Page 13 of The Hero I Can't Resist
He leans toward me. “Sky, I know you’re used to doing this all alone, but you don’t have to. Not anymore.”
I search his eyes. He’s making it sound like he’s going to stick around, and the way he’s looking atme feels like this is more than just him protecting me.
As soon as the thought forms, I shake my head, pulling from his hold. “What are we doing here, Zach?”
He huffs out a breath and then lifts me by my hips and sets me on the counter. It all happens so fast that I’m shocked speechless.
He cages me in, putting his hands on each side. “So this is what we’re going to do. You’re going to sit here, and I’m going to fix you something to eat. I want you to relax.”
He’s waiting for an answer, and only when I nod does he reluctantly back away. He walks over to the refrigerator, and I can’t take my eyes off him. His jeans are tight across his butt, and I feel guilty drooling over him, but heck, every part of him is nice to look at. “Do people still call you Fabio?” I blurt out.
He grabs some containers out of the fridge and turns to me holding them. His cheeks are red. “Not much since I cut my hair years ago.”
I nod, but I’m sure he’s just being humble. I sit on the counter and watch him work. Every now andthen, he looks up at me and smiles or asks me where something is. When he has our food heated up, he hands me a bowl of lasagna with a fork.
I’m about to jump down when he puts his hands on my waist and lifts me down, pulling out the stool with his foot and putting me in the seat. He acts as if I weigh nothing when we both know that I eat more of my baking concoctions than I probably should.
“Is this common for you?”
He grabs two waters out of the fridge, sets them down in front of us, and then sits down on the stool next to me. Instantly, he turns to face me. “Is what common for me?”
I smile. “Oh, I don’t know. Manhandling women, taking over their kitchens, bossing them around, uh… asking them to be your girlfriend in front of thousands of people?”
He takes a bite of the lasagna, moans, and points at the bowl with his fork. “Did you make this?”
I nod. “Yes, are you avoiding the question?”
He takes another bite and levels me with a look. He’s thinking about how he’s going to answer. That much is obvious. When he chews and swallows, heshrugs. “I don’t think I was manhandling you. I like holding you.”
I’m barely able to process that, but he continues. “I just heated up some food. I’ll clean up. Does it bother you to have me in your space?”
He doesn’t wait for me to answer. “And I’m sorry if I come across as bossy. This is, uh, new to me, and no, I haven’t asked anyone to be my girlfriend, let alone in front of thousands of people. You were my first… and I’m glad you said yes.”
I put my fork in my bowl and set it down on the counter next to me. “Zach… what is this?”
I watch his massive chest rise and fall. “You mean, this, between us? You feel it too, right?”
My mouth drops open, and I quickly snap it shut. “Feel what?”
He blushes again, and the sight stuns me. Shocked, I ask him, “You’re serious, aren’t you?”
He takes another bite of food, chews, and swallows. “Yeah, I’m fuckin’ serious. I don’t know how not to be… not with you.”
I can’t dwell on this, so instead I answer the question he asked. “No, it doesn’t bother me tohave you in my space. It’s just new… and I don’t know what to make of all this.”
He nods and eats the last few bites of his lasagna. He grabs my bowl and puts it in my hands. “Finish that, honey. You have to eat.”
I take the bowl from his hands, and he gets up, moving to the sink to clean his bowl. I take a few bites, thinking of everything he just said. He doesn’t stop at the one dish. He cleans the bowl and pan from the cupcakes I made. I’m enjoying the view, but I know I should go help. I finish my food and am about to get up, but he holds a hand up to stop me. “Here, I got it.”
He takes the bowl and makes quick work of cleaning it. When he’s done, he turns, leans his back against the counter, and puts his hands on each side of him. “Nothing can come of this. I mean, not right now.”
And just like that, the floor shifts beneath me. I was a fool, and I shouldn’t have let my guard down. I felt it too. I felt there was something happening between us, but obviously I was just being crazy.
I get off the stool. “Right. Well, I’m going to cover the cupcakes and then go to bed.”
I avoid his gaze and put the cupcakes into storage containers. I feel like I’ve been on a roller coaster. One minute I feel like he’s going to kiss me, and the next he’s telling me that nothing can come of us.
Still not looking at him, I walk past him, making sure we don’t touch. “Well, I’m going to go to bed. The spare bedroom is at the top of the stairs, first door on the right.”
