Page 37 of One Wild Wedding Weekend

For the first time, a small smile curved his lips. “Neither do you.”

“You know what I mean. Harold said you’ve been ill again. Lyme disease?”

Irritation painted his face. “The doc says my symptoms may flare up occasionally for six months or more. I’m supposed to get eight hours of sleep every night, avoid stress and eat a balanced diet.”

“How’s that going?” She dared to tease him.

His sharp glance made her shiver. “How do you think?”

He cut the burger in half and grabbed two water bottles from the fridge. “I haven’t been to the store,” he said. “Sorry.”

“You’re a grown man. Eat the whole burger. I have stuff at home.”

“My appetite is nonexistent right now. You might as well share.”

As meals went, this one was high on the awkward chart. She wanted to reclaim the affectionate banter they had shared during the wedding weekend. And to enjoy the simmering hunger. But Tristan’s wishes were a mystery.

Both the burger and the hand-cut fries were cold. Still, they tasted good. She had been so busy with her first day at the new offices, she hadn’t even paused for a pack of crackers at lunchtime.

They ate in silence for several minutes. His mood seemed volatile.

“What are your symptoms?” she asked quietly.

He shrugged. “Fatigue. Muscle aches. Some joint pain. They’ve got me on one more round of antibiotics as a precaution.”

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s not that big a deal. I’m just impatient to be done with this.”

“I think I understand that.”

He finished everything on his plate, drained the bottle of water and sat back. For the first time, his mood and his expression shifted to intimacy. “Thanks for taking pity on me. I mean that very seriously. I haven’t felt like fixing anything, and food delivery around here is iffy. The burger was great.”

“You’re welcome.”

“How was your first day?”

“Decent. Stressful. Exciting.”

“I’ve missed you, Daley.”

She froze, sensing danger. Or was that why she had come? “Um... I’ve missed you, too. But honestly, I’ve been so busy I haven’t had much time for...”

He lifted an eyebrow. “Memories?”

If there was a trace of sarcasm in that word, she didn’t take it personally. “Something like that.”

He stood up and stretched, revealing a strip of taut, muscled abdomen at his waist. “Leave the dishes. Let’s go into the den.”

Daley stood, too, tugging at her pants that wanted to end up on the floor. “I should go,” she said. “It’s been a long day.”

“Take pity on me,” he said. “I’m bored and grumpy.”

“And that’s my problem how?”

He was adorable when he was vulnerable. But he was also gorgeous and fun and sexy, and something about him did bad things to Daley’s best intentions.

“C’mon, woman. Watch a movie with me.”

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