Page 51 of Heart Strain

“Liar.”

I grin at him, but when he looks into my eyes with a smile, I turn away. If I don’t, I’ll end up attacking him again, and I don’t want him to get the wrong idea. I don’t date. I sleep with guys when I need to get off with something other than my hand, and then I move on with my life, most of the time without remembering their name. And as much as I want to sleep with Jameson again, I don’t want to hurt him.

He clears his throat. “What do you want for dinner?”

“Do you have any groceries?”

“Yeah, I went earlier before I came to the hospital. I made sure to get some tofu and those frozen veggie burgers you like.”

I smile at that and my chest warms at his thoughtfulness. “Thank you.”

He shrugs and waves me off. “No big deal. Did you want to cook tonight or something?”

“Yeah, I’ll throw something together. I’m kinda sick of ordering out.”

“I’ll help.”

I head into the kitchen, but look over my shoulder at him. “You’re only allowed in here if you promise to follow my instructions.”

He grins and follows me in. “Deal.”

He walks to the back door to let Peanut out while I head for the fridge, and when I realize we’ve fallen into such a habit, it makes me wonder if this is what it would be like if we dated. It would, right? Only there’d be sex, too. Lots of sex. Naked sex. Mmm. A naked Jameson.

“What’s that face for? Did I buy the wrong thing? I thought that’s what you got last time,” Jameson says, and I notice that I’ve been standing here staring at the fridge long enough that Peanut’s already back inside.

I blink at Jameson, then glance at the tofu and shake my head. “No, it’s right.”

“Then what’s wrong? What’re you thinking about?”

“Oh, nothing. I dunno.” I quickly grab the tofu, veggies, and sauce from the fridge and shut the door, and turn to him with a grin. “Let’s throw something together that’s quick. I’m starving.”

“Me too. I haven’t eaten since breakfast.”

I pause to glare at him. “Are you serious?”

“Yeah.” He shrugs.

“Foxy, you’re not allowed to skip meals. I forbid it.”

For some reason this makes him grin.

“What?”

“You’re kinda sexy when you’re pissed.”

I open my mouth to retort, but then I glance at his lips and he licks them, instantly making heat pull in my belly. When I tear my gaze away, he’s grinning at me, so I stammer out, “N-no I’m not.”

He chuckles. “Yes, you are.”

Feeling flustered, I turn away from him and start the rice. I can’t believe he said that to me. What was he trying to do? Get in my pants again? Glancing over my shoulder, I see him staring at me with something that resembles affection. There’s a hunger there, sure, but there’s kindness and tenderness, too. And it makes me feel wanted in a way I’m not used to.

The guys I’ve been with have only ever wanted to use me—the same way I wanted to use them—but I can tell that Jameson genuinely likes me as a person. Not only that, but he cares about me, too. I see it and feel it every day. Even the fact that he bought my favorite tofu and veggie burgers. I mean, who does that, right? Only someone that would be looking for more than sex. Right?

“Jameson?”

“What’s up?”

“Can you wash the veggies so I can chop them up?”

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