Page 94 of And Then Came You

“How long are you in town for?”

“Only a few hours.”

Her eyes widen. “A few hours? Where are you going next?”

“England.”

“Wait. You flew from Switzerland to New York for a few hours?”

“No, Lexi. I flew from Switzerland to New York to see you.”

There’s no sadness in her smile this time. In fact, it could light up the entire state.

“Way to make a woman feel special.”

“I try.” Plopping onto the couch, I squint at the television screen, trying to deduce what she’s watching. “Is this a romance?”

“Yep, and you’re going to have to endure until the end. Lucky for you, it’s only another fifteen minutes.”

“Why do you think I hate romance?”

“Because men like you don’t require it in their lives.”

“Bullshit. I need it as much as anyone, but just like you, I have a hard time trusting people.”

“Do you trust me?”

“Implicitly.” Patting my leg, I grin when she lays her feet across my lap. “You have the tiniest feet.”

“Sam, I’m tiny. Could you imagine if I was five-two with size thirteen feet? Then again, I might have better balance.”

My hands wrap around her foot, kneading the sole and earning a low moan from Lexi. I know firsthand how relaxing a foot rub is, and I’ll bet money she’s never gotten one from any of the men she’s dated.

Likely gotten no real romantic attention from that pack of assholes. I don’t get it. She’s beautiful, successful, kind and funny—all the things any man would want in a woman—but they trample over her, as if she’s a city to be conquered, rampaged and forgotten.

In that regard, we are very much alike.

“That feels good,” she murmurs, and I press a kiss to her ankle, my hands stroking along her calf.

“That’s the general idea.”

Once the movie wraps, with its obligatory happily ever after, she tosses me the remote. “Your turn. Pick whatever you want.”

What I’d like is to carry her to the bedroom and kiss every inch of her body. Screw any additional cinematic offerings.

But after recent events, Lexi needs to be eased into intimacy, even with the one man she trusts in this world. So, I opt for the newest horror flick, complete with blood and gore.

Fine, I need a bit of work in the romance department, but I figured if she gets scared, whose arms will she jump into?

“Move over,” I demand, easing in behind her on the couch. Wrapping my arm around her waist, I lean against the cushion, acutely aware of each breath, every slight movement. Even those unintentional grazes against my skin are waking up every part of my body, and I’m not entirely sure how an erection pressing against her will play out.

At least, not right now.

We aren’t even fifteen minutes into the movie, but Lexi’s hands are permanently glued to her eyes, as small groans emanate from her body.

“Are you even watching?”

“Trying not to, because this is going to haunt my dreams.”

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