“Ha, wow,” I deadpan. “So, so funny.”
He grins like he’s hilarious. “Glad we agree.”
My throats going to ache by tomorrow with all the barbs I’m choking back.Nora’s worth the pain,I remind myself, refusing to rise to his bait.
I don’t miss the way he side-eyes me before huffing and sinking deeper into the couch.
Well, he can just fucking stew in it.
We settle into an uncomfortable silence as the drama continues to unfold on the TV. I’m not usually one for this kind of show—I’m a true crime and rom-com girlie, thank you very much—but before I know it, I’m every bit as sucked in as he is.
The more intense the show gets, the less unbearable the quiet between us becomes. By the time the next episode starts, the middle cushion between us barely exists. I somehow find myself angled his way, with my right leg pulled up onto the couch while he leans into me, as if drawn by a magnet.
We’re so close that his pinky finger is nearly brushing my knee. Mere centimeters separate us, and I’m torn between scooching closer and flinging myself into the relative safety the far corner of the couch offers.
I’m not sure what’s going on with me tonight—I mean, sure, he’s always been good looking. And sure, the night I first met them, it was Ellis who first caught my eye. There’s clearly something in the air—something lethal—because it’s making me soft toward the one person I know wouldn’t hesitate to tear me to shreds.
James makes a disgruntled noise, and I watch, entranced, as Ellis scoops him out of his activity chair and soothes him, rubbing his big hand up and down his small back in gentle circles.
That’s it—I’m being dicknotized thanks to my bullshit biological clock. It sees a hot guy loving on a sweet baby and is short-circuiting, like he’s not an epic asshole on every day that ends with y.
Or maybe I’m just hungry—for pizza, not dick.
Thankfully, before I can do something stupid—like close the miniscule gap between us—the doorbell rings.
Ellis jerks upright, jostling James in the process. “Wanna get that?” he asks, right as the little guy starts to cry.
“Nope.” I straighten up as well, reaching for James “But you can hand me the baby andyoucan get that. After all, it’s your treat, remember?”
I can tell he’s gearing up to argue, because of course he is, but the doorbell rings again, effectively silencing him. “Fine, but you owe me.”
I snort out a laugh as I cuddle James in close. “Your generosity knows no bounds.”
His lips curl into the cockiest of grins. “And don’t you forget it.”
A few minutes later, Ellis stomps back into the living room, his arms loaded down with cardboard boxes. “Are we eating in here or the kitchen?”
I stand from the couch and place James into his jumper, hoping he’ll bounce out any remaining energy before his bedtime. “Here works for me.”
He sets the boxes down and retreats to the kitchen, presumably for plates.
Unfortunately, I skipped lunch, and it smells too good to wait for something as unnecessary as a plate, so I flip open the lid on the first box and help myself to piece of lava bread.
I moan in delight as the flavors of the greasy, melty cheese and buffalo sauce explode like a flavor bomb inside my mouth.
“You decide to watch porn instead?” Ellis asks, his voice tense as he rounds the couch, paper plates and napkins both clenched tightly in one hand, strategically placed in front of his crotch.
It’s almost as if he’s covering up…something,but I shake the thought away as quickly as it came. There isn’t a universe in existence where Ellis Wilder would be hard around me, much lessfor me.
“Sorry,” I mutter around my mouthful of bread before forcing myself to swallow the extraordinarily large bite. Heat rises in my cheeks, but I pretend everything’s fine. It’s not like he can hear my thoughts. “These are just really fucking good.”
“So I heard.” He sits with the paper plates still covering his lap.
Reluctantly, I join him, nodding toward the plates. “Wanna maybe pass me one of those?”
He sighs and hands me one before sliding a pillow beneath his.
There's a tightness around his eyes that wasn't there before, but given the mega asshole he's been all night, I can't really say I care enough to ask why.
