Page 30 of The Price They Paid
“I’ll get them.”
I drop a kiss on Roman’s head—who hasn’t glanced at me once since I sat on the sofa next to him—and stand. Crossing the small space, I reach into the cabinet to the side of where Lucas is standing and take down three plates, placing them on the countertop.
“Do you want a drink? I’ve got beer.”
“Shit! I forgot to bring the wine,” he says, placing one of the steaks onto a plate.
“That’s okay. I have wine. Red or white?”
“Red, if that’s okay with you?”
“Red is good.”
I busy myself opening the wine and pour two glasses while Lucas serves up dinner. Hearing the credits roll on the movie,I breathe a sigh of relief that it’s ended and Roman will eat his meal and not be engrossed in the TV. I fill his cup with juice and take it to him in the living room. I don’t have a dining table yet, but I have a small table and chair set for Roman to sit at. It’ll work for meal times for him until I can get something more permanent sorted.
“Lucas made us dinner,” I tell him, guiding him to sit at the small table.
“Mac and cheese!” he shouts, and I laugh.
“Yes. Mac and cheese.”
“Here you go, Roman,” Lucas says as he puts a steaming bowl of pasta in front of him. “Be careful. It’s hot.” I kneel and blow on his dinner to cool it down while Lucas brings in our plates. I stir the pasta, bringing it to my lips to check the temperature.
“That’s good now, Rome,” I tell him, standing and making for the sofa where Lucas is sitting. I sit down and take my plate from him. “Thanks. This looks great.”
“You’re welcome. Are you all unpacked?”
“Almost. Just a few boxes to go.”
We eat our steak in silence, and I’m suddenly nervous. Up until a year ago, I’d been with Dexter nearly all of my adult life. I’m not sure I even remember how tobearound a guy I’m attracted to. What if I’m reading him wrong and he’s just being a friendly neighbor? I’m a little out of touch with how all this works. I fork a piece of steak into my mouth and look at Lucas out of the corner of my eye. He’s wearing dark jeans and a tight white t-shirt that’s stretched over his chest. My eyes drop to his perfectly sculptured arms that bulge from the sleeves, and I can’t help but wonder how it would feel to be wrapped in them. It seems like forever since I was held. I miss the closeness.
“Melody?”
I shake my head, Lucas’s voice snapping me out of my daze. “Sorry, what were you saying?”
He chuckles. “I was just asking if everything was okay. You looked like you were lost in thought.”
My cheeks flush with heat, and I wonder if he noticed I was checking him out. I guess I’m not being the subtlest. I lift my eyes to meet his and the slight smile on his face tells me he knows exactly how I was looking at him. Despite my cheeks heating further, I’m beginning to think I’m not reading him wrong at all.