Page 64 of Almost Perfect
I still shook when I thought of it, even now, but I exhaled sharply and willed myself to return to the moment. Breakfast with Callaand Warrick. Not another intimate moment. Nothing would happen.
“How’re those eggs coming, chef?” Warrick asked, patting my shoulder as he stomped into the kitchen.
“One minute.” I glanced over my shoulder to catch Calla’s eyes heavy on me. Meeting her gaze sent a bolt of pleasure through me.
“I’ll start the toast.” He popped two slices in, then clanked around collecting plates and utensils. Calla asked if she could help, and in minutes, we’d all taken seats and dug in.
I’d kept myself from looking at her for a full two minutes after we sat. Thankfully, Warrick drew us into conversation and helped me unwind a bit.
“So, are you ready to make some friends?” he asked between scoops of eggs.
“Uh… yes?”
He laughed in a way that could only be described as gleeful. “You’ll be fine. Wy told me you guys ran into two of the people who’ll be there on your date. It’ll be great.”
I sucked in a breath right as I’d taken a bite, then began coughing hard enough Warrick stood and slapped me on the back. After a sip of water and more dramatic coughing, I cleared my throat and could finally speak. “Sorry. Wrong pipe.”
Calla’s eyes flickered over me, and I willed the blush rising to my cheeks to stay hidden. I also said a quiet prayer that she not realize what Warrick said and how it clearly revealed I’d told him about our date, at least in part.
“So he told you about the date?”
Welp. So much for that hope.
Warrick wiggled his stupid eyebrows and smiled a Cheshire grin. “Oh, yes, he did.”
Red blossomed on her cheeks now, and her gaze met mine before ducking to her plate. “And what was the review?”
Fortunately, I hadn’t told him much more than the details about dinner and that it went well. I definitely hadn’t shared how kissing Calla had felt like discovering a new planet.
“Sounds like it went well from the Saint perspective. What about for you? How would you rate it?”
My pulse, already moving at a decent clip, skyrocketed into a trilling pace.
She tapped her chin dramatically like it took her great effort to think of an answer, then shared a heart-stopping smile. “A minus.”
“Ohhh, minus, huh? And how could young Wyatt improve? Do you offer extra credit?”
Curse the man, he was having way too much fun. Someday, he’d want to date someone, and I wasn’t going to do him any favors. I’d remember this moment and exact my revenge somehow. The whole conversation had me squirming in my seat. We shouldn’t be talking about this at all, let alone in front of my little brother.
She hummed, and the sound hit me between the ribs like it always did. When she spoke, she pinned me with her gaze.
“The minus is because it ended too early.”
My stomach dropped low just as my heart galloped in my chest. It rocketed blood from one chamber to the next, pulsing so fast that I doubted one beat could be discerned from another. A steady hoofbeat and nothing else.
I blinked like the wiper function of my lids would help me make sense of this moment. Her only critique was that it’dended too early?
Lava filled my belly, and every muscle in my body tensed.
Warrick filled the space. “Hmm. Well, that seems easily remedied. Taking notes, Wy?”
Bless him, he was buying me time to stop this internal systems meltdown and drum up some words. Some kind of response to her statement that essentially said she wanted more from me, more between us.Get it together, man!
“Duly noted. Yes.”
A beat passed, and Warrick popped up from his seat, grabbing his plate as well as our guest’s. “Well, I’m going to go change. Calla, I’ll be out front around eleven. That work?”
She stood as she spoke. “That sounds great. I’ve got to head back for a quick meeting, but I’ll be ready.”
