she gestured toward the brew. “Coffee?”
“Yeah.” He strode over and sat next to her but took the container from her. “Let me.”
“I can pour coffee.”
“I know. But I’m here to make this weekend luxurious for you. That includes serving you coffee.” He nudged her shoulder with his, and her belly did a funny little somersault. “How’d you sleep?”
“Like the drunken dead,” she lied.
He chuckled. “You girls seemed to enjoy yourselves.”
“We did. You didn’t have to leave, though.”
His lips twisted, and he kept his gaze firmly focused on the coffee as he strained and poured it into two cups. “I was kinda scared I’d get roped into a dare.”
That clearly wasn’t why he’d gone to bed early, but she appreciated the lie. “Well, you missed some reallyhot stuff.”
His attention caught, he turned her way. “Really?”
“Oh, yeah. Like, so hot I think my lips blistered.”
His gaze dropped to her lips, and she immediately regretted teasing him. “I thought you weren’t going to do anything like that.”
“I…I didn’t. I was joking. Sorry, I don’t know why.” Yes, she did. Seeing him transported her back to the needy teenager desperately searching for acceptance.And how badly did she hate admitting that to herself?
Really freaking badly.
He gave her a slow, sexy grin. “Actually, I find it way hotter that you refused to do it.”
“Really?” She couldn’t hide the shock from her voice.
“Really. Nothing sexy about infidelity.”
His eyes clouded over, and all the gossip she’d heard growing up came back to her. When he’d been two or three, his mom had cheatedon his dad and gotten pregnant with twins, Gabriel and Camila. His brother Austin must’ve been little more than a baby himself. It had torn his family apart. He’d split his time between the ranch—where he had a beautiful house, loving grandparents and dad, and acres to play on—and a series of crappy apartments in town, which must’ve been terribly cramped with his mom and three siblings.
“Do you—” Do you still date homemakers? She cut herself off. “Um, do you take sugar in your coffee?”
“No. You?”
“Not usually, but since we don’t have milk—”
“Yeah, we do. Hang on.” He got up and opened the ice chest. “The ice melted, but the water’s cold so the milk will still be good. Irish cream, hazelnut or plain milk?”
“Oh, man, I’d kill for the hazelnut, but you’d better give me plain.”
He gaveher an odd look. “Why can’t you have the hazelnut one?”
“Empty calories.”
“You’re kidding me.” He pulled out the container of hazelnut creamer and dropped the lid of the ice chest. “You have any idea how many calories you burned yesterday? Believe me, you can afford these.”
“Not after the twenty-three s’mores and two bottles of wine I had last night. Anyway, I’d rather have plain milk. Honestly.”
He gave her a look that told her what he thought of that, but he didn’t push. Swapping the creamer with a small carton of low-fat milk, he came back and served her the coffee. For several minutes, they sat next to each other in silence as the woods woke up, the fire crackled, and the caffeine worked its way through her sleepy system.
“So…how’d you two meet?”
“What two?” she asked.
One of hisbrows cocked in disbelief. “You and the love of your life.”
It took her a second. “Oh! Jared.”
His other brow joined the first in reaching for his hairline.
“We met on set. He produces Sultry Suburbs and came on the show as a guest star one day, and we just sort of—” Had sex in a closet ten minutes after meeting. “—hit it off.”
“Sounds…sultry.”
She laughed. “I guess so.”
“And he treats youwell?”
Her laughter died. She’d wondered when they’d get around to this topic, or whether they would skirt around it the whole trip. She’d hoped they could ignore it but suspected it would always be there, an ugly beast
“Yeah.” He strode over and sat next to her but took the container from her. “Let me.”
“I can pour coffee.”
“I know. But I’m here to make this weekend luxurious for you. That includes serving you coffee.” He nudged her shoulder with his, and her belly did a funny little somersault. “How’d you sleep?”
“Like the drunken dead,” she lied.
He chuckled. “You girls seemed to enjoy yourselves.”
“We did. You didn’t have to leave, though.”
His lips twisted, and he kept his gaze firmly focused on the coffee as he strained and poured it into two cups. “I was kinda scared I’d get roped into a dare.”
That clearly wasn’t why he’d gone to bed early, but she appreciated the lie. “Well, you missed some reallyhot stuff.”
His attention caught, he turned her way. “Really?”
“Oh, yeah. Like, so hot I think my lips blistered.”
His gaze dropped to her lips, and she immediately regretted teasing him. “I thought you weren’t going to do anything like that.”
“I…I didn’t. I was joking. Sorry, I don’t know why.” Yes, she did. Seeing him transported her back to the needy teenager desperately searching for acceptance.And how badly did she hate admitting that to herself?
Really freaking badly.
He gave her a slow, sexy grin. “Actually, I find it way hotter that you refused to do it.”
“Really?” She couldn’t hide the shock from her voice.
“Really. Nothing sexy about infidelity.”
His eyes clouded over, and all the gossip she’d heard growing up came back to her. When he’d been two or three, his mom had cheatedon his dad and gotten pregnant with twins, Gabriel and Camila. His brother Austin must’ve been little more than a baby himself. It had torn his family apart. He’d split his time between the ranch—where he had a beautiful house, loving grandparents and dad, and acres to play on—and a series of crappy apartments in town, which must’ve been terribly cramped with his mom and three siblings.
“Do you—” Do you still date homemakers? She cut herself off. “Um, do you take sugar in your coffee?”
“No. You?”
“Not usually, but since we don’t have milk—”
“Yeah, we do. Hang on.” He got up and opened the ice chest. “The ice melted, but the water’s cold so the milk will still be good. Irish cream, hazelnut or plain milk?”
“Oh, man, I’d kill for the hazelnut, but you’d better give me plain.”
He gaveher an odd look. “Why can’t you have the hazelnut one?”
“Empty calories.”
“You’re kidding me.” He pulled out the container of hazelnut creamer and dropped the lid of the ice chest. “You have any idea how many calories you burned yesterday? Believe me, you can afford these.”
“Not after the twenty-three s’mores and two bottles of wine I had last night. Anyway, I’d rather have plain milk. Honestly.”
He gave her a look that told her what he thought of that, but he didn’t push. Swapping the creamer with a small carton of low-fat milk, he came back and served her the coffee. For several minutes, they sat next to each other in silence as the woods woke up, the fire crackled, and the caffeine worked its way through her sleepy system.
“So…how’d you two meet?”
“What two?” she asked.
One of hisbrows cocked in disbelief. “You and the love of your life.”
It took her a second. “Oh! Jared.”
His other brow joined the first in reaching for his hairline.
“We met on set. He produces Sultry Suburbs and came on the show as a guest star one day, and we just sort of—” Had sex in a closet ten minutes after meeting. “—hit it off.”
“Sounds…sultry.”
She laughed. “I guess so.”
“And he treats youwell?”
Her laughter died. She’d wondered when they’d get around to this topic, or whether they would skirt around it the whole trip. She’d hoped they could ignore it but suspected it would always be there, an ugly beast
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