“Pierce?”
“In here.”
She followed the petals and the sound of his voice to find him standing in his dining room, wearing a blinding white dress shirt and distressed jeans. Light and shadows loved the angles of his sharp jaw—no longer wired shut—almost as much as she did. He looked so swoon-worthy, she got a little dizzy.
“You like it?” He gestured to the table beside him.
Until he pointed it out, she hadn’t pried her gaze off him long enough to realize he had set it, much less elegantly.
Had he planned dinner to say thank you for helping him? To seduce her back into his bed now that he had healed enough for sex? Or did the gesture mean everything she hoped? “It’s very nice.”
“I hope you’re hungry because I’m going to feed you for a change.” He pulled out her chair. As she brushed past him to sit, he blocked her with his big body. “Wait. It’s been so damn long. Are you going to let me kiss you, pretty girl?”
Brea didn’t have to ask if he wanted to. His expression said he was desperate to get his mouth on hers.
That still doesn’t make it love…
Despite that, she gave him the only answer she could. “Yes.”
“Thank fuck.” He took her face in his hands and bent to devour her mouth.
Her wildly racing heart stopped for an agonizing moment, then thudded furiously again. Eagerly, she pressed herself against him, barely noticing when her purse fell to the floor.
The rational part of her insisted they should talk first. But when Pierce sank inside her mouth, desire muted logic and muzzled her worries. She stopped caring about anything in that moment except being as close as possible to this man.
Suddenly, he pulled away with a groan.
She blinked up at him. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. I promised to feed you, so I’m going to.” He stepped aside and helped her into the chair. “And we can finally talk.”
She was dying to know what he had on his mind, but his health came first. “Tell me what the doctors said.”
“One second.” He dashed into the kitchen and, with two mitts, took a pair of plates out of the oven. He set one before her. The other he dropped in front of his chair beside her, then eased into his seat.
Her eyes widened. “Lasagna, asparagus, and garlic bread? You remembered?”
“That they’re some of your favorites, yeah.”
“Thank you.” Her heart fluttered. “That’s incredibly thoughtful.”
“It’s not homemade since I can’t cook for shit, but I asked around and heard this place had the best Italian food in town.”
“It smells amazing.” But after his kiss, her body was pinging with life. Food was the last thing on her mind.
“It’s a small way to thank you. You came here to take care of me every day for nearly six weeks, even though you’d worked on your feet all day and your father is still recovering. Even though you were burning your candle at both ends and you were tired…”
Of course Pierce had noticed. Under his gruff exterior, he was kind. Brea tried not to be disappointed that he had planned this dinner merely to show his gratitude. He’d probably feel guilty if he knew her urge to nap often lasted all day. Or that, lately, her stomach rolled from the moment she got out of bed until long into the afternoon. But telling him served no purpose.
Tonight, she felt well enough to eat the yummy, cheesy pasta he had thoughtfully brought her, so she would. She’d push aside her stupid fantasies of a future with Pierce, too.
And now that he didn’t need her anymore, when she left tonight she’d take a giant step back out of his life.
“My pleasure.” She managed a smile.
“You were there for me every day,” he finished. “That means more to me than I can tell you. So thanks.”
“There was no place else I would have wanted to be.” It was true.
She swallowed back the rest of her feelings. He didn’t want them.
Pierce reached across the space between them to cup her cheek. “Being with you every day was my pleasure, pretty girl. Believe me.”
She got lost in his eyes as tears stung her own. She was so utterly in love. And if he kept looking at her like that, she was going to stupidly blurt it out.
“Let’s, um…get to eating, huh?” He sounded surprisingly rattled.
“Sure.” She forced herself to bite into the tender pasta. The flavors burst on her tongue in a tangy surprise. “Oh, my gosh. This is really good.”
“I’m glad.” He shoveled in a forkful of chicken in a white wine sauce. “Hmm. I missed real food.”
“No doubt.” She took another bite and did her best to simply enjoy her time with him. Soon, she wouldn’t see him much at all. “So tell me. What did your doctors say?”