asked.
I sighed and looked around the kitchen, avoiding his intense gaze. He cleared his throat to speak.
“Ma—”
I frowned at his abrupt pause.
“Shit,” he mumbled.
“What?”
He ran both hands over his face and then looked at me. It was an intense expression, as if he was weighing heavy words. It made me nervous but I just lifted my chin.
“I almost called you by another name.”
The admission threw me for a moment before pain tightened my chest. “Oh.”
He frowned and grabbed my hand from where it rested on my knee. “I’m so sorry, Megan. I don’t know what the fuck I was thinking. That’s never happened before.”
I took a deep breath but the pain wouldn’t go away.
“W-well, I’d say you were probably thinking about her instead of me.”
“No.”
I closed my eyes and tried to calm my racing heart. “Sean—”
“No, listen to me. I almost called you Mari because I’ve been thinking about her a lot the past couple of days, but it’s not what you think.”
I opened my eyes and frowned at him. “Mari Campbell?”
He nodded and lifted my hand to his lips. He ran the backs of my fingers across his mouth before kissing them and lowering my hand to his knee.
“Yeah. You know she used to work for me as a cashier?”
“Yes.”
He took another deep breath and slowly released my hand. I pulled it back to my own lap and watched him consider his next words carefully.
“I tried to be more than a friend to her and went about things the wrong way. It was plain stupidity on my part, but it opened my eyes to aspects of my personality I’m not proud of. I know you want there to be something between us, honey, but I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”
My breath caught as I tried to decide what part of his statement to concentrate on first. Mari was obviously no longer an issue thanks to Devon Campbell, but what could have happened between them to affect Sean like this?
“What the hell do you mean?”
He opened his mouth to answer just as a buzzer sounded. I watched in silence as he stood and turned it off before opening the oven. He pulled the steaks out, then removed a lid from the vegetables and stirred them. Neither of us spoke as he finished preparing our meal and got everything to the table.
“I hope you like it. It’s been a while since I cooked for anyone.”
I mustered a weak smile and played with the carrot on the end of my fork for a few seconds. His gaze burned the top of my head but I kept my head down until his knife scraped against his plate. When I looked up he was cutting into his steak.
“So what the hell am I doing here, Sean?”
He took a bite and chewed as he seemed to think it over. I watched his throat as he swallowed, praying his answer would put me at ease.
“Sharing a meal with an idiot who enjoys your company a lot more than he’s willing to admit.”
That surprised a laugh out of me and I shook my head. “Okay.”
He smiled and took another bite. I followed suit as he washed it down with soda.
“Megan, I know I’ve really been an asshole, and to be completely honest…you kind of exasperate me.”
I frowned but my mouth was full so I couldn’t yell at him. He held up a hand to ward off anything I might say as he continued.
“No, honey, that’s a good thing. I’ll be the first to admit that I’m kind of stupid when it comes to women. You want my attention? You gotta hit me over the head to get it. You’ve made no secret about wanting to spend time with me and I appreciate it. I just think you should know what you’re getting yourself into.”
I swallowed a bite of juicy steak that suddenly tasted like cardboard.
“What is that exactly?”
“Well…you already know I’m not exactly forthcoming about what’s on my mind. I try, really I do, but sometimes…I don’t know. For me actions speak louder than words.”
He took the time to eat a few more bites as I considered what to say.
“Okay, I get that about you. I just think we
I sighed and looked around the kitchen, avoiding his intense gaze. He cleared his throat to speak.
“Ma—”
I frowned at his abrupt pause.
“Shit,” he mumbled.
“What?”
He ran both hands over his face and then looked at me. It was an intense expression, as if he was weighing heavy words. It made me nervous but I just lifted my chin.
“I almost called you by another name.”
The admission threw me for a moment before pain tightened my chest. “Oh.”
He frowned and grabbed my hand from where it rested on my knee. “I’m so sorry, Megan. I don’t know what the fuck I was thinking. That’s never happened before.”
I took a deep breath but the pain wouldn’t go away.
“W-well, I’d say you were probably thinking about her instead of me.”
“No.”
I closed my eyes and tried to calm my racing heart. “Sean—”
“No, listen to me. I almost called you Mari because I’ve been thinking about her a lot the past couple of days, but it’s not what you think.”
I opened my eyes and frowned at him. “Mari Campbell?”
He nodded and lifted my hand to his lips. He ran the backs of my fingers across his mouth before kissing them and lowering my hand to his knee.
“Yeah. You know she used to work for me as a cashier?”
“Yes.”
He took another deep breath and slowly released my hand. I pulled it back to my own lap and watched him consider his next words carefully.
“I tried to be more than a friend to her and went about things the wrong way. It was plain stupidity on my part, but it opened my eyes to aspects of my personality I’m not proud of. I know you want there to be something between us, honey, but I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”
My breath caught as I tried to decide what part of his statement to concentrate on first. Mari was obviously no longer an issue thanks to Devon Campbell, but what could have happened between them to affect Sean like this?
“What the hell do you mean?”
He opened his mouth to answer just as a buzzer sounded. I watched in silence as he stood and turned it off before opening the oven. He pulled the steaks out, then removed a lid from the vegetables and stirred them. Neither of us spoke as he finished preparing our meal and got everything to the table.
“I hope you like it. It’s been a while since I cooked for anyone.”
I mustered a weak smile and played with the carrot on the end of my fork for a few seconds. His gaze burned the top of my head but I kept my head down until his knife scraped against his plate. When I looked up he was cutting into his steak.
“So what the hell am I doing here, Sean?”
He took a bite and chewed as he seemed to think it over. I watched his throat as he swallowed, praying his answer would put me at ease.
“Sharing a meal with an idiot who enjoys your company a lot more than he’s willing to admit.”
That surprised a laugh out of me and I shook my head. “Okay.”
He smiled and took another bite. I followed suit as he washed it down with soda.
“Megan, I know I’ve really been an asshole, and to be completely honest…you kind of exasperate me.”
I frowned but my mouth was full so I couldn’t yell at him. He held up a hand to ward off anything I might say as he continued.
“No, honey, that’s a good thing. I’ll be the first to admit that I’m kind of stupid when it comes to women. You want my attention? You gotta hit me over the head to get it. You’ve made no secret about wanting to spend time with me and I appreciate it. I just think you should know what you’re getting yourself into.”
I swallowed a bite of juicy steak that suddenly tasted like cardboard.
“What is that exactly?”
“Well…you already know I’m not exactly forthcoming about what’s on my mind. I try, really I do, but sometimes…I don’t know. For me actions speak louder than words.”
He took the time to eat a few more bites as I considered what to say.
“Okay, I get that about you. I just think we
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