Page 19 of Tricking an Introvert

Cole

Cole wasn’t a violent person. He’d never attacked anyone unprovoked. His last brawl had been in high school, against some of Michael’s bullies.

That said, whoever had hurt Tessa enough to make her cry needed to be punched. Hard.

Cole didn’t know what to do, how to act. Did she need space? He wanted to give her a hug. Given the fact that they’d met a week ago, it would have been weird. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and waited for her to come back with her pizza.

“Pepperoni. You in?” she asked.

She’d dried her tears, although her eyes were still red and her cheeks flushed.

“Pepperoni pizza and The Princess Bride. It takes a monster to say no to that.”

She laughed, heading to her sofa. She set the pizza box on her tree trunk coffee table. “Can you bring the coffee over?”

He was already on his way with their drinks.

She sat up with her feet tucked under her ass, leaving plenty of room for him.

“Should I remove my shoes?” he offered.

“Sure, whatever, if it’s comfortable.”

He did so, also shedding his suit jacket and opening the top button of his shirt.

She knew all the lines, mumbling them under her breath. Somehow, it wasn’t annoying. The pizza soon disappeared. Cole winced. “Sorry I highjacked your dinner. Did you have enough?”

She shrugged, eyes glued to the screen. “I’ll make something later.”

Cole glanced back at the kitchen area.

“Shall I make dessert?” he offered.

Now Tessa gawked at him. “You make desserts?”

He had to roll his eyes. “We bachelors have to feed ourselves somehow.”

“You don’t even take cream in your coffee,” she reminded him. “That doesn’t exactly scream 'dessert man.'”

“I have a sweet tooth,” Cole admitted. “But commercially bought desserts tend to have an excessive amount of crap—too much sugar, tons of preservatives, whatever. If I make it myself, I can control what’s in it. As long as you have some staples, I can probably whip up something.”

“Fair,” she replied. “And yeah, I cook at breakfast and lunch, so there’s a bit of everything. Shall we pause the movie? I’ll be your sous chef.”

He accepted her assistance gratefully. Returning to the kitchen, Cole looked in her fridge, pantry, and fruit bowl before making a decision.

“Poire belle Helene. How does that sound?”

She moaned. “I think I came a little bit just thinking about it. Yes, please!”

Cole closed his eyes, doing his best to banish her words, her sounds from his mind. Damn. That. Fucking. Friend zone.

“All right. I’ll start on the chocolate sauce. Could you peel the pears?”

“Yes, sir.”

Jesus. Tessa on her knees, whispering those words…

Cole shook his head. The woman was cruel.

---