Page 40 of Floored

Close to an hour later, she was curled up on the corner of my couch, chin resting on her tucked-up knees, watching me with expectant eyes.

Before I set the plate down, I pointed at her. "No judgment until you try it."

"I promise," she answered solemnly.

Lia had changed into one of my Shepperton hoodies while her shirt was in the dryer, and it positively dwarfed her slim frame. She made a show of shoving the sleeves up while I set the plate in her lap.

Her hands froze. "What the hell is that?"

"You said you wouldn't judge."

"There's bread covering my fries." She blinked. "Why is there bread covering my fries?"

"Chips." I handed her a napkin. "This is a chip butty. Buttered bread and chips."

"Oh my gosh, why?"

"You promised." I plopped next to her on the couch. "And I'd hate to think you'd lie to me, now that we're making our own rules."

She grumbled something unintelligible under her breath that had me smiling. It felt good to smile over something so simple. When was the last time I'd done that? I smiled all the time about scoring goals and winning games, but that was it.

Doing something so simple for someone and having it bring me joy was such a novel sensation.

Lia gave me a side-eye as she lifted the sandwich.

She took a bite and chewed.

Her eyes fell closed.

Her entire body sagged.

And then she moaned.

I had to shift on the couch because the last time I heard that sound, I was fairly certain my hand had been between her legs.

"Ohmygawd," she said. Another bite. "Why is thi so goob?"

I laughed. "Are you going to share?"

Her eyes narrowed. "You'd get in the way of a pregnant woman and her cravings?"

My arm found its way along the back of the couch, my fingers draped just to the outside of her shoulder, and the length of her hair tickled my arm. "No," I murmured. "I reckon I wouldn't as long as you look that happy."

Lia finished chewing another bite, swallowed delicately before she set the plate down. "Are you giving me flirty eyes, Jude McAllister?"

"You tell me," I murmured.

Instead of answering, she took another bite, lips curled in a smile.

My fingers tugged lightly on her hair. "I don't quite know what to do with you, Lia Ward, and that's the truth."

Her cheeks flushed a lovely soft pink, and I took the moment of quiet to snatch the rest of her chip butty off the plate.

"Oh, you ass!" She laughed, leaning forward to grab it. I was too quick, though, devouring the rest of the sandwich with one massive bite. Before she could resume her original position, I tugged on her arm as I fell backward on the couch.

Quite naturally, she landed tucked against my side with my arm curled around her shoulder. Her head fit perfectly into the crook of my neck, and I inhaled a deep lungful of her clean, wonderful scent. There was no change to Lia's body, it was far too early for that, and maybe this type of thing was the worst bloody idea I'd ever had, but it felt right.

"We went from hypothetical flirty eyes to cuddling very quickly," she said, finger tracing circles on my chest.

---