Page 59 of Objection to Love

She sent him a dry look, and he laughed. Which meant she had to laugh too.

“Okay, so how do you want to do this?”

Her laughter died down. He was gesturing at the bed, and Em suddenly felt very awkward. And hot. Like her cheeks were on fire.

“Well, that’s new.” Amusement laced Garrett’s tone.

Her gaze shot to his. “What?”

“You. Blushing. It’s pretty cute.” The lopsided grin on his face was aggravating. And attractive. But mostly aggravating.

“Shut up.”

He mimed zipping his lips, but his eyes sparked with amusement.

She looked around the room, but there was really only one option. “We can just sit on the bed. There’s nowhere else to sit.”

With a nod, he knocked his shoes off and jumped onto the bed. Jumped. Onto her bed. In his gray joggers and black t-shirt. Her frilly white comforter had never looked so out of place. She grabbed a spoon and the container of ice cream—Ben and Jerry’s, which raised Em’s opinion of Garrett—and sat down on the other side of the bed. With an entire pillow’s length between them. Garrett pointed the remote at the TV and settled further into the decorative pillows that had come with the bedding set.

“Hey, Garrett?”

He looked over at her, his folded arm propping him up on the bed, showing off his upper arms quite well. “Yeah?” His expression was open, full of interest, and Em couldn’t help turning the tables on him and his teasing just a bit.

“You have two TVs?”

His eyes narrowed, the interest fleeing. “Yes. Now be quiet, or we’ll miss the beginning.”

Em chuckled a little to herself before settling into the pillows on her side of the bed. But the bed suddenly jostled as Garrett got up. “What are you doing?”

He placed a finger to his lips, pointed at the TV, and ducked out of the room. Em watched the door with confusion until he returned with something in his hand. He came toherside, leaning over and grabbing a pillow from his side of the bed. His chest nearly touched her stomach as he reached across the mattress. Overexcited butterflies erupted within her, and she held her breath. But then he pulled back and gently lifted her leg to stick the pillow under her foot. Even through her pants, the warmth of his hand sent tingles up her leg.

The unidentified object he’d returned to the room with was an ice pack wrapped in a towel, which he laid over her ankle.

“Take that off in fifteen minutes,” was all he said before he crossed back to his side of the bed and burrowed back into her pillows.

Em blinked a few times before the opening screen ofHarry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stonecame into view.

Who was this man? And how in the heck could she manage to keep him around?

Chapter 21

Garrett

Emhadalotof throw pillows.

For someone who didn’t even own a TV, she evidently held an affinity for pillows on her bed. And Garrett had never in his life been so thankful for such a seemingly pointless home decor item. Because, for all his making fun of her and her blushing, he was pretty surehisface was currently bright red. And if she couldn’t feel the slamming of his heart vibrating through her admittedly soft bed, he would be astounded.

This was supposed to be a fun, easy activity. Something to get Em’s mind off the sprain that Garrett felt responsible for. Yet somehow it had turned into something far more intimate, despite the nearly three feet of space between them.

Which he’d already devised about seven plans to lessen. The space, that was. Because if he was going to be lying on Em’s bed, he’d much rather have her tucked up against him.

He was fully aware that he shouldn’t be thinking that way. Em had indicated her total lack of desire to date him. And, really, he shouldn’t want to date her either. He wasn’t in town for long, and Em was married to her job.

But she was also funny, smart, and in need of a little bit more excitement in her life.

And Garrett really wanted to be that excitement. Heaven help him.

He glanced over at Em through his pillow barricade, considering. An eighth idea popped into his head. “Hey, you aren’t eating all the ice cream, are you?”

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