Pure Wicked (Wicked Lovers #9.5)(26)
Author: Shayla Black

“Hey, it’s not a big deal. Really.”

Bristol smiled when she realized he meant it. “Thanks.”

“Hungry? I tossed together some stuff for sandwiches and salads last night, using your leftovers. Hope that was all right.”

“Sure.” She normally didn’t neglect to feed her guest for over twenty-four hours. Geez, she really had been tired.

“I’ll make you a plate.”

She cocked her head at him. Hayden had never been half so helpful. Or caring. As soon as they’d begun dating, he’d expected her to feed him more often than not after cooking all day. He’d claimed that all his pencil pushing behind a desk exhausted him, so more often than not he’d preferred to end the day with a blow job. Less effort on his part than actual sex.

She and Jamie hadn’t done more than share a bed and some skin for a few hours but already he was far more considerate. Giddy little butterflies began dancing in her belly, and Bristol had to remind herself that being a nice human being didn’t mean he intended to be romantic. And they were not having a relationship.

“That would be great.” She smiled his way.

“Give me a minute and I’ll get you fed.”

“Thanks. I’m going to dry my hair now and hope that I don’t look like Medusa when I’m done.”

“I’m pretty sure that’s impossible since you’re gorgeous, but go for it.”

Bristol rolled her eyes at the compliment. “I look terrible. You don’t have to butter me up, but I appreciate it.”

As she turned for the bathroom, Jamie grabbed her wrist and snapped her around, flush against his chest. “I’m serious. I think you’re beautiful. You’re not calling me a liar, are you?”

His silky tone warned her that would be a bad idea. Bristol swallowed against the sudden tension in the air. “No. I just…”

“Don’t take compliments well?” He raised a brow at her as if he already knew the answer. “As long as I’m around, you need to start accepting them. And believing them.”

She stared up into his dark eyes in breathless disbelief. He may not be trying to romance her…but he was certainly making her heart flap and quiver. Which made her feel like a twit. She had to stop reading happily-ever-after into his nice gestures.

“Sure. Okay. Thanks.” She pulled gently at her wrist, eager to leave the room before she made an idiot out of herself.

Jamie was slow to release her. “I’ll have your food ready in ten. Then we can talk.”

What did he want to say? She’d rather they simply had sex. She didn’t find tangling between the sheets with him nearly as confusing as watching him defend her against Hayden or staring back into his eyes as he complimented her. But she had a few things to say if she was going to persuade him to go with her to dinner on Tuesday night at her mom’s house, then move on afterward.

“Sounds good.” She nodded his way vaguely.

After managing to brush her hair and somewhat tame the strands with a blow dryer, she tossed on her work clothes and spruced up with a dose of mascara and lip-gloss. When she tiptoed into the kitchen, she found Jamie setting a plate of what looked like a ham sandwich on thick sourdough and a mixed greens salad with some mandarin oranges and feta crumbles.

She sat and blinked down at her plate. “You did this?”

“Yeah.” He shrugged. “My parents worked a lot when I was a kid. I learned how to fend for myself by foraging from the fridge. This is easy. It’s not as difficult as making turducken. Or your fabulous cookies.”

But she really couldn’t think of the last time anyone had cooked for her. It was a small gesture. Maybe this was his way of thanking her for letting him crash here. But that intent gleam from his dark eyes sparkled with something far more personal than gratitude.

Her breath caught. Her heart loped into a gallop. “I’m sure it’s great. I really appreciate it. And I’m, um…glad you didn’t bail while I slept.”

“About that…” For the first time since she’d met him, Jamie looked uncomfortable. “Look, if you don’t need me to go, I’d love to stay a few days.”

Did he need money? Was he between jobs or houses? Did it really matter since he only wanted a few days and she needed him to stick around that long? No, but everything felt more complicated because some silly part of her didn’t want to let him go.

Bristol studied him. “You okay?”

He pulled at the back of his neck. “Yeah. I’d like to spend some time with you before I go back to work.”

“So you do have a job?”