didn’t say anything about microwaving. You’ve never made popcorn over the stove?”
“Nope.”
“Oh my. You must have had a deprived childhood,” I joke, and we both chuckle. “I love shaking the popcorn over the flame. My dad and I used to make it this way when I was little. Whenever I feel like having a little bit of fun, I break out the old-fashioned stuff.” I turn on the flame. “Here, you try it.” I hand Dean the pan. “It’s not going to cook itself from way over there,” I tease him, with a hand on my hip.
He laughs with a shake of his head. “Okay. Just tell me what to do.”
I place my hand over his, holding the pan of kernels over the heat. “Now, you have to shake it.” He shakes it a little. “But you can’t stop.” I put my hand back over his and set the pace.
“Is this your way of trying to get closer to me? Like a guy helping a girl with her golf swing or something?” Shake. Shake. Shake. “Is t his your grand plan to touch me?”
“You got me. How did you know?”
Dean pulls me in front of him and wraps his free hand around my waist. The popcorn starts to pop, the foil beginning to inflate. “Wow. That is fun.” I look back over my shoulder and catch his silly smile. He looks even younger than usual with that boyish grin. My heart squeezes just thinking about it. Not only am I stressed about falling for this man so quickly, I’m also stressed about looking like I’m robbing the cradle. I think about what Mel said about Zac Efron and decide I should just get over it already. He’s already proved he’s more man than I can probably handle.
And that was with his shorts on.
When the shaking is complete, Dean grabs our beers and I gather some napkins and the bowl of popcorn, and we make our way toward the love seat.
“Movie or talk?” I ask him.
He tosses a piece of popcorn into his mouth and smiles. “I’d rather talk if you don’t mind.”
“Not at all. Let’s talk.” I rest my back against the armrest of the sofa so I’m facing Dean, and sit with the bowl in my lap. He pulls my legs across his and casually runs one hand up and down my calf while eating with the other. “I just have no idea where to start. I know you have something on your mind. But honestly, being with you makes me forget about everything else. Anyone else.”
“Are you sure about that?” For the first time, I see concern in Dean’s eyes. And I hate Chase for making him doubt me. “Chase brought you some really nice red roses and even I could see the hurt on his face when he saw us together. That didn’t bother you?”
After taking a sip of my beer, I reach for Dean’s hand which happens to be in the popcorn, and we both laugh. “Still trying to come up with ways to touch me, huh? First, the cooking and now the whole reach for the popcorn at the same time trick.”
I snort at his joke. “I don’t need an excuse to touch you. Do I?”
“Answer my question first,” he says.
I think back to what he asked. Did seeing Chase bother me? Yes. It bothered me. But not in the way he thinks. “Chase bringing me roses just tells me even more of what I already knew. We don’t belong together. Never hav e. So seeing him did bother me, but only because he doesn’t belong here. He has no reason to come to my house. I didn’t invite him and I never will. Honestly, he has no effect on me at all anymore.”
Dean lowers his gaze for a second and then glances up with those smoldering eyes. “You sure?”
“Absolutely.” He grasps my hand and lifts it to his lips again. The feel of his soft mouth against my palm will never get old. “How about you? Did it bother you? You guys have known each other since high school. Weren’t you friends back then?”
His grip on my hand tightens as he tenses up. A hardened expression flashes over Dean’s face and then it’s gone as quickly as it came. With a long exhale, he finally says, “I knew him but we weren’t friends.”
“Oh.” Something
“Nope.”
“Oh my. You must have had a deprived childhood,” I joke, and we both chuckle. “I love shaking the popcorn over the flame. My dad and I used to make it this way when I was little. Whenever I feel like having a little bit of fun, I break out the old-fashioned stuff.” I turn on the flame. “Here, you try it.” I hand Dean the pan. “It’s not going to cook itself from way over there,” I tease him, with a hand on my hip.
He laughs with a shake of his head. “Okay. Just tell me what to do.”
I place my hand over his, holding the pan of kernels over the heat. “Now, you have to shake it.” He shakes it a little. “But you can’t stop.” I put my hand back over his and set the pace.
“Is this your way of trying to get closer to me? Like a guy helping a girl with her golf swing or something?” Shake. Shake. Shake. “Is t his your grand plan to touch me?”
“You got me. How did you know?”
Dean pulls me in front of him and wraps his free hand around my waist. The popcorn starts to pop, the foil beginning to inflate. “Wow. That is fun.” I look back over my shoulder and catch his silly smile. He looks even younger than usual with that boyish grin. My heart squeezes just thinking about it. Not only am I stressed about falling for this man so quickly, I’m also stressed about looking like I’m robbing the cradle. I think about what Mel said about Zac Efron and decide I should just get over it already. He’s already proved he’s more man than I can probably handle.
And that was with his shorts on.
When the shaking is complete, Dean grabs our beers and I gather some napkins and the bowl of popcorn, and we make our way toward the love seat.
“Movie or talk?” I ask him.
He tosses a piece of popcorn into his mouth and smiles. “I’d rather talk if you don’t mind.”
“Not at all. Let’s talk.” I rest my back against the armrest of the sofa so I’m facing Dean, and sit with the bowl in my lap. He pulls my legs across his and casually runs one hand up and down my calf while eating with the other. “I just have no idea where to start. I know you have something on your mind. But honestly, being with you makes me forget about everything else. Anyone else.”
“Are you sure about that?” For the first time, I see concern in Dean’s eyes. And I hate Chase for making him doubt me. “Chase brought you some really nice red roses and even I could see the hurt on his face when he saw us together. That didn’t bother you?”
After taking a sip of my beer, I reach for Dean’s hand which happens to be in the popcorn, and we both laugh. “Still trying to come up with ways to touch me, huh? First, the cooking and now the whole reach for the popcorn at the same time trick.”
I snort at his joke. “I don’t need an excuse to touch you. Do I?”
“Answer my question first,” he says.
I think back to what he asked. Did seeing Chase bother me? Yes. It bothered me. But not in the way he thinks. “Chase bringing me roses just tells me even more of what I already knew. We don’t belong together. Never hav e. So seeing him did bother me, but only because he doesn’t belong here. He has no reason to come to my house. I didn’t invite him and I never will. Honestly, he has no effect on me at all anymore.”
Dean lowers his gaze for a second and then glances up with those smoldering eyes. “You sure?”
“Absolutely.” He grasps my hand and lifts it to his lips again. The feel of his soft mouth against my palm will never get old. “How about you? Did it bother you? You guys have known each other since high school. Weren’t you friends back then?”
His grip on my hand tightens as he tenses up. A hardened expression flashes over Dean’s face and then it’s gone as quickly as it came. With a long exhale, he finally says, “I knew him but we weren’t friends.”
“Oh.” Something
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