Chapter 11 #2
I stepped closer to him. My eyes flicked to his oval-shaped lips before I met his stare.
I slowly licked my lips, my tongue savoring my strawberry-flavored lip gloss.
His pupils dilated and darkened to a dangerous and delicious shade of blue-gray.
His tongue darted out to wet his own lips in anticipation.
My hand moved to his waist then slid upward.
My fingertips grazed his abdomen and chest through the fabric before my palm settled against his sternum.
His heartbeat quickened beneath my touch.
“In your dreams, pretty boy,” I murmured through a genuine triumphant smile.
I shoved him lightly and added a deliberate sway to my hips as I walked away, a satisfied grin tugging at my lips.
He barked a soft laugh, following after me. “Fuck, you’re trouble.”
When we arrived at his apartment—still felt strange to call the place mine—his chef was finishing preparing Henry’s food for the week and offered to make us some dinner, but Henry shook his head and told him to go spend time with his newborn daughter and wife.
A complete 180 from the usual cocky jock, but hey, maybe he was in a good mood?
Or maybe he’s nice, and you should open your eyes for once and stop being so dense.
“How does pizza sound?” He opened one of the kitchen drawers and grabbed a takeout menu.
My stomach grumbled at the thought of some carbs and cheesy goodness. “That sounds delicious. Can you order me a Caesar salad, too?”
“Way ahead of you,” he called out since I was halfway to my room already.
After taking a shower and doing my nighttime skin care routine, I slipped into an oversize pink hoodie and a pair of white pajama pants with a sigh of relief. I loved wearing my power suits, but there was something so comfortable about wearing basic clothes.
I headed to the kitchen and started prepping dinner for my new furry best friend.
“You’re surprisingly patient for a cat,” I said to Captain Sushi as he sat on the kitchen island, his big cat eyes following my every movement like a hawk.
He meowed and flicked his tail slowly. After I finished serving his food, I placed it in his eating area, and he jumped off the counter.
His cute, little paws clicked against the sleek tiles until he arrived and started devouring his food at an alarmingly fast pace.
“You eat just like your father,” I mumbled with a shake of my head.
“You didn’t have to give him food. I don’t expect you to take care of him when I’m here.”
I jumped and turned around, finding Henry standing behind me. “Jesus. You’re like a cat yourself. You don’t make a single sound when you move. How do you manage to do that? You’re practically Hulk.”
His laugh echoed through the apartment. “Wow, thanks for the compliment.”
“I don’t know why you’re thanking me.” I scrunched my nose in disgust. “It wasn’t a compliment.”
“Sure felt like one.” He flexed his biceps with a smug grin. “I am pretty strong.”
My eyes couldn’t help but admire the way his muscles pulled the fabric of his shirt taut. My God, was he strong. Henry was all tall and manly. It was hard not to gawk at him.
My brain betrayed me by imagining how easily he could lift me and pin me against a wall without breaking a sweat.
I had never been grabbed and treated like that.
Joe was shorter than I was, something he loved making me feel bad about every time I tried wearing heels around him.
But standing next to Henry, I felt almost petite.
Don’t get me wrong, I loved my height. It was one of my favorite things about myself. But still. It was nice. Different.
“I truly do wonder how your head hasn’t exploded with all that inflated ego.”
Before he could reply with what I was sure was going to be another cocky comment, Henry’s phone rang. He picked it up and gave the concierge permission to send the delivery up then quickly hung up. “Food’s on its way. I ordered a few options since I wasn’t sure what you were in the mood for.”
I shrugged. “I’m not picky. But thanks.”
A few moments later, there was a knock on the door, and Henry went to grab the food while I looked for some plates and utensils.
“Hope you’re hungry.”
I looked over my shoulder and my eyes bulged in shock. “That’s enough food for like five people! Are you crazy?”
He threw an exaggerated gasp. “Hey, I eat a lot. Are you body-shaming me, Jonesy? That’s unbecoming.”
