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“We’ll move this slowly.” He flipped his hand between us. “I know you’re nervous, and I get why. But I have you covered.”
His declaration complete, he turned. Watching his glutes flex beneath his cut-off sweats, I felt my blush deepen.
“He’s hot.” The brunette from the day before stepped onto the same treadmill she’d been on then. “Jump him,” she said, pointing at Barry. I noticed she had makeup on today too. “Jump him before someone else does.”
Addy
My second breakfast inside Barry’s apartment was different.
For one thing, he didn’t carry me over his shoulder. For another, we didn’t sit at the kitchen table. He led me to the living area and the square coffee table where he’d set a platter and napkins.
“This smells delicious.” On top of banana leaves were slices of a sweet-potato vegan loaf he’d mentioned baking. I took a seat on the couch in front of the food, but he didn’t.
“Would you like coffee again this morning or tea?” he asked on his way to the kitchen.
“I’ve never had sweet-potato bread before,” I said. “What would go best with it?”
“I recommend lotus tea.”
“If that’s what you’re having, that sounds great.”
“Help yourself to the bread. This will only take a few moments.”
“All right.”
I scooted to the edge of the comfy beige couch that I thought would look really cool with some big navy pillows on either end. Reaching for a napkin and a slice of bread, I watched him throw some loose green-and-pink leaves from canisters on his countertop into a plastic cylinder with holes. He placed the cylinder inside a clear teapot.
Barry moved around his kitchen confidently. He was a big man, obviously strong, yet he didn’t use that physicality to intimidate. He was considerate and careful with me.
He’s careful because he knows your history, I reminded myself, and wondered how he was with other women. By his own admission, there had been many. I’d seen him with a lot of them back in the day. Even then, he was confident like this, commanding even.
“What are you thinking?” he asked, returning to the couch without me noticing since I was daydreaming. About him.
I blushed. Again. “The tea smells good too.”
“You’re redirecting. Don’t.” He set a bamboo tray on the coffee table.
I ran my gaze over him. As he bent at the waist and then straightened, his muscles put on quite a show.
“I was wondering about you.” I met his knowing gaze, and my cheeks got hotter. “About your relationships with women.”
“I haven’t had a lot of relationships with women.”
“Right.” I made a scoffing sound.
“Trust isn’t easy for me. For either of us, given our similar backgrounds. My mind engages, my body too whenever I chose a woman and took her to my bed. But it wasn’t them I thought of.” His voice lowered. “It was you.”
“Barry.” I let out a sharp breath through my nose. “I don’t believe that. Not after all this time. I was just a friend, a fantasy.”
“Believe what you will for now. We have some time. And I’ll convince you otherwise.”
He lifted the pot from the tray, filling one cup decorated with Japanese lettering, then another. The tea was a beautiful golden color. The aroma that drifted to my nostrils from the steam was lovely and sweet with a hint of vanilla.
“Here you go.” He offered me one of the cups, and I took it.
“Thank you,” I said, peering at him through my lashes.
The seduction from the previous day continued. There was something so very sexy about the way he carefully attended to me.
