She felt the rumble in her stomach and realized she was hungry. Not knowing what to do with her restlessness, she stopped in the kitchen and made herself a sandwich. She’d been so thrown off balance by Micah’s questions about her implants that she’d sprinted out of his truck when he dropped her off, not asking him in for dinner like she usually would.
Frowning as she scooped tuna into a pita pocket, Tessa admitted that she missed his company, regretted not asking him to have dinner with her. She was getting used to him being around the house, and her heart skittered as she contemplated what had happened at the skating rink. Micah had turned her world upside down so easily, with little more than a kiss and an intimate touch.
I don’t regret it, but I can’t take this any further with him.
Micah Sinclair was dangerous—a guy she knew she could end up caring about way too much. There was nothing there but heartache for her in her future if she didn’t put her walls up with him now. The difficulty was . . . he was simply hard to set boundaries with. He was bossy, but that wasn’t why she was struggling to keep him at arm’s length.
It’s the connection I feel with him.
For some unknown reason, she really didn’t have a hard time telling Micah how she felt about anything. Hell, he could make her spill her guts if she wasn’t careful. He was just that good at dragging the truth from her, and he did it without being judgmental. Honestly, he was just really easy to talk to. For a man who cheated death for a living, he was incredibly grounded in the real world.
Tessa devoured her sandwich over the sink, smiling at the assortment of chocolate bars she had picked up at the market. Micah ate fairly healthy, but chocolate was his downfall. It was actually one of Tessa’s favorite sweets, too, but she stayed away from it since she was back into her conditioning. Nothing packed on the pounds faster than chocolate for her. She might as well take one from the wrapper and apply it onto her ass. That was how fast it would make her gain weight. Since she had spent years avoiding it, she still only indulged on special occasions.
I think tonight is one of those occasions.
Snatching a Snickers bar from the pile on the counter, she was just unwrapping it when she saw her cell phone light up in the dimly lit kitchen. She took a big bite of the chocolate, nut, and caramel mix with a slight moan of pleasure, then unlocked her phone with one finger as it rested beside the sink.
She noticed that she had a message from Micah, and she flipped the text open curiously. They’d exchanged numbers in case they had to cancel a meet up at the rink or for their runs, but had never communicated that way. There had never been a reason.
Micah: I’m hungry. I think you ruined me by making me meals every day.
Tessa snorted, nearly choking on her chocolate. Then she smiled. The complaint was so typical of Micah that it was funny. And she found it amusing that food was the reason he’d contacted her.
Right now, she was relieved that he was trying to breach the gulf that had come between them at the arena earlier in the day.
She typed a quick message back with one finger as she finished the Snickers, tossing the wrapper in the trash under the sink.
Tessa: You have to fend for yourself occasionally. BTW . . . I’m eating your chocolate.
She knew he was near his phone when he answered immediately.
Micah: It better not be the Snickers. It’s my favorite.
She licked her fingers with an evil grin before rinsing and drying them at the sink.
Tessa: It was. It was delicious. My favorite, too.
Micah: I’m confiscating them all tomorrow if you can’t control yourself.
She picked up her phone and carried it back to the bedroom, typing a response as she sat cross-legged on the bed.
Tessa: I’m sorry about earlier. I wasn’t very nice and I know you were just trying to help.
It took him a few minutes to answer.
Micah: I get it. It was obviously a bad experience.
Of course he understood. He always did. Before she could answer, he sent more.
Micah: Just don’t deprive me of the chance for dinner again. I get cranky.
She rolled her eyes.
Tessa: Is that all you ever think about?
Micah: No. When I’m around you I think about banging you most of the time.
His reply was blunt, but she laughed anyway.
Tessa: That can’t happen again.
Micah: Ok. I’d rather use my mouth anyway.
She sucked in a breath, the image of Micah’s head between her thighs enough to make her squirm.
Tessa: That’s not what I meant. I was trying to say we can’t be intimate in any way. I don’t do casual sex. What happened was amazing, and I got caught up in the moment. It was an emotional day. But I don’t think I’d like myself very much if something else happened.
Micah: I’d make sure you loved it.
She sighed, wondering if she could have a fling with him. Maybe it would never go anywhere, but she needed to sate the aching need she had for him to bury himself inside her, for him to claim her body. She tried to reason with him again.
Tessa: I don’t do casual sex.
Micah: Sex with you would never be casual.
She knew what he meant. Even if something happened, it would never just be a screw for her.
Tessa: What would it be?
Micah: Intense.
His one-word answer made her heart flutter. She knew he was right.
Tessa: Why do you even want me? No other single woman on Earth would turn you down.
He was smart, insanely gorgeous, and a billionaire Sinclair. She was pretty sure women were practically throwing themselves at him.
Micah: I don’t want anyone else. I want you.
Her breath caught, her body on fire and Micah wasn’t even physically near her.