Page 62 of Burn With Me

His eyes scan me, and I’m suddenly very aware that I’m wearing sweatpants that are too big for me and a large shirt that has seen better days, with my hair piled high on my head and my glasses on. I’m comfortable, and I didn’t think about what I was going to wear when I got home because I just wanted to get out of my clothes and be . . . well, comfortable.

However, we’re not really at the stage where I can let my troll out . . .

But I deserve to be comfortable after the day I had, dammit.

I crane my neck as he steps into my space on the couch, and all I see is desire burning in his eyes.

“I love seeing you like this, comfortable in your space,” he says as he bends over and takes my lips in a firm kiss.

As soon as I lean into the kiss, there’s a knock at the door.

He pulls away and places a kiss on my forehead as I start to stand. “I’ll grab it, no need to get up.”

I stand anyway. “I have to let Penny out, so I have to get up.”

I turn to walk down the hall in the opposite direction, and he smacks my ass. I yelp and look at him over my shoulder.

“I can’t help it, your ass is smackable.” He shrugs with a smirk.

With a matching smirk and an eye roll, I call Penny and let her out, thankful she doesn’t mess around. I return to my spot on the couch and grab my lap desk, settling in to finish the data entry.

Looking at the numbers on the spreadsheet, I start to panic. The only reason I can come up with that we missed this is that it was never the same tank two days in a row. The couch dips, and I’m surrounded by the scent of sandalwood with a hint of smoke . . . and pizza? I turn to look at him and see two plates in his hands.

“I told you I wasn’t hungry,” I say.

“I know, but you need to eat, even if it’s a couple of bites. If you really don’t want to, I’ll eat your piece, but I really think you should because we haven’t eaten since breakfast.” He nudges one of the plates toward me, and like he knows my body better than me, my stomach rumbles, making him smile.

I roll my eyes as I take the plate and set it on the arm of the couch. After quickly finishing the graph I need, I send it off to Kristen.

Grabbing my slice, I take a bite and close my eyes because I love pizza almost as much as I love tacos. “I guess I am hungry.” Turning to look at him, I ask, “How did you know to get pepperoni, bacon, and spinach?”

“Sam may have told me it was your favorite, and I’ll eat anything but anchovies, so it was an easy choice.” He shrugs like it’s not a big deal that he got my favorite pizza knowing I was having such a bad day. “Did you finish the data entry that you needed? Did anything stand out?” he asks and takes a bite.

“Yeah, and I sent it to Kristen, but it just doesn’t make sense. Other than a random spike every couple of days and never in the same tank. But we’ll figure it out.”

Which is the most frustrating part of the whole thing. I can’t figure out what’s causing the random spikes.

“I know you will. You’re one of the smartest people I know,” he says with more confidence than I feel.

I laugh. “I’m a sure deal, Luke. You don’t have to sweet talk me.”

He stops and turns to face me. “I’m not just saying that to sleep with you. You, Amelia, are so smart and beautiful that you don’t even realize it. You moved across the country to start a business that, within five years, has become so successful and brought together an already small town. You should be proud of what you’ve done and what you’ll do in the future. Does this suck right now? Yes, it does, but I promise you will figure it out, and you have an army of people behind you that will also help you.”

I just stare at him while he holds my eye contact for a beat longer and then goes back to eating his pizza.

I don’t know how to process this. I’ve never had someone I was interested in support me like this. Leo just told me my ideas were stupid and that I would never be successful without him, but Luke is right.

I’m doing the damn thing. While aquaponics isn’t a new way to farm, usually you only see large companies with unlimited funds doing it on a scale that is similar to mine. My farm is unique because I started programs to help educate and provide fresh local produce to restaurants and grocery stores in our area.

I’m so lost in thought that I eat the whole piece of pizza without even realizing it.

“Are you done, or do you want another piece?” he asks.

“I think I’m done. I’m exhausted,” I say through a yawn as the day’s events catch up with me.

“Alright, I’ll put these into the dishwasher and meet you in bed,” he says as he grabs my plate.

“I could put those in the dishwasher since you got the pizza,” I reply, realizing that I’m a shitty host.

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