Heirly Ever After, Vernon, Magan [best thriller novels to read .txt] 📗

date?” The smile was evident in his tone. Even if I couldn’t see it, I could still picture that damn dimple popping.

Quickly, I shook the thoughts of him and those high cheekbones and smile out of my head as I slid on a bra. My pink sundress and white cardigan went on next.

Once fully clothed, I walked around to the other side of the bed. “I’m sorry. I kind of freaked and just typed it. You can still say no. Especially to the whole being my plus-one thing. You have your own family stuff to deal with.”

He took a sip of his drink, and I couldn’t help but stare at the way the shirt molded to his broad shoulders and down to a tapered waist. My eyes kept trailing down to what had to be the most perfect ass in the world.

“I’m sure I can rearrange my visit to help out a friend, if that’s what you want. You can tell your family whatever you need to about us. They’re your family, after all,” he quipped, and all of the lightness between us drifted.

I sighed as I grabbed my shoes and then plopped on the bed. “You can turn around now. I’m dressed.”

His eyes roamed over me. And then that fiery gaze met mine as he set down his cup. “You look beautiful.”

My cheeks grew hot, and I looked down, focusing on strapping my sandals so he wouldn’t see the effect his words had on me.

I still had wet hair dripping on my shoulders, and the dress and sweater were ones I found on the clearance rack last season. But none of that mattered when he looked at me like that and said such words. Ones I didn’t think any other man, or person, had ever said to me.

Beautiful.

Did he really think that?

Or was he just trying to be nice?

I finished buckling my shoes then stood up, keeping my eyes off his as I pointed to the other steaming drink. “Is that for me?”

“Ah, yes,” he said, grabbing the cup and holding it out to me. “The only takeaway place in town didn’t have much, and I know most people prefer coffee but thought you should get a real taste of England with green tea and jasmine.”

I placed my hand on the cup, my fingers brushing against his. I tried to tell myself that it was just the heat from the drink and nothing else that had an electric jolt traveling through my fingers from the rough pads of his fingertips on mine.

I took the cup, getting a long sip. I closed my eyes, relishing in the taste of fresh green tea leaves with a hint of flowers. I never thought of jasmine as anything other than a component in body wash, but the two flavors together were like a party in my mouth.

“Wow. This is actually really good.” I slowly opened my eyes to see a small smile cross his lips.

Shit, that smile was damn sexy.

But I really needed to stop checking out my “friend.”

He held up the brown paper bag and his drink then set them on a little bistro table near the window. “I thought you might like that. Hopefully, ye don’t mind some brown bread and Nutella. I also got us each a fruit salad with granola and yogurt.”

He set out the clear plastic containers on the table in front of each of the matching wooden chairs then removed the cutlery from little bags.

I stared down at the spread in front of me.

I couldn’t remember the last time Chris had even brought fast food home. It wasn’t something he ever thought about, though anytime I was running late from work or class, I always picked something up, even if it was my last few dollars and everything was from the value menu. It was always expected, without even a thank you.

But this…this was something different.

“Thank you, Jacob. You didn’t have to do all of this.”

He frowned, pulling out a chair. “It’s just breakfast.”

I waited for a minute for him to sit. He pulled out the chair, so obviously he was ready.

Then he raised an eyebrow expectantly. “Your seat?”

“Um, yes, my seat,” I said, pulling the chair across from him.

He rolled his eyes. “Lass, I pulled out this chair for you.”

“Oh.” I fumbled, sliding the chair back in then scooting around the table, and sat in the chair he offered. He pushed it in, and I kept my head down. “Thank you. Not used to that.”

“Ye don’t need to thank me for every little thing. I don’t know what kind of men, or should I say boys, you’ve been with in the past. But I’m glad you’re done with them.” He cleared his throat. “Listen, I’m not out here to take advantage of ye. I simply want to help, so you can be with your family and don’t have to deal with the repercussions of that shite of an ex-boyfriend. All right?”

I swallowed hard, trying to form a complete sentence instead of focusing how warm his words were. How everything he said was so genuine. “Okay.”

A silence passed between us, one that had me shifting in my seat.

What was I supposed to say or do now?

I cleared my throat, trying to root myself back in reality as I finally looked up, happy he didn’t have that dimpled smile on his face. “You know, aside from our stories about how we met and everything, we probably need some ground rules for all of this.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Rules?”

I nodded, licking my lips. “Yes, like for example, the bed thing.”

That sexy dimple appeared as he tilted his head and smiled. Damn him.

“The bed thing, you say?”

I took a sip of my tea, hoping that hid the blush that was creeping up my neck and cheeks. “We’ll probably be sharing a room, so if we will be, we can stay in the same bed. But no funny business. Okay?”

“Funny business?”

I rolled my eyes. “Stop digging.”

He held his hands up. “Okay.