. While he never kept his dyslexia a secret, most people assumed the literacy program was for Steph.
“Does she like to read?” she asked.
“Comic books mainly. We collect them.” Erik used to act out the scenes with Steph and it was how he’d gotten his love for acting. “It’s something we like to do together.”
“I’d like to meet your sister.”
Chances are, she would. “She comes to every game. She’s the one who named the ferrets.”
“Ferrets. I don’t think I’ve ever been close to one or seen one in person.”
The timer went off and Belle slipped from the stool. Hips swaying, she entered the cooking area and picked up the hot pads the chef had left. She opened the oven and inhaled, eyes closed for a telling moment. “Delicious.”
“Here, you turn off the oven and I’ll get the pizza paddle to get it out with.” He picked up the wooden handled metal utensil and stepped up to the other side of the opened oven door. Heat rolled out, as well as sinful smells that made his mouth water. Pizza, wine, and a hot woman, what more could a man ask for?
“I think it’s called a pizza peel.” She set the hot pads down and rocked back on her heels. The wind had left her hair ruffled and it still maintained the windswept look. In his eyes, it was sexy as hell.
“That’s a new one on me.” He never cooked pizza himself, but ordered it ready made.
Catching her lip between her teeth, she was as irresistible as the food. “You learn something new every day.”
“And twice on Sunday,” he said without thinking.