I made a point to look at him from the top of his head down to his feet. “Body-shaming the guy with two hundred plus pounds of muscle? Yeah, right.” I snorted a laugh. “Stop fishing for compliments, it’s a pathetic look on you.”
“It’s working, though. So why would I stop?” he asked innocently, placing the pizza boxes and a plastic takeout bag on the counter.
“Where exactly did you hear a compliment?” I retorted as I opened the plastic bag and took out an order of wings and my salad, placing both items in front of our plates.
He leaned against the counter and crossed his arms. “You said I had two hundred plus pounds of muscle,” he replied with a duh tone. “Sounds like a compliment to me.”
“Facts aren’t compliments.”
“They are in my world.”
“I have a genuine question.” I mirrored his pose and craned my neck to be able to look him in the eyes. “Do you lay down on your bed every night and write all the cocky replies you can think of in a journal while giggling and kicking your feet?”
He tilted his head in mock contemplation, pushing his tongue against his cheek. “Not exactly.” He let out an exaggerated sigh. “What I do, however, is stand in front of a mirror butt-ass naked and write down all the things I love about my body.”
I snorted a dry laugh. “Obsessed much?”
“Can you blame me? I do have a fine-looking ass.” He turned around and gave me a perfect view of his backside then looked over his shoulder with a knowing grin.
My eyes flicked to his ass, and yup. He wasn’t wrong. Damn the world for giving Henry Anderson a fine body. The universe had created a menace to society because of it.
“You’re salivating a little, Jonesy. Need a napkin?”
I met his stare with a squint, trying to mask my embarrassment. “Your delusion holds no bounds.” I took a seat, and when I tried to reach for one of the pizza boxes, he stopped me.
“I got it.” He swatted my hands away gently.
“You do know I can get my own food, right?” I wiggled my arms. “I have these, and they work perfectly fine.”
“Not while you’re dating me.” He opened the pizza box, grabbed two slices, and dropped them on my plate.
“Fake dating,” I corrected him in a weak attempt to calm down the unexpected excitement that surged through me. “And I only want one slice.” I took one of them and dropped it back on the box.
“Nonsense.” He picked up the same slice and dropped it on my plate again. “Knowing you, you probably didn’t eat lunch today.” He sat next to me, grabbed a pizza slice, and took more than half of it in a single bite. He quickly swallowed and nodded at my plate. “Eat.”
It annoyed me how well he knew me, because he was right. Putting all my energy and focus on work was the only thing helping me ignore the mess that was my life. Was it the healthiest way of coping? Probably not. But it beat crying, that’s for sure.
I focused my eyes on my plate as I tried my best not to read too much into the small acts of service Henry did.
Like knowing my coffee order, and ordering me a plate of nachos because he just happened to remember I liked them.
They were simple actions that made my heart twist painfully in my chest. I never had anyone do little things like these for me.
Someone making sure I was taken care of before focusing on themselves was a strange thought.
Not even when I was with Joe did he do anything like this.
I’d always prided myself on being self-sufficient and independent.
Taking care of myself had always come easily for me, because depending on people was scary.
Henry was strange and not at all what I expected him to be like. I couldn’t deny I was utterly confused. My mind and heart were at a crossroads. Because…who was Henry Anderson? The two versions I now knew were complete opposites. It made no sense.
I shoved away my reeling thoughts and hit him in the arm. “Stop eating so fast! Your food isn’t going anywhere.”
He huffed a laugh. “Jonesy—”
I interrupted him with another hit on his arm. “And stop calling me that. Why do you keep doing it?”
He grabbed another slice and chewed thoroughly while he stared at me with a twinkle in his eyes. “You sure you want to know?”
“Yes.” The gleefulness dancing between his eyes made me unsure if I really wanted to know.
He grabbed a napkin and cleaned his hands as he contemplated for a moment. “Honestly? Because I know you hate it, but it gets your attention, and that’s ultimately what I most want.”
I stared at him as my heart somersaulted in my chest at the sincerity of the moment. The timbre in his voice was low and gruff, making my thighs instinctively clench as a flicker of need rippled through me at his confession.
For once in my life…I was left utterly and completely stunned.