Page 25 of Saving His Heart
“We’ll talk about that later, but Lanie didn’t end up in the hot tub … something about her breast milk leaking. I went to get towels while Lexi stayed on the balcony with you. When I came back, Lexi went down to your apartment for the night,” he fills in my ever-growing blackout list.
“So, did I wear my clothes in the hot tub?” I ask as my cheeks flame with heat.
The roguish grin that takes over his face tells me no.
“No, Ems, you most definitely did not. But it was just Lexi and I who saw you, and before you freak out, I only saw you for a minute.”
The change in his eye color has me blushing more than I thought possible.
“Then … what happened?” I ask hesitantly.
“Well, after that, you asked me if I farted—”
“I did what?” I screech.
“Oh yes, farts are funny, remember? You were full of it last night. You cracked yourself up, telling me I blew you away with my fart.” Even Preston can’t say it with a straight face. “It was fine until you slipped, and I had to dive into the hot tub so you didn’t hit your head. Long story short, after that, I brought you in here, dried you off, slipped my T-shirt over your head, and then texted Lexi. I felt like a creeper, but she promised me you would be pissed if you woke up with a UTI, so I pulled the shirt down as far as it would go and slipped your panties off. I swear I didn’t look until I got my shorts on you.”
His confession has me kicking off the blankets in a hurry, and noticing a protruding bump. Looking at him questioningly, I lift the T-shirt and burst out laughing at his creativity. He just shrugs with an uncomfortable grin.
“They wouldn’t have stayed on your little body otherwise,” he tells me. “Now, eat before this gets cold.”
“Preston, I do not need to eat in your bed. I can get up,” I tell him, and begin to move.
He places a hand on my leg. “Just, just stay and eat, okay? I’ve never made anyone breakfast in bed before. Don’t ruin it for me,” he says with a wink.
“No one has cooked for me since my last stepmom left,” I say more to myself than to him.
“According to Lanie, I need to take care of a lot of firsts for you.” A crooked grin graces Preston’s handsome face. A grin I like a bit too much. “You eat, then we can talk about what this whole situation is going to entail. I never imagined it would get messy so quickly. I guess I should have expected it, though. My friends and family really have no boundaries, even when they mean well. We should probably start the speed dating today,” he tells me while walking toward the door. “There is a Diet Coke and Tylenol on the side table. Trust me on this, you want to drink the soda.”
Then he leaves, and I’m left wearing his clothes, in his bed, staring at the food he made just for me.
“What the hell am I doing here?” I ask the empty room, hating myself immensely.You are better than this, Emory.What if something happened to Preston in the middle of the night? He could have died because of your incompetence. Sometimes I can’t tell the difference between my father’s voice and my own, but this time it doesn’t matter. This voice is right.
Not wanting to offend Preston, I shovel a few bites of food into my mouth and almost fall back into the bed. The freaking man can cook. I would give my left foot right now to finish this, but I have to get out of here.
Taking a giant swig of the Diet Coke he left, my eyes roll to the back of my head. Holy shit, he’s right. I needed that. Glancing around the room, the scent of grease keeps me from sneaking out empty-handed. I run back to the bed, dump all the food onto one plate, grab the soda, and, as quietly as possible, leave Preston’s apartment.
With the food in one hand and drink in the other, I use my elbow to call the elevator. Stepping forward, I peek back one more time. This is probably the most immature thing I have ever done, but knowing I need a few minutes to get my shit together, I hit the tenth-floor and make my way to my apartment. Opening the door with one hand, I completely forgot Lexi was down here, and it almost crashes into her.
“Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry,” I yelp as Lexi places a hand under my plate, keeping it from crashing to the ground. Then I notice she was just closing the closet door—the closet with all of Preston’s medical supplies. I’m wracking my brain for an explanation when Lexi holds up her hand.
“That,” she says, pointing to the door, “seems like a story that is none of my business. I was just looking for a broom. I love Julia, but she is a fucking slob when she drinks.”
“I—” I’m still searching for some sort of explanation when she interrupts me.
“No need, Ems. What did you bring for breakfast? Did Preston cook all this? He didn’t know what you would want or what?”
“Well, I’ve never really been hungover before, so he had no idea what to make.”
Lexi raises an eyebrow at me while picking up half the burger. “Why didn’t he just ask you then?”
“Ah, I was sleeping, I guess.”
“And he didn’t want to eat with you?” she asks suspiciously.
“Ah—”Shit. What if he wanted to eat with me? Is this what you call chewing and screwing? Or screwing and chewing? We didn’t screw, did we? Lexi must read this all play out on my face because she puts me out of my misery.
“Listen, I don’t know what type of relationship you guys have, but I get the feeling you haven’t had many chances to let go and have fun. When is the last time you even did something just for yourself?” she asks kindly.
