Her mind drifted yet again to their earlier conversation and the way he looked at her when he said he preferred she wear her hair down. How handsome he’d appeared lying in that big bed, no shirt on, all of that delicious hard flesh exposed for her private perusal.
For about the one hundredth millionth time she wondered what he saw in her. She was packing at least ten extra pounds, probably more because she refused to weigh herself. She was round and curvy and really not all that sophisticated. Most likely nothing like the women he usually associated with.
Yet the way he’d stared at her, his eyes soft, his expression downright...vulnerable. And a little stunned.
Maybe it was because she’d so willingly volunteered herself to help take care of him. He’d told her about his grandmother yet he never mentioned his parents. Had he not received much love when he was a child? Had his parents ever been around?
She wasn’t quite sure and didn’t feel close enough to him to ask.
Well, she didn’t feel comfortable enough to ask him such a personal question. She didn’t want to pry.
Going to the kitchen island, she grabbed the pan of lightly floured chicken breasts and set it by the stovetop. His kitchen was unbelievable, like a professional would use and she wondered if he ever cooked. Had another woman been in this kitchen, cooking a special meal just for him?
Something told her the answer was no. She didn’t believe he allowed too many women get close to him.
This made their situation feel even more special. Like maybe she meant something more than just a quick, satisfying lay?
She sighed, grabbed the handle of the sauté pan and dumped the sizzling mixture into an empty stainless bowl. She cut off another thin square of butter and dropped it into the pan, followed quickly by the chicken.
Again, she was looking more into this than she should. She was having fun, she was having orgasms on a regular basis and their sexy indulgences were giving her terrific fodder for her articles. She had one due to Zoe on Tuesday and she already had it halfway written in her head.
So that’s all this was between them, something easy, something fun and something she shouldn’t stare too hard at. Enjoy it for what it was and hope it didn’t end too soon.
And when it did end, hopefully they would remain friends. She liked him, he was truly her ideal man but really was there an ideal man for every woman out there? No one was as perfect as Justin seemed. A chink would always eventually show in the armor and honestly, she didn’t want to be around when it was exposed.
At least, that’s what she told herself.
So she shouldn’t get too comfortable in his wonderful kitchen. And she shouldn’t familiarize herself with his gorgeous home that he remodeled. She definitely shouldn’t get too comfortable with the big, beautiful man who lay in wait for her in his bed.
Yes, she shouldn’t do any of that. Her heart probably wouldn’t be able to take it when the final blow was delivered.
Secretly, deep down inside where she didn’t want to admit it, she wondered if it was too late.
Chapter Eighteen
“This is delicious,” Justin said for about the tenth time since they sat down for dinner. He forked another generous bite into his mouth and gave a low murmur of approval as he chewed.
Stephanie smiled at him from across the table, thrilled that he liked her cooking so much. She’d enjoyed making dinner for him too, though she’d been more than a little upset when he’d insisted they eat in the nook right off
the kitchen.
She’d tried her hardest to convince him to stay in bed and she’d bring him a tray but he wouldn’t hear it. And heaven forbid she get in the way of such a stubborn man. Once she’d tried to stop him, he’d seemed even more determined to get his way.
So reluctantly, she’d given in and watched as he’d limped all the way into the kitchen, refusing her help every single time she’d offered it. His mouth drawn in a firm line, sweat actually dotting his forehead and his face a strained grimace, he’d finally settled himself in a chair at the little round table.
“See I told you I could do it.” His triumphant smile had been ruined with the lines of pain etched into his face.
Well, there was the first minor chink in his armor. Stubborn and he refused any type of help. Men like that usually drove her crazy.
“Would you like more?” She’d made an overabundance knowing that his appetite was probably at an all-time high and he’d already had a second helping. She figured tonight was as good a time as any to indulge him with food.
“I shouldn’t.” He patted his flat belly, now covered by a gray Miners T-shirt. “I’ll get fat if you keep feeding me this good.”
She doubted that. There wasn’t a spare amount of flesh on the man whatsoever.
Smiling, she stood and stacked their dinner plates on top of each other. “I’m glad you enjoyed it.”
“I enjoyed all of it.” He stopped her from leaving the table, his fingers sliding around her wrist. His thumb did a slow stroke across her pulse point and her skin tingled where he touched her. “Thank you, Stephanie. I really appreciate you doing all this for me.”