I looked at him with amusement.
“What, are you scared?” I asked. “You’re living by yourself. Maybe you don’t want to watch something like that.”
He rolled his eyes. “It’s not me I’m worried about, it’s you.”
I scoffed and ordered him to cue it up.
He did, and I got comfortable at his side. Not necessarily leaning into him, but close enough that I could feel the heat emanating from his body.
The first part of the show started, and I tensed when I saw the funeral parlor.
“They just start right off with a bang, don’t they?” I murmured, staring at it.
A light touch on my arm had me looking over my shoulder with a gasp.
“Dad!” I cried out.
He rolled his eyes and gave me the pizza box. “Mom ordered some Cinnastix, too. If you want some, you’ll have to come fight us for them in the kitchen.” He paused. “Possibly an arm-wrestling match. Though, your mother would have to do it since I don’t really have an arm.”
I snickered and thanked him for the box. Then handed it to Banner as I stood to go get us drinks and towels.
When I came back, he was patiently waiting for me to get back before he handed me the first slice.
“There’s another pizza in there,” I said. “Don’t get all sad and eat less than you normally would.”
He flashed me a grin and hit play on the show we’d been about to watch.
I was happily nibbling on my third piece when I nearly choked to death.
Banner hit pause and slapped me on the back, looking at me with concern.
“Do you need me to give you the Heimlich?” he asked, not altogether joking.
I shook my head.
“No,” I wheezed, eyes watering. “I think that a little bite went down the wrong hole, though. I swear to God. That was bad.”
“The almost choking thing, or the dead girl not dead thing?” he asked curiously.
“Both,” I whispered, wiping my eyes with the back of my hand.
He grinned and took another slice, this time not hitting play as we continued to eat.
When I was finished, he was getting up to take the empty box into the kitchen. Just as I was about to go find him because he was taking too long, he came back with another couple of drinks, another pizza, and a box of Cinnastix.
“Wow,” I said. “Did you have to beg him for that?”
He grinned. “They got two boxes. But I did have to promise that I wouldn’t spill the icing.”
I rolled my eyes and took the smaller box from him, digging in while he polished off four more pieces.
“You weren’t joking,” I said around a bite of ooey goodness. “What’s your favorite pizza?”
He lifted the pepperoni as if in answer.
“I’m an original crust, pepperoni kind of guy,” he said. “I’ll try the other ones. But really if I’m going to eat, this is my jam.”
He pushed the half-eaten pizza away and eyed the dessert I was stuffing my face with.
“Am I going to get any of that?” he asked curiously.
I licked my finger clean and shrugged. “I guess I could be convinced to share.”
“Convinced?” he asked teasingly, his mouth kicked up into a smirk.
I nodded once, eyeing him innocently. “You just have to win an arm-wrestling contest.”
He choked and reached for the box, but I snatched it away before he could get his greedy hands on it. “Nuh-uh. I still have two pieces left before I get to half.”
“But you’re eating all the icing,” he teased, tickling my sides.
I started to giggle, and soon I stopped struggling altogether because I realized that he was practically laying on top of me.
Feeling feisty, I offered him my half-eaten piece and he ate it.
I grinned when it left behind some cinnamon and icing on his lips.
Lips that I very much wanted to kiss.
I leaned upward, about to lay my lips on his, and then my dad broke the moment. “I have a half a box left of the Cinna-shit if you want it!”
His yell had Banner reluctantly moving off of me.
Then he winked and took his half-eaten pizza back into the kitchen.
He came back moments later with the other half of my parents’ dessert and a smirk on his face.
“Did you know there’s an entire icing here untouched?” He wiggled it at me.
I rolled my eyes and finished off my last piece, then pushed the box toward him.
He finished off all of it.
There wasn’t a speck left as he leaned back with a groan.
“You’re gonna be slow as hell at practice tomorrow,” I teased, poking him with one toe.
He turned just his head to look at me.
“Worth it.”
I licked my fingers clean and then crawled back to my spot, this time managing to get just a little bit closer than I had been before.
He pressed play again on the show, and this time, I waited in anticipation for the next thing to happen.
It wasn’t long in coming.
The moment the next scary thing happened, I covered my face with my hands and peeked out between my fingers.
I could practically feel Banner’s attention centered on me, but I couldn’t stop myself.
This show was scary!
“Per?”
I looked over at him, not bothering to remove my hands.
“Yeah?” I asked.
He held his hand out, arm raised as if he wanted me to come cuddle.
And I didn’t even hesitate. One second I was on my cushion, and the next I was sharing his.
He felt warm, and solid, and hard and smelled yummy.
And he gave good cuddles.
“Perfect,” he rumbled, sounding content.
I resituated myself until I was lying with my head on his chest, but still able to see the show.
He rested his chin on my head, running his hand up and down the length of my arm.
When I started to shiver, he reached back and tugged the afghan off the back of the couch, covering me with it.
I moved until I was even closer to him, my legs resting against his thighs now.
But before I could get
