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“No, I’m okay. I’m just going to wait for Blake and Ty to get back.” I move towards the bedroom. It's dangerous being too close to him. I'm in a delicate state. And I don't trust myself to think rationally.
“You don’t have to wait in there if you don’t want to. I won’t bite.” I turn slightly to find his eyes still on me, causing me to drop mine to the floor. The thought of him biting me makes me want to turn and pounce, but that is not a good idea. Being freshly broken up after five years, I suppose I could have a rebound, but not tonight. Though I wouldn't mind Colt being the guy to ruin me. “Unless you’d rather get some rest. I just don’t want to be the reason you shut yourself away.” Shit. He's being sweet and here I am thinking of all the dirty things I'd like to do.
“I don’t have the energy to entertain anyone,” I say, while keeping my eyes lowered. The sooner I get away from him, the sooner I can get my head on straight.
“Libby, you don’t have to entertain me.” The sound of my name on his lips forces me to look up at him. He’s still standing in the same place, keeping a respectful distance. He does that head move again, convincing me to make eye contact. His eyes are impossibly soft and firm at the same time. “I’m here for you, not to add to your plate.”
“You don’t even know me.” Why'd he have to go and say things he doesn't mean? He's ruining this little fantasy for me.
“I’d like to.” He shrugs like it’s that easy, making my heart flutter. Who is this man? He knows nothing about me yet drives my friend all the way to Thibodaux just to bring him to me. Then he offers me his clothes and tells me the only reason he's here is to help. There has to be something more to this that I’m not realizing.
“What’s the catch?” I ask, a little more strength in my voice than before.
“Catch?”
“Yeah. What do you want from me? Just because you show up and offer to stay with me alone doesn’t mean something is going to happen here.” I wave between us.
His eyebrows scrunch. “God, Libby, is that what you think? That I’m just here to sleep with you?” The thought of him not even being into the idea hurts a little, but I don't know why.
“What else am I supposed to think? I don’t know you. And the only interaction I’ve had with you, you were hitting on me.”
His eyes close, and he exhales slowly. “You’re right.” Opening them again, they’ve turned puppy dog. “I’m sorry. I promise that is not why I’m here.” When I don’t say anything, he motions towards the living room. “Want to go sit? I can make you some tea or something.”
“You know how to make tea?” What man knows how to make tea?
“I do not.” His lips press into a line, hiding his smile. But damn it if I wish he wouldn't. I have yet to see a full one, but the small ones almost unravel me.
I can’t help but hide my own too, amazed at how quickly the mood shifted. “That’s okay. I need to go brush my hair out before it dries.”
He hesitates, but only for a second. “Do you need any help?”
“Brushing my hair?” I clarify.
“Yes.”
“No. I, uh… I can handle it.” I’ll just do it without looking in the mirror. If it turns out hideous, then so be it. But being alone with this man while he touches me is not a position I need to put myself in.
“Are you–”
The front door swings open and Blake and Tyson walk in with multiple bags of takeout. “Sorry it took so long, man. The line was crazy at the shop.” Tyson calls to his roommate while he kicks off his shoes. Turning around, he finds me. “Hey Little Bird! I’m glad to see you up and walking.” He strides over to me and wraps me in a hug. I can’t help but lean into it, trying to soak up all the warmth his body has to offer. While I feel better than I did thirty minutes ago, I'm still exhausted and weak. When I pull away, I catch a glimpse of his Colt’s jaw ticking while his eyes remain glued to the floor.
Blake pulls me into a hug next. “We got subs. I hope that’s okay. I didn’t know what would be good on your stomach, or if you felt like eating.” I feel so bad that she's going through all this trouble. Blake is normally so certain of everything, and here she is doubting herself when it comes to how to be my friend just because I had to go and have a panic attack.
“Subs are good. I’m just going to brush my hair first.” I hook my thumb over my shoulder toward the bedroom.
“Okay! I’ll come with you and help. We’ll put these boys to work getting the food set out.” She flashes her brother a smile, who nods in response. Then she grabs my hand and pulls me towards the room, but not before I see a pair of brown eyes following me down the hall.
7
Ipull sandwiches from the bag and put them on the kitchen island while Tyson grabs drinks from the fridge. “Everything good while we were gone?” he asks.
How the hell do I answer that? The girl is a walking calamity. The polar opposite of who I laid eyes on last night over the phone.
That girl was full of everything. Quiet, sure, but she didn’t need to say anything for me to know everything she was thinking. It was all in her eyes. Those damn eyes. From the moment I noticed the icy blues, I was transfixed. Seeing her in my shirt did crazy things to my body — in my chest and my pants, but her eyes are what got me hooked.
Hearing the concern in Tyson’s voice tonight when Blake called him, something took over and there was no way I was going to let him come here without me. It’s insane, the kind of pull I already had towards Libby before ever meeting her. I should have seen it coming, though. Libby is everything, and then some. I knew it last night as soon as I laid eyes on her and it was proven more seeing her in person. There's no way I'm going to keep myself from her.
“Colt?”
