"You guys were close then?"
I nodded. "Yeah. I get the sense when I wake up sometimes that I can almost hear them."
He nodded. "That happens to me all the time with Charlie. Especially being here. I can’t count the number of times I could swear any moment I would walk out into the kitchen and he'd be standing there doing a proper English fry up. He loved a fry up.”
"How did your parents take it?"
"The same way that they usually do. Distanced themselves. Became detached."
"So, what are we going to do while we wait for the cake?"
"You tell me," I said, my voice husky.
"I have a great puzzle."
"A puzzle?" Had I heard him right?
“If you were some other woman, I would go into lewd detail about all of the dirty things I could do to you.”
The gut punch robbed me of air. “Oh,” I said, ducking my head.
He used a finger to lift my chin up and force me to meet his gaze. “But because you’re you and have me so twisted in knots my hands are shaking with the need to touch you, I’ll keep all my dirty fantasies to myself… for now.”
Chapter Eight
Saffron
An hour later, I winced at the clock. "I should go."
He stood immediately. "Where are you going?"
"I don't know. I feel like I should just go."
I didn't want to. Which was part of the problem. He was smart. And funny. And I liked him, but I was not the hookup kind. Besides, if I didn't turn up at Tabatha's, Gabe was going to lose his shit. "I just have to go."
"Just stay a little longer. You haven't even finished your cake."
"You're right. And it is a good cake."
"Yeah, it is."
The truth of it was, I couldn't think of a good enough reason to stay other than I could see the danger here. The danger for me. The way he watched me with intensity. I could feel his gaze on me with every step I took. The way he made the hairs on my arm stand up… I wanted more of that. I wanted more of him. I wanted his attention on me. I had dismissed him at first as a carefree playboy. But he was more than that. The more he talked about his brother, the more I was able to talk about my parents. And he listened. He offered no reproach. Just listened.
"Finish your cake. Then I'll walk you back to your mate's place. You said she's near here, right?"
I nodded. "You've already done too much.”
“It's your fucking birthday. You should celebrate."
"You know I can't finish the rest of this, right?"
"What about another fork? We can share a fork, or maybe I can just lick the frosting and you eat the cake."
I stared at him. "Eww."
"Oh, come on. I don't—”
“Uh-uh, no, we're not doing that."
"Come on,” he said, laughing.
"Licking frosting is like sharing toothbrush."
He laughed. "You mean to tell me you've never shared your toothbrush with someone you're dating?"
I shuddered. "No. I tend not to have relationships that last that long. But also, ewww."
He laughed. "Oh, come on. You're putting toothpaste on the brush, right? So it's already getting clean."
I shook my head. "No. No, no, no."
He just laughed. "I’ve got a toothbrush in there that you should use to brush your teeth before you go."
I shuddered. "No. Gross."
I knew he was fucking with me.
He relented and stood up and got himself another fork before joining me on the couch.
"Which birthday is this?"
"Twenty-two. In the States, that would have some big significant meaning. Not too much here."
He laughed. "Right. But it's still your birthday. You should still do something to celebrate."
"My brother will pull some family dinner on me tomorrow. There will be more cake. Although, he never seems to listen when I tell him that I'm not twelve and I don't want an ice cream cake anymore."
"What’s wrong with ice cream cake?”
"I don't know. They're great sometimes, but I can't eat a whole one."
"Well, it's your birthday, so you should have whatever kind of cake you want."
"Agreed." I scooped up another forkful of cake.
"So what's your brother like? Do you still live with him?"
I nodded. "He is overprotective." It was the nicest word I could think of.
"If you were my sister, I probably wouldn't let you out of the house either."
I rolled my eyes. "What's that supposed to mean?"
He laughed and then leaned back on the sofa, one arm casually placed against the back edge. "Besides you being well fit? And men being twats?”
"Whatever the hell that means."
"Oh, come on, you must know."
I shrugged. "Know what?"
He eyed me up and down. "You're clearly a stunner."
I shrugged. “I don’t feel like one.”
"What do you mean? Other blokes you're dealing with must be blind."
I laughed. "You are very good for the ego, Mr. King."
"I have eyeballs. My eyesight is not compromised.”
"Yes, I see you do. And they are a very pretty color."
"Hold on. It's your birthday. I give you the compliments."
"By all means, please do." I laughed.
He studied me then. "You're taking the piss, right?"
"About what?"
"About blokes not fancying you."
"I didn't say that. But the blokes that fancy me, most of them can't seem to take not being fancied back. For the last two years I've been in the haze of grief and school. I haven't really had time to focus on anything like relationships, so I don't really date much."
"That’s bullshit."
"Are you hitting on me, Mr. King?"
He nodded enthusiastically. "Yes, a hundred percent."
His honesty made me laugh. "I'm not your type. I promise you."
His gaze narrowed. "And pray tell, what is my type?"
Shit. I cleared my throat. "Look, you are obviously, uh, very attractive."
He lifted a brow. "Oh, I like where this is going. Keep talking."
"The way you zeroed in on me at the club, you don't ever have to approach someone. But the ones who intrigue you aren’t the ones that are more obvious. And you clearly like a challenge.”
He cocked his head and smiled. “You stared first.”
When I stuck my tongue out at him, he continued. “Suffice it to say you're beautiful, smart, and you have this hidden quality to you. A part you keep far away from everyone else. You don't show it, but I could see it. The moment our eyes met, I could feel it. I think you sell yourself short. You are impossible to look away from. Most women I know act coy and turn away. But you… You made me work. You don't look away. You don’t hide from hard things. That's exceptionally sexy. You are clearly clever, and you can kick arse with the best of them. You don't see yourself clearly enough because you're comparing yourself to Tabs. Is she beautiful? A hundred percent. But what you see is what you get. She's open. You are an untapped well of emotions. More complex."