“You had some bacon in the freezer. I chopped up a few pieces and sautéed them with the onion and garlic before dumping the sauce in.”
“Of course you did, because you’re a genius.”
“Obviously.” He cocked his head to the side. “Want me to open a bottle of wine? That chianti you have will go good with the sauce.”
A glass of wine sounded amazing after the day she’d had, but she frowned. “No, that’s okay.”
He gave her a skeptical look. “That wasn’t very convincing, Ms. Lindt.”
She shrugged. “I feel weird drinking in front of you.”
His grip tightened on the spoon. “It doesn’t bother me, Bec.”
She eyed him. “You sure?”
“Yes, I…” His lips flattened into a line, and he set his spoon down. “No, that’s not entirely true.” He looked at her like he was trying to find the right words. “Truth is, I miss wine. Not in the jonesing-for-oblivion kind of way. Wine was never my drink of choice when things were bad. But I miss how it tastes with food, how it can enhance a meal, the experience of sharing it with friends. So it’s not that it bothers me to see someone else drink, it just pisses me off that I was stupid enough to put myself in the position to never be able to have it again.”
The honesty in his words hit her in the gut. She could tell it cost him something to admit all that. She got up and stepped around the bar. She wasn’t sure how he’d react, but he let her wrap her arms around his waist. “I’m sorry. It’s not about stupidity, but I’m sorry that you had to lose another thing.”
He set his chin atop her head and hugged her back. “Thanks. In the grand scheme of things, it’s a small price to pay in exchange for not being a complete degenerate. I get better stuff in return. No hangovers. A steady job. A beautiful woman to cook for and do unspeakable things to. There really is no contest.”
She leaned back and smiled up at him. “Oh, we’re moving into unspeakable now, huh? Maybe I should skip the wine and drink a Red Bull.”
“Good thinking.”
She pushed up on her toes and touched her lips to his, happy to be distracted from the stressful day for a few moments. But they weren’t good at keeping things at a peck. Wes cupped her jaw, she parted her lips, and he kissed her until her insides steamed like the sauce bubbling behind him. She slid her hands up his chest and let herself get lost for a moment. God, the things the man could do with his mouth.
When he finally released her, he stared down at her, something tender in his eyes. “If I haven’t said it enough already, thank you for making this project happen with the kids and for jumping in to help. I haven’t had happy days like this in years.”
Pleasure diffused through her, the simple words making her belly dip. “Wes…”
“I’m serious,” he said softly, his thumb tracing over her cheekbone. “I’ve been trying to be cool about it because I don’t want to freak you out, but everything about this afternoon felt…perfect. Working on the bus, seeing the kids so jazzed, and you…there with me, looking messy and cute and into it all. This summer is going to be a blast.”
Her throat tightened, the words seeping into a guilty place and making her heart beat fast.
“I loved every part of
it,” he continued. “And it wouldn’t have been anywhere near what it was if you hadn’t been there to share it with me.”
She searched for her voice. “I enjoyed it, too.”
And that was the truth. Her conversation with Steven had dominated her thoughts, but the afternoon with the kids had felt oddly natural. Working with the group. Being with Wes. Having a project she cared about.
She hated like hell that she was going to have to let it go.
“I wanted to talk to you about something.” He gave her a tentative smile, as if sensing he was treading into waters they could both drown in.
“Okay,” she said carefully.
“You’ve told me from the beginning I’m not your type.”
“I—”
He pressed his fingers over her lips. “I know I’m not. It’s okay. I also know that I have a truckload of baggage I’m dragging behind me.” He lowered his hand. “I’m starting over in my life and have all the trappings that come along with climbing up from the bottom again. On paper, I’m high-risk. But today I couldn’t stop myself from thinking it anyway.”
She eyed him warily. “Thinking what?”
He pushed a lock of her hair behind her ear. “That maybe we’re capable of more than distracting each other.”