Page 21 of I've Got You

“My pleasure.” Setting mine down, I offered Scott a small grin as I pulled out the chair and sat opposite him. “It’s good to see you.” His mouth curved upward and the slightest hint of pink touched his cheeks. I tucked the image away. “What have you been up to the last few days?” I continued.

With the barest of shrugs, Scott picked up his drink and blew before taking a sip. He sighed contently, and I straightened. “God, that’s good.”

I laughed. “Why, thank you.”

“For real, it’s good coffee. I was so relieved and surprised as hell to discover decent coffee out of the city.”

“That was my hope when I moved and set up. Decent coffee, hell, good coffee is a necessity in life. It certainly is for my survival anyway.”

“I can relate.” Scott pulled his lower lip between his teeth and nibbled at the center before continuing. “And not much these past few days. I’ve been running in the morning.”

“You jog?”

“Run,” he said with a grin. “Go hard or go home.” His eyes almost bugged out of his head as soon as he’d finished, and I couldn’t hold back a snort.

“One of my favorite sayings.” I chuckled.

Even though his cheeks heated and turned a little brighter, he took it in stride and gave a toothy grin. He shook his head. “Anyway.” His mouth was still wide with a smile when he spoke. “So yes, run. It’s been a while, so I thought while I had this time, I should start getting fit again.”

“Good plan.” The urge was there, bold and determined, but I fought hard not to allow my gaze to roam his body to truly appreciate how fit he was.Friends, I reminded myself. At least until we could be something more… maybe… hopefully. “And how are you going with working things out and the whole ‘future’ stuff?”

His lips flattened out a little. “To be honest, I don’t know.”

“And you’re okay just to be not working, you know, not earning money?” I was genuinely interested—as well as a nosey bastard apparently.

“I’m lucky and am living rent-free still. It meant I was able to save a good percentage of my earnings. I don’t think Denver’s planning on returning for a while.”

“That’s your uncle?”

“Godfather, but he’s as good as my uncle. He went to college with my dad. He’s a really nice guy. Hell, I’d be lost without him, to be honest.”

“Oh?”

He took another drink and brushed a drop of foam off his top lip. “Yeah, we’re close. He’s been a good ally at times”—my brows dipped in confusion—“when I need support with dad and stuff.”

I was still none the wiser. “Why do you need an ally against your dad?”

Scott shifted uncomfortably in his seat. While I talked a fair bit and tended to ask questions that most wouldn’t, I could also read discomfort well.

“A conversation for another time maybe?” I offered. When relief flitted through his brown eyes, an honest to God pang jolted in my chest.

“Yeah. Maybe.”

I smiled at that. There was no way I’d push him for more. Not today, anyway.

“How about you?” He nodded in my direction. “A busy few days?”

I leaned back in my seat a little and stretched my legs out, ankles crossing. “Always,” I admitted. “Between baking, running this place, and Libby, it doesn’t give much time for anything else. Not that I’m complaining,” I quickly added.

Scott’s gaze met mine, and he gave a slight shake of his head. “I didn’t think you were.”

Fuck me, he was sexy when his voice softened like that. I swallowed, shaking off the desire to stare at his mouth and ask for a replay of the other night. It was a miracle I’d held out for so long. I kept surprising the hell outta myself that the words hadn’t sprung out of my mouth already.

“Do you run?”

His question startled me. After I cleared my throat, I shrugged. “Not really. I went through a stage a few years back, but it was never really my thing.”

Wide-eyed, I froze when Scott’s eyes openly roamed my chest. My breathing shallowed, reacting to his scrutiny. I liked it. Liked being his focus. Liked he felt confident enough to check me out. Regulating my breathing, I raised a brow. Yeah, I could have let it slide, but to hell with that. I was more than happy to let it be known I saw him.

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