“Whatever.” Will chuckled and pushed himself away from the door. “Well, all I need to do is put on my shoes and we can head out.”
“And a shirt,” Zoe reminded him.
From the middle of the room, Will turned around and winked. “Too much for you to handle?”
Playfully Zoe rolled her eyes and scoffed. Without stepping into his private sanctuary, she stood in the doorway and leaned against the jamb. “Whatever, I’d hate for your virginal skin to be attacked by the Southern mosquitoes—they’re unlike any bug you’ve ever come across.”
Will sat on the edge of his bed and slipped on a pair of black tennis shoes. The crumpled blankets on his king-size bed created images in Zoe’s mind that she needn’t think about. When he finished with his shoes, Will stood to his full six-four height. He reached for something in the covers, then stood and slipped a black T-shirt over his beautiful body. Zoe swallowed her disappointment.
“I can promise you one thing, babe,” Will said. “Nothing about me has been virginal in a long time.”
The only thing Zoe could do after a comment like that was choke on her words. “I wasn’t talking about that.”
“I know.” Will crossed the hardwood floor, grabbed something off the dresser against the wall and then stood so close to her in the door frame that Zoe felt his heartbeat thump against his chest. “But I was.”
At first, Zoe assumed Will was being boorish and using his size to push her out of the way. So she turned to the side with her back against the frame. Will turned to face her, and her heart raced. He lowered his lashes and licked his lips as he stared down at her. It was barely after eight in the morning and Zoe was already working up a sweat. This wasn’t fair.
“Do you mind?” she asked him, hoping he’d catch on to her sarcastic tone.
“Hey, you’re the one who didn’t move.”
In true dramatic form, Zoe sighed and took a big step to the left and into the hallway. “Better?”
“Not really,” Will mumbled with a wink. “So, where are we going again?”
“To the Four Points Park.”
A set of keys jingled in the palm of his hand and scraped against the brass knob when Will closed the door behind him with one hand. He placed his other hand on Zoe’s lower back. She tried not to be skittish and willed herself to remain calm.
“You’re dressed like you’re going to work out,” Will observed.
“I need to.” Zoe nodded. “You keep shoving your desserts at me.”
“Yeah.” Will laughed. “I ordered one and you pulled it toward you.”
“You pushed it toward me like you wanted to share!” Zoe gasped.
“Uh, no.” Will shook his head. “I was making elbow room and getting ready to dig in when you assaulted my dessert with your spoon.”
Done with this version of the truth, Zoe folded her arms across her chest and sighed.
“Then let’s talk about last night and the triple-crust peach cobbler with the homemade vanilla ice cream.” Will patted his stomach. “Or, at least, I believe it was homemade. I barely got some.”
In jest, Zoe rubbed her belly and offered a lazy smile. “Oh, it was homemade, and it was good, too.”
“So you admit you stole my dessert?”
“I was helping you out,” Zoe argued. “Both desserts were too large for one person to eat. You really should be thanking me.”
Bowing at the waist, Will nodded. “You’re right, and thank you,” he conceded. “But you must know, I’ll share anything with you.”
They walked along the hallway together and down the stairs. A lighting director and his assistant were the only ones awake and preparing their breakfasts. Silver-domed trays were spread out along the dining room’s buffet. Fresh fruit in clear bowls stood as the centerpiece on the table. Zoe stepped in for a moment to snag two bananas before she followed Will out the door. Even though she didn’t need help down the steps, Zoe wouldn’t have minded Will’s gentle touch again. She bit the inside of her cheek to avoid showing any emotion.
Will proved to have a good memory. They drove without her having to give any directions. The banter over who’d eaten how much dessert continued until a song from a female group Zoe had once worked with came on the radio. Without thinking, she turned the volume up and began belting out the punk-rock lyrics. At a red light, Will slowed the car and the song began to fade away. Zoe remembered her surroundings and bit the nail of her index finger.