His eyes softened as he stared down into mine. “Thank God.”
“Did I tell you that I closed all my social media accounts?” I knew Patrick would continue stalking me online if I kept them.”
He looked relieved as he leaned up against the counter, his arms folded over his very broad chest. “Good. We already have too many social media junkies living in Summit Lake anyway. I’ve seen both men and women invest more of their time and attention toward the digital world than their loved ones sitting across from them. It’s ridiculous. Another reason why I stay away from all of that stuff.”
“What about promoting your restaurant. You don’t have a Facebook page?”
“Of course.” He smiled. “But I pay someone to do it for me.”
“Ah.”
He closed the short distance between us and cupped my cheek. My stomach erupted in butterflies as he brushed the pad of his thumb across my skin tenderly. “These past few weeks have been… unforgettable. I don’t remember ever being so happy.”
“I feel the same way.” I closed my eyes, enjoying the warmth of his hand.
“When we’re not together, I miss the hell out of you. When we are together, there never seems to be a dull moment. I feel like every day with you is special. Something… new. But, I also feel like we’ve known each other for years. Does that make any sense?”
I nodded and opened my eyes. There was already such an astounding level of comfort between us. The kind that usually took time to grow. “Maybe it’s because we have so much in common?”
I’d learned that not only did he love to fish, but was an avid deep-sea fisherman. He re-introduced me to kayaking and playing pool, which I hadn’t done in quite a few years. He also had a passion for reading, which really surprised me. I’d never met a guy who enjoyed spending an afternoon immersed in a book. The weekend before, we downloaded the same thriller—a new release by a popular author we both loved. It had been so satisfying, sitting next to him by the fireplace, our eyes glued to our e-readers. He read a little faster, but would stop and wait when there was a jaw-dropping moment, just to see my reaction. The man was definitely amazing and sometimes I had to pinch myself just to see if I was dreaming.
“Maybe. I just know that I’ve fallen pretty hard for you, Sophia.” His beautiful blue eyes searched mine, hope and devotion coloring their depths.
His words made my heart sing. I was already so in love with him, but had been too afraid to admit how much he meant to me. Not only that, but my self-confidence was still pretty shaky after being cheated on by my shitty ex. Hell, I’d almost been holding my breath, waiting for Mitch to get bored and move on. He was so damn handsome and sexy, it was hard to believe he wouldn’t. Not to mention, the guy had rocked my world in the bedroom. We’d started having sex after our third date and he made every previous guy I’d ever been with seem… clueless.
“You have?” I asked.
“Yeah, but not like in a psychotic way,” he added quickly. “Like… you-know-who...”
I laughed dryly. “No, I would never compare you to him.”
He almost looked relieved. As if he’d really been worried. “So, what about you? What are your thoughts? Would you like to keep things casual?” he asked.
“Casual?” I smiled and decided to go for it. The way he was staring at me gave me an unexpected spark of confidence. “For me, this has been anything but casual. I… love being with you. I can’t see myself with anyone else… right now,” I added, suddenly paranoid that I might be trapping him into a corner he didn’t want to be in.
His eyes burned into mine with an intensity that took my breath away. “I can’t seem to see myself with anyone else… ever. I love you, Sophia. I know it’s probably too soon… but—”
“I love you, too.” Overwhelmed with joy, I grabbed the sides of his face and planted my lips against his.
Chuckling against my mouth, he turned the kiss into something deeper, and soon our clothes were off and the food on the stove began to burn, setting off the fire alarm. Laughing, he quickly turned it off and we opened the windows, letting the smoke out.
“Good thing the neighbors aren’t close. We’d have some explaining to do to the fire department,” he joked a few minutes later while we ate Denver Omelets.
“We’d just tell them what a lousy cook I was.”
“Hey, you’re getting better,” he replied. “Last week there was still enough water left in the pot for the noodles.”
I chuckled. I had a bad habit of forgetting about boiling water and had ruined a pot or two. “You mean the spaghetti mush I’d made?” The noodles had ended up almost unrecognizable.
“It wasn’t that bad. Besides”—he squeezed my shoulder—“I’m not with you for your cooking skills. Although,” he said as he smiled devilishly, “you certainly know how to heat me up in the kitchen.”
“Look at the pot calling the kettle black. How is a girl supposed to concentrate on dinner when a mouthwatering beefcake is staring her in the face,” I flirted back.
Laughing, he started kissing me again and that’s when my phone chimed. Recognizing Marcy’s ringtone, I grabbed my cell and read her text.
Marcy: Having a bad night. Are you working?
Me: No. What’s wrong?
Marcy: I need your advice on some things. Can you meet me at your place?
Worried, I told her that I would.
Me: Is it about Robbie?
Marcy: Yeah and other stuff. I’ll explain later.
Me: Okay.
I put my phone down and told Mitch I had to leave. “It’s Marcy. Something is up. I’m sorry. I know we were planning on binging on G.O.T. together…”
He gave me a reassuring smile. “Hey, go to your friend. She needs you and that’s way more important than any Vikings on Netflix.”
“Thank you for
