“What was it?”
“You said, ‘Don’t worry. Porky Pig is my favorite Looney Tunes character.’”
Oh my God. “Because he stutters?” I laughed. “I don’t remember saying that, but I still stand by it. He was always my favorite. Honestly, that was probably because of his stutter. It gave him character.”
“What you said calmed me down that day. I went back inside and explained myself to your parents. I was still stuttering, but I got through it. No one else seemed to realize why I’d even left.” Jace flashed a gorgeous smile. “Anyway, when I look in your eyes, I still see that sweet little girl sometimes. Even though you’re far from a little girl anymore.”
I felt warm all over—not sure if it was because he’d called me sweet or had acknowledged I’d grown up.
He suddenly stood and walked over to the snack cabinet, opening it and perusing the selection. He ran his hand through his inky hair before closing the cabinet. Then he turned around and said, “Anyway, thank you for the talk.”
“Anytime.”
I was just about to head to my room when he stopped me. “Do you have plans for dinner?”
“No.”
“What time is Nathan coming back tonight?”
“He said he won’t be home until late. He had a job interview this afternoon, and then he was going to see some girl he met online. She lives about two hours away. That’s a long-ass drive. Hope she’s worth it.” I snorted.
“Ah. Okay. That’s good he’s putting himself out there, though. I was getting worried.” Jace scratched his chin before grabbing his keys. “I’m in the mood for Checkers. Would you want something if I go and bring it back?”
My stomach growled. “That sounds good.” I walked over to my purse on the counter. “Let me get some money.”
He held out his hand. “No, no, no. My treat.”
“You need to come up with a hundred grand. I’m not letting you cover my dinner.”
“I’ll live. Put it away. What do you want?”
I pulled up their online menu on my phone. “I’ll take a Mother Cruncher chicken sandwich and a Diet Coke.”
“That’s it? No fries?”
“No. I’ll just steal a few of yours.”
“I’ll get you your own.” He winked. “Be back.”
I stood by the window, watching him pull away. I didn’t know what to do with myself. Since he’d moved in, Jace and I hadn’t eaten dinner together without Nathan. I warned myself not to get too excited. For all I knew, Jace would take his food to his room and eat by himself. It wasn’t like he’d asked me out on a date. He’d merely asked if I wanted something from a fast-food joint since he was going there anyway.
It was a hot day, so while I waited, I ventured to my room and changed into a bikini. Regardless of whether Jace wanted to join me for dinner, I decided I’d eat at the table by our pool after my swim. I grabbed a towel and laid it on one of the loungers in our screened-in pool area. It was seriously the most beautiful part of our house. Surrounded by breezy palm trees, it was like being outside—minus the mosquitos or rain when it suddenly poured. It was the best of both worlds: being outside inside.
I dove into the pool and began swimming laps, one of my favorite ways to expend nervous energy. I must have lost track of time because when I finally emerged from the water, pushing the wet hair off my face, I looked up to find Jace standing by the edge of the pool. How long has he been watching me swim?
“Hey.” I wrung some of the water out of my hair. “Didn’t realize you were back.”
“I just got here.”
I stepped up the ladder. Oddly, I felt a bit self-conscious and immediately walked over to wrap my towel around me. I liked to try to look sexy around Jace, but this was my first time in a swimsuit. And being in a bikini was basically like wearing underwear and a bra. As daring as I’d been with my clothing choices lately, I was surprised to find I wasn’t that daring.
Jace had set the food on the table where I’d planned to eat. I guess he’d decided to join me out here.
“Thanks again. I’m famished. Swimming always makes me hungry.”
“Yeah. Looks like you worked up an appetite.”
“I love to swim. That pool sold me on this house when Nathan and I were looking.”
“It’s hot as fuck today. I might just go in later myself.”
I pulled out my chair. “You should. I haven’t seen you swim once since you got here.”
Jace and I opened our sandwiches and began to eat.
I went to the kitchen to grab extra ketchup, and when I returned, Jace’s eyes went wide as he watched me pour the red stuff over my pile of fries until they were totally covered.
“Care for some fries with that ketchup?” he teased.
“I put it on everything. I love ketchup.”
“I can see that.”
I peeked over at his burger. “What did you get?”
“A jalapeño burger. Wanna bite?”
“Sure.” I wasn’t going to refuse putting my mouth where his had just been. Plus, it did look good.
I leaned in as he reached across the table and offered me a taste. One of the hot peppers fell onto my chest near where the towel was wrapped around my bikini top. Not wanting to seem gluttonous, I took only a small bite and chewed, licking the corner of my mouth. “Mmm… It’s really good.”
Jace watched as I picked the pepper off of myself and placed it into my mouth.
When my eyes met his, he quickly looked down at his sandwich before getting up from his seat.
What is that about?
“I’m gonna grab a beer,” he said. “You want something?”
“I’ll take a beer, too.”
He chuckled. “Is it bad that I had to think for a second whether you’re legal to drink? It feels wrong giving you alcohol, for some reason.”
“You’ve dropped me off at the damn bar! How could you think that?”
“I know. It’s fucked-up.” He laughed as he walked backwards into the house. “Be right back.”
A minute later, Jace returned with two chilled bottles of Miller Lite. He popped one open and handed it to me.
“Thanks.” I took a long sip that felt great going down.
We polished off the rest of the food, and by the time I finished the beer, I felt pretty tipsy. Between the soft breeze blowing Jace’s scent my way and the buzz, I was on cloud nine.
Jace took it upon himself to clear our wrappers and napkins, stuffing everything into the paper bag. As he went back into the kitchen, he asked, “Want another beer?”
“I’d love one.”
When he returned, he set the bottle in front of me and sat back down. He put his feet up on an empty chair and leaned his head back, closing his eyes.
He sighed. “This is exactly what I needed…to chill at home.”
That made me happy. “Give your head a break tonight. You can always worry about work tomorrow.”
“Yeah. I think I’m gonna take your advice on that.”
While his eyes were closed, I was able to enjoy staring at his profile—his strong, angular jaw and slightly cleft chin, his perfect nose and kissable lips, the way the sun brought out a reddish tone in his otherwise black hair. Jace was even more beautiful with the sun shining on him.