“Alrighty then,” I mumble to the empty office as I kick off my shoes off by the door. Going to the couch, I pause and then turn around, going to the bathroom I grab the can of Lysol to spray the couch and the floor.
“What the hell are you doing?” Sven asks, making me jump. I was so caught up in disinfecting that I didn’t even hear him come in.
“Disinfecting,” I tell him with a wave of the Lysol can, which he grabs away from me and takes back to the bathroom, coming back a second later looking annoyed as he waves his hand in front of his face. “If you want, I can leave for a little while and come back when you’re done with playtime and in a better mood,” I offer, watching as a smile twitches his lips.
“Stop being a smartass and feed me,” he mutters, unbuttoning the cuffs of his shirt and rolling them up, giving me a glimpse at tattoos I never would have guessed he had. “Earth to Mags.”
Untying the bow at my neck that has suddenly gotten too tight, I take a seat on the couch, noticing he hasn’t moved.
“Do you have drinks? I didn’t even think about ordering any,” I add, ignoring whatever look it is he’s giving me.
“What would you like?” he asks gruffly before clearing his throat.
“Do you have any juice?” I question as I pull the food out of the bag and set it on the coffee table.
“Sure.” He grabs two bottles of orange juice from the fridge then takes a seat next to me on the couch. “What did you order?” he asks, opening the Styrofoam containers and sniffing the contents.
“Vegetable korma, tikka masala, and cheese nan,” I say as I hand him a napkin and a fork. Then, I dish out rice on two plates and hand him one.
“Where’s the meat?” he questions with a frown as I add vegetable korma to my plate.
“You said you would eat what I was eating,” I remind him, taking the plate I handed him out of his hand, spooning out the tikka masala onto the rice, and then handing it back to him.
“Is this tofu?” He pokes one of the chunks of tofu with his fork while his face scrunches up like a little boy who was told he had to eat his vegetables.
“It’s good. Try it,” I encourage him while scooping up some with my fork and holding it near his mouth like I used to do with the kids I babysat.
“Are you seriously trying to feed me right now?” he asks as his eyes shine with amusement.
“Sorry,” I mumble, and begin to pull away the fork, but before I can, his mouth closes around the fork and my eyes lock onto his lips, feeling my core clench. I watch him chew, and then laugh when he grimaces.
“That’s awful.”
“Try this.” I scoop up some of the korma from my plate and hold it out toward him. This time, his eyes lock on mine as his mouth closes around the fork. The look in their blue-green depths has my pulse singing in my ears. Swallowing, I pull the utensil away then drop my eyes from his to his mouth.
“Better,” he says roughly as his warm hand comes up and wraps around my lower jaw. Startled, my gaze meets his for a moment before his eyes drop to my mouth and he begins to lean in.
“Let’s eat before it gets cold,” I blurt, turning my head so his hand is forced to let me go. “You can have this, since you don’t like the tikka,” I tell him, handing him my plate and fork and taking his off his lap while avoiding looking at him. Settling back into the couch, I stuff my mouth with a piece of nan and chew slowly so I don’t do something absolutely dumb, like push him back onto the couch, rip off his shirt, and see if he’s hiding anymore tattoos.
“So either you’re a vegetarian, or you’re testing me,” he says, and I chew then swallow before looking at him.
“I’m a vegetarian,” I agree, watching him sit back and place his ankle to his knee.
“Why?”
“Why what?” I frown.
“Why are you a vegetarian?”
“It’s just something I’ve always done. My parents are vegetarians, and they raised me to be one.”
“Have you ever tried meat?”
“Once, when I was in high school. There was never much on the lunch menu for vegetarians. I’m a big girl and was starving to death most days, so I attempted to eat meatloaf. That was the first…and last time,” I add with a smile as his eyes rake over me.
“You’re not big,” he states, almost like he’s offended on my behalf.
“I love my body and have accepted it for what it is. I have a pooch, hips, and an ass. When I was young, I would get teased, but now I know I have the body of a woman and I’m okay with who I am.”
“You should be. You’re beautiful,” he responds immediately, the sincerity of his words and the look in his eyes making my belly warm.
Wow. I don’t know what to say to that, since most men who look like him wouldn’t even glance in my direction. “Where’s your boyfriend?” he asks, catching me off guard while he leans forward and takes a piece of nan out of the foil on the table.
“Who told you I have a boyfriend?” I frown.
“The guys said you mentioned him.”
“Oh,” I mumble, lifting my feet to the couch and resting my plate on top of my knees. “He lives in Seattle, but is here in town most weekends.”
“How does he feel about you working here?”
“He’s okay with it.” I shrug. Wyatt doesn’t really have strong opinions about anything. I know he cares about me, but he’s not the kind of man to say, ‘No, you can’t do this or that.’ He’s much t
oo passive for that.
“Really?” he asks with a tone laced with disbelief.
“Yeah.” I shrug again.
“So you only see him when he’s in town…like you’re a booty call?” he questions, making my cheeks heat in embarrassment and my spine stiffen in annoyance.
“Wyatt is a perfect gentlemen,” I hiss, setting my feet to the floor. No way will I tell him that I’m saving my virginity until I find the man I know I will spend the rest of my life with. Since I was a little girl, I have watched my parents, their friends, and my sister sleep around like sex means nothing to them. Hell, when I was sixteen, my mom and dad told me that I was free to have sex with whoever I wanted, and even invited me to one of their free love parties. I just couldn’t do it. And yes, I tried at other times, but every time things got to the point where sex was imminent, I would close down.
“It’s just a question,” he says low, like that should make me feel better about him being an intrusive jerk.
“How often do you sleep with women you meet in this club?” I ask, and his jaw tics. “What? It’s just a question.” I get up from the couch and take my plate to the garbage can, shoving it in with a little more force than necessary.
“Come sit down, Mags.”
“No.”
“I won’t bring up Wyatt again,” he says, spitting Wyatt’s name out like it tastes bad.
“Good, my relationship is none of your business,” I tell him firmly, crossing my arms over my chest.
“For now.”
“What is that supposed to mean?” I cry, throwing my arms in the air.
“He’s bound to come up eventually, Mags. You work here, remember?”
“So you’re telling me that I have the right to ask you about the women you’re spending time with outside of the time we’re working together?” I ask, watching his nostrils flare and his eyes dilate in anger. “I didn’t think so. I expect the same respect I’m showing you,” I tell him, slipping on my shoes.