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The side of his mouth kicked up, causing his cheek to follow, and the faint creases by his eye only made him more endearing to her. “I went into town and did a little shopping this morning.”
Ah.He hadn’t been in the room when she’d woken up. She figured he’d slipped out of the room to get a coffee or early breakfast. She never imagined he’d gone costume shopping.
“I just thought…” His eyes drifted to his hands as his fingers toyed with the straw he’d attached to the sleeves. “I wanted to show up for you.”
His face rose to meet hers, a nervous smile playing on his lips like he was waiting for her to respond, waiting for her to confirm that this was a good idea.
“You remembered,” she whispered.
“Why wouldn’t I?” he asked with a shrug.
Why wouldn’t he?
She knew herself enough to know that sometimes her zany ideas were a bit much for some people. She was a bit on the eccentric side, choosing to embrace every season of the year with the unbridled joy of a child. And why not? Why did becoming an adult mean you had to let the whimsy of the seasons dissolve? Why did the magic have to end?
Her throat clogged when she looked at this man she thought she knew so well. His stiff demeanor may have fooled everyone else, but she knew there was something underneath him that was as warm and gooey as a marshmallow over a campfire. And yet, she’d never imagined he’d go to these lengths just to make her smile. She knew for a fact he hated Halloween—he’d said as much last year while they decorated the salon. And he’d worn his usual dark tee and jeans to hand out candy.
The thought that he’d only done it to make them look like they were a real couple floated through her mind. It was certainly possible. But he’d remembered the story about her ex, repeating verbatim what she’d told him. Maybe he’d only gotten a costume to sell the act, but he could have picked any costume. The fact that he was standing here dressed like a scarecrow felt like it meant something.
She closed the gap between them, wrapping her arms around him as tightly as he’d held her on the aerial course. Back when he’d been her teammate, supporting her and cheering her on.And now here he was, literally suiting up and joining her, even though she knew he probably would have preferred his standard hoodie and jeans for the occasion.
“You have no idea what this means to me,” she said, still not able to bring herself to look at him. And also because his flannel-clad chest was as cozy as a warm blanket on a chilly afternoon.
“It really was nothing. I just wanted to make you happy.”
“Well, see…that’s where you’re wrong.” Stepping back, though not far enough to escape his hold, she peered into his dark eyes. “This isn’tnothing.” In that moment, it seemed like it was everything. “This is…”
Her breath caught as his teeth raked over his bottom lip, and his dark eyes that had sparkled in the light of the room now looked at her from under hooded lids. She followed the bob of his throat as he swallowed, and she wondered what the skin would feel like if she pressed her lips to it. Or better yet, what his lips, now slick from his tongue running over them, would taste like.
His hands around her waist tensed the slightest bit, applying enough pressure to invite her back into his space. An invitation she was more than willing to accept. The corners of his lips pulled from both sides, the biggest smile she’d ever seen from him. And as she leaned closer to his waiting mouth, she couldn’t help the smile that she flashed as well.
Until something jabbed her in the nose.
Achoo!
Thankfully, she’d turned away before she sneezed right in his face—especially since they’d been just inches apart.
“What the—” She turned back to the space she’d occupied a second ago, noticing for the first time the straw that stuck out from his chest. The straw that had ruined the most romantic moment she’d had in…well, ever.
“I’m so sorry,” he babbled as he pulled a box of tissues from the nightstand and handed them to her with a shaky hand. “I feel terrible.”
“That’s okay…it was just unexpected.”
His face fell. Wait…did he think she was talking about the near-kiss—or whatever that was? “I meant the straw. I hadn’t expected to be nasally assaulted by your tufts-of-straw chest hair.” She hadn’t expected almost kissing him either, but she certainly didn’t want him to think she was against the idea. Did she?
A laugh escaped his lips as he shook his head. “I guess it is a bit wild and unruly.”
She looked at the V of his shirt, the straw spilling out like he’d stuffed an entire cornstalk in there. “It’s certainly lush. Maybe if we—” Grabbing a few pieces from the center, she stuffed them a little farther into the shirt. “There. Now you’re ready.”
Giving him a once-over from a step away meant she was still close enough to touch him. Still close enough to wrap her arms around his neck and pull him back into the position they’d been in before his straw went up her nose. It must have gone far enough up there to scramble her brain, because she shouldn’t have wanted to get closer.
She should have wanted to thank him for going out of his way to dress up with her, grabbed her things, and headed for the zoo. He was her employee. He was off-limits. He was…her fake boyfriend. Of course that was why he’d done all this.
Whatever that moment was that they’d shared? She’d probably just misread it. Imagined it. Because she couldn’t get involved with Nate Myers.
No matter how much it thrilled her to think about.
“Peas-edto seeyou two this evening,” Johnny quipped as Nate and Stella met them at the entrance of the zoo.
