“That too.”
Did nothing rattle him?
“Come on now, your food is getting cold,” he coaxed.
“You are not feeding me. I’m not a child.”
“Believe me, honey. I know that.” He gave her an admiring look. What was wrong with him? She’d broken into his house, whacked him over the head with a frying pan, she was dressed in his brother’s old sweats, she hadn’t showered or brushed her teeth, and he was looking at her like she was something he wanted to inhale.
“Come on, you know you need to eat.”
“Give me the fork.”
He sighed. “You’re a very obstinate female.” He grabbed the plate. “I guess I’ll just take this to Sawyer. He’ll enjoy it.”
“Wait.” She didn’t know if it was because she was hungry or because she didn’t want Wild Man getting her food or that she was just lonely, but she wasn’t about to let him leave. “Fine.”
He gave her a happy smile and flopped back down. Surprisingly he didn’t spill any of the food. How did he do that? She shook her head. He scooped up some egg and held it to her lips.
Damn this was humiliating. She opened her mouth and took the forkful of food. Or it should have been humiliating. It certainly shouldn’t have felt intimate or arousing.
Nope. It definitely shouldn’t have been either of those things. And yet, as he slowly fed her, she felt her body warming once more. There was something wrong with her. She’d never felt so immediately attracted to a man as she was to Mr. Hottie. And then there was Mr. GQ. Joseph. Yeah, that name suited him. Her attraction to him was different though. Slower to build. But it was there.
Thank God, she didn’t feel anything like that towards Sawyer. She shuddered.
Mr. Hottie crumpled the empty plate and fork together. “Want to tell me what that thought was about?”
“Nope.”
He raised one eyebrow but didn’t push. That was a change. Settling back against the wall, he crossed his ankles over each other. Looking as relaxed and comfortable as though he were sitting on the sofa in front of the TV.
“Don’t you have somewhere to be?”
“Nope.”
“Really? Shouldn’t you be off corrupting virgins and seducing married women?”
He barked out a laugh. Not the reaction she’d been expecting. “Don’t have a very high opinion of me, do you? Not to damage my image or anything, but I tend to steer clear of virgins and married women.”
“Why?”
“Why? Because in my experience virgins tend to expect some sort of commitment. Taking someone’s virginity is almost like a promise. It’s a responsibility I can do without.”
“God forbid you take responsibility for something.”
That got her a reaction. He looked almost angry for a moment then he shook his head. “Exactly, honey. I don’t like responsibility. Means I have to take life seriously. I try to avoid doing that.”
She snorted. “I would never have guessed.”
“That’s what I have Joe for. He takes life seriously enough for the two of us.”
“And Sawyer?”
“Sawyer is Sawyer.”
“Crazy.” She figured if she knew a bit more about them, she might be able to figure out how to get out of this fucked-up situation she found herself in. She was starting to think this brother was the soft touch. The weak spot. But she knew she shouldn’t underestimate him. Joseph, for all his stiff ways, had been the first one to weaken and bring her some clothes.
“Maybe a bit. But he’s had some shit go down that has made him . . . uh . . .”