Page 11 of That's a Wrap

When did I do that?

My head snaps up, and he’s knowingly grinning from ear to ear. I drop his hand like a hot coal and cross my arms over my chest with a pout.

“You’re so fucking cute,” he declares with a chuckle, not at all offended at my actions or my words.

“Wha—?” I sputter, before tightly pressing my lips together. “Stop that. Don’t call me cute, don’t call this a date, and stop looking at me like that, Peter.”

“Looking at you like what?” he questions with feigned innocence, his head tilted slightly to the left, his eyes hooded, and his lips curled into a smirk. This man is the literal embodiment of trouble. The kind of trouble I don’t have time for. The kind of trouble that’s difficult to resist, no matter how hard I try.

“Youknowwhat,” I mumble, looking down to watch my foot kick a pebble across the sidewalk.

Gentle fingers touch my chin and tilt my head up until I’m being sucked in by a pair of kind brown eyes. “You’re sweet, you know that?” His voice is as soft and slow as honey.

“No, I’m not,” I disagree, partially to be a contrarian, but also because the way he’s looking at me is making my heart beat faster in my chest and I’m too scared to like it.

He nods, brushing his thumb along my jaw, causing me to inhale a shaky breath. “Youarenice. You always think of others first. You brought drinks to your friends in the ER, you work at your parents’ cafe, and you’re helping me with my new marketing project. Face it, Elle. You’re a nice person.”

He’s eating me up and swallowing me whole right here on the sidewalk. He’s staring into my eyes, gazing at me like I’m the only person in the world who matters, and no one else exists but the two of us. He forces out all my other thoughts, making me think only of him and the way his stare holds me captive. The way his delicious, masculine scent envelops me like a warm hug. The way he makes me feel small and protected when he tilts my chin up to look at him. And how his touch makes my nipples hard and my core clench.

Being around Peter is overwhelming. It’s unlike anything I’ve ever felt before, both freeing and intoxicating, and it’s… too many things all at once.

I’m frozen in place when he leans down and slowly brushes the side of his nose along mine. My chest expands with a sharp inhale and my breasts press into him, feeling the warmth of his body.

“You’re beautiful and you’re nice and you’re kind.”

My eyes close when he presses a chaste kiss on my cheek.

“All that sass can’t hide who you really are.”

And just like that, the spell is broken. He’s wrong about me and he’s wrong about what I want. I snake my hand up and palm his face, pushing him away from me. I feel his soft lips part into a wide smile as I exhale.

“Enough of that. We have stuff to do, yeah? Better get moving.” I walk past him, briskly heading toward the car while ignoring the fluttering in my chest and the dampness of my panties.

“Whatever you say, pretty girl.” Peter laughs from behind me.

Before pulling out of the parking lot, he gives me a cocky grin with that damn teasing glint still in his eyes.

This man is gonna worm his way into my heart. I just know it.

5

PETER

My balls are gonna shrivel up and die soon. I can feel it.

Ella Kate and I have been on four dates now. Well, she doesn’t call them dates, but that’s definitely what they are: dates. And I’ve been a perfect gentleman every time. But I’m dying to make this more than what it is. I’ve just got to convince her to get out of her head and let me in.

I usually pick her up in the morning or after she finishes work, and we spend hours together going around town and checking out great places. I like hanging out with her. A lot. And I think she enjoys my company too, even if she pretends it’s begrudgingly.

She’s quick-witted, kind, and downright fucking adorable. And maybe a little sassy. Or a whole lot sassy when she’s talking to me. But I love every second of it and she keeps me on my toes. She’s endlessly fun to tease, and most of the time, I can’t help myself. So I’ll say something I know will get her flustered and make her cheeks turn red.

It’s so easy talking with her too. I’ve told her all about the traveling I’ve done at my old job, and I love the way her eyes light up when she thinks I’ve been somewhere cool. It makes me wantto scoop her up and beg her to let me take her anywhere she wants to go, spoil her and show her the world.

I’ve also tried getting her to open up more because I want to know everything about her. But the first few times I asked her about herself, she clammed up pretty quickly, throwing walls up so fast it made my head spin. Yet, slowly but surely, she’s beginning to tell me things, like how she’s a fantastic photographer, she’s an only child, and after graduating college, she moved back home to help her parents run the cafe.

I tried suggesting she do something else, something with photography, since she loves it so much. But she always shrugs me off and changes the subject, making me think there’s more to that story than she lets on. I haven’t pushed it yet, but I want to get to the bottom of why she won’t let herself pursue the things she’s passionate about. Most people her age seem to focus on nothing else. But Ella Kate is an old soul, mature beyond her years, and way more responsible than almost anyone I know.

My phone buzzes. I look down to see a text from her, and it makes me smile.

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