Page 30
“Hazelnut. Let me guess, you drink yours black?”
“Damn straight. I’m a manly man. Black coffee puts hairs on your chest.”
She had to smile at that. “And you want hairs on your chest?”
“You don’t like a hairy chest?” There was amusement in his gaze as he stared down at her.
“I...I...” Shit how to answer that? That she didn’t really know what she liked since the only time she’d had sex she’d been drunk and it had been a lot of fumbling in the dark followed by pain and disappointment then humiliation.
The doorbell rang, saving her from having to answer. She moved away from the sink but he pointed at her. “I’ll get it. Stay put. And no more coffee or you won’t sleep tonight.”
She heard the murmur of voices and figuring it was the pizza grabbed a couple of plates and some napkins, carrying them into the living room and setting them on the coffee table. Her attention was snagged by an episode of CSI.
Kent walked in and set the pizza down on the coffee table. “I can see you’ve gone from one extreme to the other.”
He frowned slightly as he studied the dead body laid out on the examination table. “No wonder you have bad dreams, watching this stuff.” He placed the pizza on the coffee table. She reached for the remote, guessing that he wasn’t a CSI fan. “What do you like to watch?”
“I only watch sports. Baseball, preferably.”
She managed to find a game on another channel.
“You don’t have to do that,” he told her quietly.
She glanced over at him with a shy smile. “I know.”
He smiled back and she felt warm inside. It was a small thing but it felt good to make him happy. He opened the lid of the box and her mouth watered. “Oh, wow, that smells good. It’s been so long since I’ve had pizza.”
“Why’s that?”
She shrugged. “Not much use in ordering it for one.” She reached for a piece then stilled. “Oh, let me get you some money for it.”
He snagged her wrist as she stood. “Pretty sure I told you already that I’m old-fashioned, haven’t I?”
“Umm, yes.”
“Which means when you’re out with me, I pay.”
“But we’re not out.”
“It also extends to take-out. Sit your butt down and eat.”
“What about a drink? Can I get you one?” She felt the need to do something for him in return for all he’d done for her.
“Abby, keep going and you’re going to be sitting there on a red ass eating your pizza. I can get my own damn drink if I want it.”
She gaped at him. He did not... “Did you just threaten to spank me?”
He looked at her. “Yep. Got a problem with that?”
She swallowed heavily, wondering at why that thought made her feel so hot. “I probably should. A sane person would.”
He grinned. “Well, I’ve never claimed to be sane.”
She couldn’t be completely sane either. Because she wasn’t frightened or horrified by the threat. Instead, she was kind of intrigued...
“Can see the wheels in your head turning, baby, but I can’t see you doing much eating and I don’t like that. Leave all the serious shit behind. Enjoy your pizza.”
“Okay.” She picked up a piece and bit into it, making a noise of satisfaction.
