“Thank you.” I take a sip. It doesn’t go past me the way he gives me a slow once over, taking in the scrubs and messy hair. Something switches in his eyes when they flick back up to mine.
He opens the door to the truck and says, “You look ravishing.”
I blink up at him, feeling the weight of this moment over me.Before I could even notice, Tyler and I have started to bleed out of friend-zone territory. No boundaries were set up when we decided to do, well whatever it is we’re doing.
Yet, I can’t help the way my heart gives an extra thump in my chest when I see those green eyes looking at me like there’s something worth looking at. Coffee in hand because he actually thought about me on his way here. With a body on display in all the best ways by that thermal gripping his hard earned muscles. An added perk that sends my heart into its own personal spiral.
And I realize I’m in deep trouble.I like you, Tyler.
I clear my throat and break our too long gaze. “I feel ravished.” I hop into the truck.
“You won’t know ravished until I’m done with you.” He grins. “So, is everyone too busy to be sick today?” he asks, bracing his arms above the door. His comment catches me off guard with how casual his tone is. Yet, it still does something inside me. Like there’s stupid butterflies in my stomach.
So fucking in trouble.
“I guess so.” I shrug. “So, why did you ask me to help you?”
He arches a brow. “Everyone else was busy.” Then he closes the door and walks to his side of the truck.
“Mmmm.” I hum in response.
“You don’t have to believe me. But it’s the honest truth.” He flutters his eyelashes, placing a hand on his chest.
I hide my smile behind the coffee cup while I slide down in the passenger side. Was he always like this? Or have I somehow brought out a version of him that no one else gets to see? His friendship is one of my most cherished possessions. What will this unchartered territory do to that?
He starts the car and hits the road. We sit in comfortable silence while music softly plays and we sip our coffees. Pink cheeked glances and too wide smiles are shared along the short ride. And somehow, his hand finds my thigh, and I don’t remove it.
Rolling the window down, I pull my hair out of my bun and stick my head out the window to feel the crisp air on my face while I rest my arms on the window frame. It’s small moments like this that become my favorite. Ones that I wasn’t able to cherish before, because silence usually meant something was wrong. In between moments like these were filled with dread about what was to come.
Pulling into the parking lot, I unbuckle my seatbelt. “What are you making for all of us tonight, Chef Tyler?”
“Pasta,” he says, unbuckling his own.
I start opening my door, but feel Tyler’s arm reach across me, grabbing the handle to slam it back shut.
“That’s my job, Sunny. You should know that by now.” He gets out of the truck and rounds it to open my door.
“Was that necessary?” I ask.
“Absolutely.”
Once inside, he grabs a cart and wheels himself down the aisle, riding it with one foot and pedaling himself with the other.
He’s a damn hitman, and he’s wheeling himself down the aisles like a little boy. A glance over his shoulder reveals a boyish grin to further prove my point. For someone so lethal, he seems so harmless right now.
“Why do you keep looking at me?” I ask with a nervous laugh.
“I like to appreciate beautiful things,” he says, wheeling ahead, leaving me in the crop dust of his words.
I shamelessly watch the muscles of his back move as he clings to the cart. The notes of sweat tell me he must’ve come from the gym. Either that, or maybe I make him nervous enough to cause a sheen of sweat.
I’d like to think it’s that option.
“Okay,” He interrupts my thoughts. My eyes move from where they were on his ass to where he stands in front of me now.
A devilish grin pulls his lips. “Were you just staring at my ass?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I feign nonchalance as I take another sip of my coffee.
