“You’d do that?” Another shy smile beams at me, along with an eager nod. “Well, let’s get going, then. Lead the way.”
“Do you have cake pans?”
“Darlin’, I don’t haveanything,” I tease, and he shakes his head, just a hint of that rosy hue darkening his skin.
We shift direction, walking towards the cookware aisle. He talks me through pan sizes and non-stick and cleaning and what sort of sprays I’ll need. My buggy gets loaded up with enough supplies to start a small bakery, and I don’t absorb a damn word he says.
I’m too busy watching his smile.
Once he’s satisfied with our haul, he leads me to the baking section. “There’s no need for you to make it from scratch, honestly, um… unless there’s like, a girl you’re trying to impress… or something.”
I bite my lips between my teeth, trying to hide my smile. “No girls to impress.”
“Oh, uh, great. I mean, not great, that’s… unless it is?” He clears his throat, tendons in his neck pulling taut as he grimaces. “Um, yeah, so boxed mixes are super easy.” He’s adorably flustered as we skim the aisle. Chocolate cake ends up as the winner, and we move to the canned icing and pick chocolate there, too, because who has ever gone wrong with double chocolate?
“Just use the recipe on the back of the box,” he explains, leaning close as he points it out to me. I hadn’t noticed how amazing he smelled earlier, distracted by my annoyance with Delilah. Cinnamon and vanilla, sweet like donuts. Those pretty eyes glance up at me again, and a twinge of something heavy swoops low in my gut.
“Hey, do you want to come back to my place?” I ask before I can consider what I’m saying, and his eyes widen. Too late, I realize how that sounded, and I cringe. “Sorry, that came out wrong. I just… you’ve been so sweet helping me. I thought we could maybe hang out? And, I dunno, bake this cake together so I don’t completely ruin it? Is that weird to ask?”
“No, no, it’s not weird,” he says in a hurried rush of breath. “You would… you’d want to hang out with me?”
“Yeah, I really would,” I answer honestly, and I’m rewarded with another of those beaming smiles. “Do you want to follow me home?”
“Oh, um, well, I didn’t exactly drive.”
“You found an Uber in this town?” I ask, surprised. There are a handful of locals who will drive for money, but with the lack of demand, they’re hard to find. “Or are you going to tell me you flew in?”
“W-what?” Panic bleeds from his tone, and my brows bunch at the reaction.
“Your shirt,” I say, tracing my finger across the words. “You said you’re a pilot,of sorts. I was just teasing.” The gears in my head spin as he offers me a shaky smile, trying and failingmiserablyto appear unaffected.
What in the world made him so nervous?
“Ha, ha, no, I uh… ordered an Uber? Although it took a while for someone to pick up my request.”
“That sounds about right. Well, if you’re okay with it, you can ride with me. After, I could drive you, so you don’t wait forever to find another ride.”
“Oh, um… are you sure?” My eyes roam the tight features of his face, his darting eyes, and the way he chews on his lip. He’s nervous, and I find that it really bothers me.
I’m aniceguy—people are always comfortable around me. But he isn’t… and I’m being pushy. Why am I suddenly so interested in getting to know him that I’m willing to make him uneasy?
An apologetic smile pulls on my lips, and I hope it’s reassuring. “I’m sorry. You’ve been so helpful, and I didn’t mean to pressure you. Forget I said anything, okay?”
“Wait, no, it isn’t that… it’s notyou. Definitely not you. It’s just that… people rarely ask me to hang out.” Red stains flare on his cheeks again as his gaze darts aside, and my chest gets tight with the uncertainty that seems to make him shrink.
“Well, I want to hang out with you,andI’m asking. What do you say?” Giant grey eyes meet mine, still unsure, but when a smile sneaks onto his lips, it takes over his entire face.
“Yeah, okay. Let’s do it.”
Chapter 5
Azrael
If there was such a thing as The Guinness Book of Heavenly Records, this would be listed as a winner underTerrible Ideas.
His offer was damn near impossible to refuse, and why wouldn't it be? I'm under the influence of that goddamned arrow. On a normal day, it would be hard enough to say no. I mean, this giant, gorgeous man wants to spend time with me, with the promise of complete privacy?
File that under fuck yes, I'll take two.