Page 60 of Objection to Love

“I fully intend to,” she responded without a glance his way.

“Nope. Not okay. That’s my favorite kind.” He had no idea what kind he’d bought. “Come here and share.”

Her eyes slanted his way.

She was onto him.

Changing gears, he tried a different tactic. “Okay, fine, give me a spoon.”

She complied, and he leaned over to take a scoop out, bringing it back toward himself.

“Ah! Stop!”

He halted, his ice cream midway between the two of them.

“You’re going to drop ice cream on my bed!”

“Oh.” He looked down as if just realizing the precarious situation his ice cream was in. “Sorry.” Holding the spoon carefully, with a hand below it just in case, he scooted himself closer.

Victory.

Finally, he ate the bite of ice cream. Some kind of chocolate with marshmallow and caramel or something. It was good.

Now, three inches apart instead of three feet, it was a lot easier to share the ice cream. And when she handed him the carton in favor of the bag of chips, they shared those too.

“It’s been years since I’ve watched a movie,” Em admitted halfway through the bag.

“You’re kidding.”

“Nope. I haven’t had time. Least of all on a Monday. Usually I just watch a quick twenty-minute TV show or something if I want to decompress.”

“Thank goodness you met me. I didn’t realize how much work I had to do here.”

Her eyes met his. She was a little lower than him, sunk fairly deep into the pillows. And everything about her drew him in. He swallowed. Heaven help him. More, this time.

“Hey, there’s nothing wrong with watching TV shows instead of movies.”

“Choosing to not watch movies is very different than not having time to.”

She opened her mouth, then closed it, apparently not having a come back.

“I rest my case,” he said, with a wink.

She shook her head at the pun, but her mouth had lifted at the corners. He knew, because his gaze kept dropping to it.

“What’s the last movie you watched?” she asked, thankfully distracting him. A little.

“Austenland,” he said.

Her lips pressed together as entertainment colored every part of her features. “What is that?”

“A movie where a girl pretends she lives in a Jane Austen book.”

“Now you’re kidding.” She shifted on the pillows to face him more directly. The smell of her perfume wafted toward him.

“Nope, not kidding. We watched it last night. It was funny.”

Her eyes squinted at him, considering.

---