Page 9 of Wild Tides
“I’ll be back with more pillows. Need anything else while I’m upstairs?”
Lee grimaced. “My toothbrush and paste, plus some sleep pants if you don’t mind. They’re in the top drawer of my dresser.”
“Got it.”
I returned a few minutes later, arms full of fluffy pillows, his toiletries and clothes tucked under one elbow. Lee had flopped down on one side of the bed, legs extended, remote in hand.
“Thanks.” He said it almost grudgingly, but I couldn’t blame him for being irritated. For a man used to living alone and moving around under his own power, relying on anyone else had to be tough.
“No problem.” I tucked one of the pillows behind him and dropped his other items on the coffee table before scooping up the popcorn bowl and sliding onto the bed beside him. It wasn’t until we were seated shoulder-to-shoulder, legs outstretched, that I realized how intimate it felt. How warm. I slipped out of my sweatshirt, tugging my tank top in place.
His gaze dipped briefly to my cleavage before sliding away to the TV. “Any requests?” Lee rumbled softly beside me as he flipped through screen after screen of movie options.
We finally settled on an action movie I hadn’t seen. I dug into the popcorn, nibbling on kernels I’d doused liberally with our Island Salts popcorn blend. The nutritional yeast gave it a unique flavor.
It took me half the film to realize that Lee’s attention was on me, not the movie. “What is it?” I asked, not used to him staring.
“I love your intensity.” His lip quirked up at the corner, his voice husky, a hint of teasing edging his tone. “I think you’ve lost at least a few kernels to your cleavage, but you haven’t missed a beat.”
My cheeks felt hot. His gaze drifted to my neckline, making my chest flush. I glanced down. Sure enough, a few pieces of popcorn decorated my bra, nestled between my breasts. Self-consciously, I dug them out.
“Hazard of being a clumsy woman with a low neckline.”
He chuckled, the soft sound making the red stain on my cheeks flare brighter. Something about Lee made me feel like a clumsy teenager again. Not the confident woman I’d become.
“Don’t mind me, I’m just jealous.”
My eyes narrowed. “Jealous because, apparently, I can’t find my mouth with my hands?” I asked dryly.
He shook his head. “No. That’s not it. Forget I said anything. I didn’t mean to embarrass you.”
He seemed genuinely remorseful, and I let it go. But his attention made me aware of each time our hands brushed in the popcorn bowl. Instead of becoming more careful, my fingers fumbled, my cheeks reddening as I dropped yet another kernel into my shirt.
I cast Lee a glance from the corner of my eye. Had he caught that last bobble?
He kept his focus squarely on the screen. I exhaled, letting a slow, even breath out.
“If you need some help with that, I’ll gladly volunteer.”
Dammit. He turned toward me, his thigh pressing mine, eyes mischievous. A relaxed smile drew his lips up, a little too slow, a touch too smug.
“Lee Murphy. Get your mind out of the gutter.”
He clasped a hand to his chest, arching his brows. “Vi, what are friends for? Here I am, volunteering to give you a hand after you’ve been so graciously helping me, and you’re turning me down?”
“Are you flirting with me right now, Murphy?”
Lee Murphy didn’t flirt. At least, not with me. So this mood? A whole new kind of trouble.
His gaze turned calculating. “Maybe. You say that like it’s a bad thing. I can stop.”
“I never thought you saw me that way.” He’d surprised me into honesty.
Immediately, I wished I could pull the needy words back. I didn’t want to change things between us. We were good. With all the changes in our friend group, the last thing I wanted was to alienate Lee by making him uncomfortable. My feelings were mine. He wasn’t responsible for the misguided crush I had on him.
“Oh, honey… No, I see you.” He said it so intensely, I paused. His gaze drifted to my mouth. He licked his lips, rubbing them together. Shocking me with the sensual motion. Like he was holding back. Never in my life had I thought Lee wanted to kiss me.
I could be oblivious to men at times. Especially the shy ones. Some guys were so over-the-top and in your face, they were impossible to miss. See: Zach. Other men were subtler. Lee never hinted that I was anything to him but a friend. His best friend’s little sister. Sure, we’d hung out on our own. Especially lately, with Drew and Zach both busy with their girlfriends. But he’d never looked at me like that. Or had he?
