Chapter Five
Natalia
I liked his dog, but there was something about Gavin Kinkaid that was driving me crazy. I couldn’t put a finger on what these feelings were that he was evoking in me because it was unlike anything I’d ever felt before.
When he’d gotten close to me, my skin prickled with awareness. It was weird because I’ve literally been almost naked with male models before and they never elicited that kind of response from me. They never made my body tense with nerves, and I was supposed to know how to act around Gavin.
It was laughable. I had no clue how to act around him. My experience with men was limited to a few dates and social events. Even in the modeling world, a lot of the men I came in contact with didn’t care about me because they were checking each other out. I mean, I had some great friends in those guys, but no prospects for anything more.
I’d been on a few dates with people outside the fashion industry. Grayson Masters was a movie star, and we went out a few times, but I didn’t feel any excitement with him. In fact, being on his arm just put me even more in the spotlight which I didn’t want. I dated a drummer, but that crashed and burned quickly because he wanted to move faster than I did.
So, I was a twenty-two-year-old virgin supermodel. Handling men and knowing what they were all about was not my forte. Most of my dates to functions were set up for PR purposes. The guys didn’t pique my interest or curiosity, not like Gavin did.
I looked at the clock on my phone; it was seven and my stomach was growling. I wondered if Gavin was hungry, too. Do I shower and get into pajamas first, or do I just go make something to eat?
A shower sounded lovely, and after traveling all day, I decided that came first because after I got food in my stomach; I was probably going to crash hard. I was still tired as hell and felt like I could probably sleep for days.
Making my decision, I lifted my big suitcase onto the bed and pulled out my pajamas and toiletry bag. I’d start putting stuff away where it belonged later. Right now, my priorities were shower, food, and sleep.
I grabbed my things and headed into the bathroom. It was a nice size master bath, and I made a note to try out the big jacuzzi garden tub later. Exhaustion was catching up to me fast, and I felt myself fading, so I kept my shower short, going through my routine as quickly as possible.
When I stepped out, I wrapped a fluffy towel around my body and used the other one to dry my hair. The shorter, edgier look was cute. I liked it, but it wasn’t what I was used to. It would take a while for me to get used to the new style and color.
I ran a brush through my hair and dried off before grabbing my winter pajamas. I’d packed my footie giraffe pajamas, thinking I’d be either staying with only my parents or by myself. I didn’t anticipate Gavin, and my nightgown from Little Big Girls was not something I wanted to wear with him in the house, plus it was too damn cold for my favorite nightie, so being a giraffe was my best option.
Once I was dressed in my jammies, I looked in the mirror and second guessed myself. Should I change into something else until I came back in here? I decided I should, so I stripped out of my pajamas and put on a pair of jeans and a thick sweater so I could skip my bra. Pajamas were for the bedroom only. I didn’t want Gavin making fun of me and giving me a hard time about my pajamas like some of my friends did.
Once I was dressed, I went back into the kitchen. Gavin was already in there with Zeke by his side. The husky had beautiful coloring and his eyes were that beautiful icy blue that huskies were known for.
“I hope you aren’t a vegetarian or anything. I didn’t grocery shop for any special diets.”
I rolled my eyes. “I’m a plus size model for a reason. I like food.”
He grinned. “That’s good. I’m not going overboard tonight because it’s so late, so I hope grilled cheese sandwiches are good with you? If not, we have cereal.”
“Grilled cheese is perfect. Thank you.”
I watched as he worked on our sandwiches. He cooked them over the gas range and made them the perfect golden-brown color on the outside. We had chips and a bottle of water on the side, and I grabbed a few pickle spears from the fridge because pickles and grilled cheese go together like peanut butter and jelly.
We ate in companionable silence, but I was fading fast. After the third yawn, I decided it was time for me to go to bed before I fell face first into the last bit of my food.
“That was good. Thank you.” I moved to the trashcan and dumped the remnants of the food in. I was going to wash the plate, but Gavin stopped me.
“Go to bed, Natalia. You look like you’re about to fall over.”
“I feel like that.”
“Go get some rest. I’ll take care of the dishes.” I nodded and set the plate in the sink before going back to my room. By the time I had my pajamas back on, I could barely keep my eyes open.
Icrawled under the covers and fell asleep thinking about Gavin and the warm fuzzy feeling he made me feel deep in my belly.