Page 37 of Caught Looking

So I changed the conversation. “You enjoy cooking?”

“I do. Both my parents love it. They make meals into events. Sometimes they spend hours in the kitchen cooking and tasting and drinking.” He picked up his wine glass and held it towards mine before taking a sip. “I learned along the way. But top priority was perfecting my mother’s mac and cheese recipe so I can have it whenever I want. Of course I prefer when she makes it, but at least I can stand in when I’m on my own.”

He added the pasta to the sauce and pulled out four bowls. In two he created a quick salad full of vegetables and a light vinaigrette he mixed himself. Then he spooned out two servings of pasta and slid my two bowls across the counter. “Dinner is served.”

“It smells incredible.” My mouth watered as the steam wafted to my nose. I took the spoon and dished up a bite, waiting for it to cool. “Oh my god,” I moaned as I devoured the spoonful of sinful macaroni and cheese.

“I’ll let Mom know she has a new fan.”

“Seriously.” I ate several bites before setting it aside for the salad. Seth stood at the counter across from me doing the same. He really did look natural like this. Soft shirt, worn jeans, smiling and cooking.Damn.

Roscoe chased his empty bowl across the kitchen. Seth laughed, swiping it up. “Want some water, buddy?” He swapped one bowl for the other.

“He’s going to pass out. A day at doggy daycare, a new place to explore, and now a fancy dinner?”

Seth grinned as he kept eating. “You know, I think I met your parents once. I’ll warn you now, I don’t think I made a good impression.”

He met my parents? “When?”

“Last season. Rhett brought his parents around with another couple. They said something about heading over to the Tangerines game next.”

“That was probably them. They like to come when we’re both playing at home and make a big family weekend of it.”

A look of regret crossed his face. “I had done something stupid and everyone was talking about it. So my way of dealing with it was to be more of an ass.” He shook his head.

“Don’t worry about it.” My parents probably wouldn’t remember it. And even if they did, they wouldn’t connect the dots. That’s just not who they were. More than likely they cataloged the information and stored it for a time, deleting the mental file when they deemed it unimportant.

Seth set his bowl down with a growl. “But I do worry about it, Annalise. I want them to like me and I’ve already dropped the ball.”

My heart beat a little faster as butterflies took off in my chest. I liked that he cared. I liked it alot.But I needed to explain.“My parents are the most chill people ever.” So chill it made me feel a little insignificant sometimes, even if it wasn’t the goal. “They roll with the punches. They aren’t judgmental. When I said I wanted to play soccer they said okay. When I wanted to go to a special academy where I could play at a higher level and finish school, they helped me pack. Nothing fazes them.” I saw parents who cried when they left their kids at the academy or college. I also saw parents who didn’t seem to care at all. My parents were this weird in between. I knew they loved me and wanted the best, but they also seemed a little relieved that I was fine taking care of myself.

That look was back in Seth’s eyes. The one he’d had as he studied my face. “When did you leave home?”

“Fifteen.”

“Damn. I knew a few guys who went to boarding schools. I always wondered if they really loved it or if they secretly hated it.”

“I loved it because it meant I was doing what I loved all the time. But yeah, it got lonely sometimes.” I shrugged thinking of all the nights I stared at the ceiling all night, wishing I had someone to fuss over me.

When I looked up from my bowl I found Seth’s steady gaze still on me, still seeing something I didn’t understand. He set his bowl aside and came to me, settling between my legs as he took my face in his hands once again. I held my breath. Every time he touched me it was hard to breathe. My heart pounded. He didn’t need to kiss me to make me dizzy. Just being near him did that. Seth Butler was a drug.

“What did you think of dinner?”

“It was amazing.” My entire body hummed. I hadn’t felt this alive in…ever. No one had ever made my body tingle and ache like this before. And all he had to do was touch me.

“I like having you in my home. I only wish it was bigger. And had a yard.”

“But you have a balcony.” One Roscoe was currently making the rounds on before heading back to the couch to bed down for the night. He’d already checked every door and window. If he wasn’t completely zonked out he’d probably do it again after we fell asleep.

“It’s not good enough.”

“It’s more than enough.” I hooked my hands over his forearms, needing to feel him. If he kept touching me I was going to combust.

“Annalise. Tell me you want this. That I haven’t pushed my way into your life and you’re going to regret me later.” There was genuine worry in his handsome eyes.

And that obliterated the last of my doubts. “Just don’t hurt me.”

“I won’t. I promise.”

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