Page 13 of Affinity

Reeves sat his phone down and scrutinized every inch of me before he opened his mouth. I watched as he slowly licked his kissable lower lip and spoke words that I couldn’t comprehend. I wanted to feel his mouth against mine. Shaking my head, I tried to concentrate on what he was saying.

“If you make a list, I can have it delivered tomorrow. It would probably be wise if you stayed clear of the grocery store until another scandal hits or we go together. You don’t want the paparazzi to swarm you when you’re alone.”

I hadn’t thought about that. “Thanks. Do you at least have something to drink in your fridge?”

Turning around, he opened the door to reveal it full of water and beer bottles. I thought he wasn’t supposed to drink and wondered if he’d notice if I threw them all out.

“Do you, by any chance, have any sweet tea?” I asked, unable to hide the hope in my voice.

“This is all I got, but you can put it on your list.”

When he pulled out a beer, I almost choked on my saliva. “Are you supposed to be drinking?” I asked hesitantly.

Leaning his hip into the counter, Reeves ran a hand through his dark brown hair. “I’m not an alcoholic. Catherine made me go to rehab after I got a DUI, but I can assure you it’s not a problem.”

I wasn’t sure about that, but I had no right to argue with him.

Spotting a notepad in the menu drawer, I grabbed it and started to make a list of the basics I would need. Reeves literally had no food in his kitchen. When he was off the phone, I asked, “How long have you lived here?”

“I bought it after my divorce so . . . ” he hummed to himself, “a little over a year ago.”

An entire year and his kitchen was still empty. It was definitely a bachelor pad, but it made me wonder how he lived like this. That was going to change now that I was here.

“What are some of your favorite meals?” I was definitely planning some barbecues to utilize his outdoor kitchen. The best thing about living in LA was there was never really a winter, and I could grill all year round.

He looked at me in contemplation. “I can’t remember the last time I had a home-cooked meal. I’ll eat anything you make for me, but if you really want to know, I love steak, burgers, whatever.” The more he talked, the more his eyes lit up with excitement.

“I was thinking it would be nice to barbecue outside. Maybe tomorrow night we can do burgers, I can make potato salad, some grilled veggies, and corn on the cob.”

I could almost see Reeves starting to drool as I said tomorrow night’s menu.

“That would be great.” He looked like he wanted to say more, but his phone rang, letting him know the pizza delivery person was at the gate.

“I’m going to go change before we eat if that’s okay.” I didn’t want to sit around in a dress while we ate pizza.

“Sure, my house is your house now. Make yourself comfortable.” He smirked at me as he went to the front door to retrieve our dinner.

I liked playful Reeves. It was much better than when he was being an asshole.

Quickly, I changed into the only clean clothes left in my suitcase. They were what I had planned to wear on the ride home so I could be comfortable, but I knew I wasn’t going to roll out of the hotel with paparazzi taking my picture in a tank top and yoga pants.

I found Reeves in the living room with the pizza box beside him on the couch, staring up at his big-screen TV with half a slice sticking out of his mouth. Sitting down on the other side of the box, I picked up a piece of pepperoni pizza and aimed my gaze toward whatever he was watching. It was some weird sci-fi movie that I didn’t care to watch.

We ate our dinner in silence. Reeves chuckled at the movie a few times and seemed content to ignore that I was in his space. Once we finished off the pizza, I gathered our trash and his beer bottle and threw them away in the kitchen.

Heading back into the living room to say goodnight, I stopped when I found it empty. I wasn’t sure how, but while I was in the kitchen only feet away, Reeves had managed to turn off the TV and slip out without me even knowing. I guess there was no need for me to say goodnight to him. He didn’t even care enough to let me know he was done watching the movie. Not that I cared about the movie, but still, it was rude.

Keeping my clothes on, minus the bra, I slipped into my new bed. It was softer than anything I’d ever lain on. The sheets were cool and melted around my body, and the comforter fit snuggly under my chin as I relaxed into the bed. No matter how great it felt, I still couldn’t get my brother’s words or how disappointed he sounded as I lied to him out of my head. He probably knew I was lying and was testing me, to which I failed miserably. He knew I’d never run off and get married without at least speaking to him first. He was my only family, and to him, I’d forgotten all about him.

Tears silently slipped down my cheeks as I tried to think of a way to make things better between Paul and me. He’d given up years of his life to take care of me, and this was how I repaid him. I was the worst sister on the planet.

Eventually, I cried myself to sleep, only to wake up a few hours later with red, puffy eyelids and a lump in my throat. I wasn’t ready to be Reeves Jenner’s wife or to face my brother the next time I saw him.

Slipping out of bed, I took a hot shower to try and relax my tight muscles, the result of tossing and turning during the little sleep I did get. I was still sore from whatever had happened between Reeves and the night before. I even had his fingerprints bruised on my skin to remind me that we had gotten down and dirty and had lots of fun doing it. I wish I could remember what happened. It had been too long since I’d had sex, and then I couldn’t even remember it. Maybe it wasn’t that great, but I knew what he was packing.

Forced to put on the same clothes, I hoped the rest of my things would arrive today. It would give me something to do to keep my mind off of my brother and new husband.

I let out a yawn and went in search of coffee. I hadn’t seen a coffeemaker last night, and I wouldn’t be surprised to find out that Reeves also went to Starbucks every morning or had his assistant bring it to him. If he didn’t own one, he was about to. I couldn’t start my day without coffee, and it wouldn’t take long for me to kill him if I was deprived.

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