Page 19 of Quarterback Keeper

“Okay.” I was more confused than ever.

Gia excused herself to help me, and I followed.

In the kitchen, she dropped her voice to a whisper while she plated a chicken and vegetable dish. “Hey, I’m sorry I didn’ttell you I was here.” She shrugged then sank her teeth into her bottom lip before releasing it. “I just thought that since you’re so busy, I could stop by and help your mom sometimes.”

“Thank you.” I touched her shoulder then let my hand drop to my side. “It means a lot to me.”

“It’s not a problem. I like your mom, and I miss my uncle. It’s good for me too.”

She was turning out to be so much more than I’d expected. To distract myself from how much I was softening toward her, I opened the fridge to grab a bottle of water and was greeted by rows of containers with Post-it notes. “Did Mom order a food service?”

“Ah, no. That was me.”

“Really?” I pulled one out, impressed by what she’d done in such a short time. And Mom—she looked so happy. I rubbed my chest, trying to soothe the ache over how touched I was by Gia’s actions. I put the food back, grabbed some water, then accepted the plate of food she held out with a hand devoid of jewelry.

“Wait, where’s your ring?” A slight jolt of panic shot through me.Had she lost it?I hadn’t told her, but the diamond ring had been my grandmother’s. I took the plate from her and set it down on the counter.

“It’s in my pocket. I assumed you would want us to tell her together.”

I grinned. “I do, and thanks for thinking about what would mean the most to her.”

She nodded, and an unexpected wave of longing filled me on the heels of my gratitude. It made me want to reach out and give her something too. “Hey, you know you can trust me.” I got the feeling she didn’t do that often—let people in, well, aside from my mom. “I would like to be your friend.”

Her shoulders dropped about an inch, and she tilted her head back to look at me. “Thanks, I’d like that.”

She was so damn pretty that I acted on instinct. My hand cupped her cheek, and I leaned in to brush my lips over hers. But when Mom walked in, we both jerked apart.

Gia rushed over to take the teacup and saucer rattling in Mom’s hand. “Did you need a refill?”

“That would be lovely.” Mom squeezed her shoulder, then Gia became a flurry of motion, getting hot water from the kettle on the stove and steeping a new tea bag in the cup. She carried it into the other room for her, leaving Mom and me alone for a minute. I picked up my plate to follow Gia when Mom’s hand on my arm stopped me.

“I really like her, Kylian. I mean, look at everything she’s done for me.”

“The meals?” I tipped my head toward the fridge, making a mental note to give Gia a credit card for groceries.

“She didn’t want me to tell you, but yes. That and she’s come over the past few days to clean and stay to chat. We’d planned to go for a walk to get some exercise later today.” Tears misted Mom’s eyes. “It’s just so nice having her here.”

I pulled her into my side, shocked and a little in awe of the person with whom I’d embarked on a fake relationship that felt more real by the second.

CHAPTER TWELVE

GIA

Two weeks had passed since the tense sleepover at Kylian’s and him finding out that I’d been going to his mom’s to help out. A shiver raced over me, and my fingers tightened on his steering wheel.

I hated how he affected me—I ached when he was near. All that delicious, tempting, sculpted muscle and my body turned into a wanton puddle of need.And sleeping in the same bed?It had taken me hours to drift off because I was so aware of him.

Good thing I’d quit men, or I would have scaled the ridiculous pillow wall and licked him from his washboard abs to his sinful lips, which I bet could do some pretty amazing things. But I wouldn’t be seduced by his deep voice or how the brush of his hand along my back sent little jolts of electricity to my core.

Mentally, I wasn’t ready to be with anyone, though he had some inexplicable hold on me. I had to keep that front and center in my mind, not how much I wanted to use him as a stress reliever. The only thing I liked about him so far was that he’d been a man of his word. I had to give it to him. The more time I spent with him, the more fissures invaded my walled-off heart, and a slow start to trust took root.

It was pretty sweet that he’d loaned me his vehicle, though I had to adjust the mirrors and move the seat forward, since it was set for a giant. Of course, a sports station droned through the speakers. I would have taken the bus, but Kylian had insisted I use his SUV to get groceries for the boat. As a bonus, I had his credit card, something I wasn’t about to say no to.

I scanned the complicated dash at a light, wanting to change the radio to something with upbeat music. The light changed, and I returned my hand to the steering wheel, not comfortable with the controls yet.

The radio hosts murmured in the background as I kept pace with traffic, singing a song about controlling, vampiric men under my breath—the perfect description for Dayton, the life sucker. The asshole was never far from my thoughts. With each bar of the song, a sense of freedom wove around me until I was belting lyrics only I could hear.

I almost slammed on the brakes when I heard the sports guys mention Kylian’s girlfriend. With my finger, I punched up the volume on the steering wheel to better hear the hosts, Joe and Brad.

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