Her stomach growled again. Loudly.
“Wow.” Harry gestured at the monster hiding in her belly. “Sounds like it’s a good thing our next stop is the café.” He smiled and Willow fought down a surge of panic. If there was one thing she’d learned over the years, it was that cafés rarely had the kind of foods she could eat.
But that’s why you’ve been so good today, she reminded herself. So you could be a little relaxed this afternoon.
When Harry took her hand, the shiver of pleasure at the contact joined forces with the panic over food, churned around in her empty belly, and made her lightheaded. She stumbled, then closed her eyes, breathing deeply as she blinked away the dizzy spell.
Noticing the change, Harry leaned in, steadying her with a hand on her shoulder, his gentle eyes searching her own. “What’s wrong? You okay?”
Willow forced a smile and thought happy thoughts to make the expression look as genuine as possible. “Oh sure,” she said, giving his hand a little squeeze. “That run took more out of me than I thought. Not used to running on sand, I guess.”
“What have you had to eat today?”
And there it was. The question she dreaded most. No one in the normal world understood her dietary habits and the truth was sure to earn her a well-meaning but totally unnecessary lecture. “With The Nutcracker opening soon, I have to get down to performance weight.”
“This morning, you answered a question with a question. Now, you’re answering questions with explanations.” Harry quirked a brow. “One has to wonder if Willow Tamran ever says what she’s really thinking.”
He was joking. No doubt about it. Good humor was written all over his face. And usually, good-natured ribbing was totally Willow’s style, but that last statement landed with a heavy smack of truth she wasn’t ready for.
Grimacing, she prepared herself for his reaction. “I haven’t had anything to eat yet.”
His eyes narrowed. “Nothing at all?”
“I ate more than I should have yesterday.”
“And you’re trying to make up for it today.” He was taking the news with more grace than she expected. Her surprise must have been written all over her face because Harry loosed a gentle laugh. “I was a wrestler in high school. I remember how much it sucked, trying to make weight.”
With a long sigh, Willow bobbed her head. “I’ve never met a normal person who understood.”
“On behalf of all normal people everywhere, I’d like to apologize.” He wrapped an arm around her waist. “You’ll have to let me cook for you sometime. That’s the beauty of knowing a chef. I can create delicious meals that meet your dietary restrictions and still manage to fuel that body of yours. I don’t like to think of you going hungry.”
Willow doubted that was true, but loved that he was willing to try. “The list of reasons I’m glad I met you keeps growing.”
“There’s a list?” A devilish grin lit Harry’s face. “Will I get to see it someday?”
With a quirk of her brow and a shrug of her shoulders, Willow turned away. “Maybe.”
His reaction to her admission was so unexpected it almost felt like a trap. One thing was for sure, Harrison Moore was full of surprises and she was eager to unveil them all.
Chapter Twelve
Harry
Considering they were in the last week of November, the wind blowing off the ocean was unseasonably warm. It swirled in the fabric of Willow’s dress and lifted her hair from her shoulders. Harry wondered what it would be like to touch her like that.
A light caress up one of those lean legs, a whisper of contact at her shoulder, drawing her hair off her neck so he could brush his lips across her skin, lingering at her hairline. His dick twitched with a surge of lust so strong, he had to rely on thoughts of his grandma in a bathing suit to combat his growing erection.
He led Willow to the GTO where she opened her purchases and arranged them in a basket, taking the time to stage each and every item in a particular place that only she seemed to understand. Harry gave a snort of approval when she finished. “I didn’t know a basket full of basics could look so beautiful.”
Willow beamed as she shoved the trash in a bag and stowed it in the front seat. “I hope something in here helps with the morning sickness.”
“She’s gonna love it. Even if none of these things help with the nausea itself, the random act of kindness is sure to make her feel better.” Taking the basket from her, he studied the contents. “I’ll admit, when you asked if I minded running some errands, I thought maybe you had the wrong idea about why I invited you to hang out with me today.”
“Afraid I didn’t realize you’d asked me on a date?” Willow met his eyes with a smile.
“Exactly. I was thinking more along the lines of a walk on the beach that led to dinner and drinks. Maybe a sunset. You know, pretty much tick off everything on the list of perfect ways to woo a woman.”
Despite the wide grin he hoped alerted her to the presence of a joke, her face fell. “I’m sorry if wandering through the shops of Bliss wasn’t what you had in mind.”
“Don’t be.” Harry put a finger under her chin and lifted her face to his. “Once I understood your plan, I couldn’t think of a better way to spend the day. Besides, the whole point of today was getting to know you better. We definitely accomplished that, didn’t we? I know you have a big heart. I know you care about making people feel better. And I know you could take on Lilah in a battle for design and be a serious contender.” He held up the basket with a flourish. “May I present exhibit A.”
Harry admired compassion. Not many people went out of their way for others anymore. Especially not for total strangers.
