100% That Witch - Celia Kyle Page 0,43

old habits from when I was mortal. Gardening, cooking, knitting—”

She nearly choked on a mushroom. “Knitting?”

“Yes,” he smiled and ducked his head a little. “I can crochet too. Look on the counter over there. The tea cozy was made by me. The throw on the back of the couch, and most of my sweaters are handmade.”

“Amazing.” Tiffany gave him an appraising look as she chewed. “You’re really handy then. Huh?”

Lame. But how was a girl supposed to react when a hot guy not only cooked for her, but also knew how to knit and crochet? She felt like she’d been walking slowly through a deep pond and the bottom just fell away. If he revealed one more shockingly sweet fact about himself, she wouldn’t be able to hide her feelings from him.

“Not that I don’t appreciate being spoiled…” she began. “But why aren’t we jumping straight into studying today? I know you said I deserve a break, but this is more than that.”

The room lit up with his big, genuine smile. His eyes traced over her with a deep affection she couldn’t mistake because her body reacted by shooting tingles all over the place. Hopefully she wouldn’t blast the table with rose petals and dancing ladybugs.

“It’s been a tough week for you. I thought a nice, home-cooked meal would cheer you up. Besides, it’s nice to spoil you.”

Nice to spoil you… Wow. This was starting to sound beyond friendly. It was cheering her up, for sure, just as much as it was heating her up. Fine details suddenly became incredibly clear to her, like the curve of his lip at the edge of his mouth, and how it might feel under the soft touch of her own lips.

I have to stop this! Her internal monologue was getting boring. She could tell herself not to have any feelings for him, but it didn’t help. Rhys had never so much as opened a door for her, and here was Nero, her purely platonic friend, cooking her food, catering to her every need, and smiling like she was the spring that came to ease the grip of a cold winter.

She blushed a little, dropping her gaze to her plate for a few seconds. The food was amazing enough that she could use it as a distraction. She just needed to not look at him for a minute.

“How are you feeling?” he asked sympathetically as he sipped a martini. “I mean, about Rhys.”

Shock hit her at his words, and a cold sweat broke out on her brow. She shook her head, barely meeting his eye.

“I’m fine. It’s all over and done, and there’s no point in sulking over it.”

“Your feelings are your own, Tiff. You don’t have to share them with me if you’re not comfortable, but please don’t ever feel bad about expressing them. You need to talk to someone, so you can truly move on.”

Every fiber of her being wanted to dive into his wide, caring eyes. Her throat caught, and a rush of sweet tingles flooded her again.

Could he be any more perfect? Every moment that passed just made her hotter for him. This wasn’t just about how gorgeous he was either or the way he held doors open for her or how he let his hand almost float just above her lower back when walking with her, barely skimming her with his fingers. It was his kind heart, his gentle attention. She was falling head over heels for this guy, and she couldn’t fight it.

“You’re doing really well,” he said encouragingly, reaching out to pat her hand. “Ryan should take some lessons from you about getting over someone.”

Cold chills replaced her happy feelings again. There it was, the obvious, slapping her in the face. She couldn’t answer, so she just nodded. She felt terrible for Ryan. He had such strong feelings for Nathan and there was no chance for them to ever be together.

Nero wasn’t wrong. Ryan should work on getting over it, but at the same time, she knew how hard that was. It would take time.

She kept her eyes on her food for a while, trying to sort the tangle of her thoughts into something clear enough for conversation. It was getting harder and harder to sit here looking into Nero’s handsome face and knowing, every single second, that nothing could ever happen between them.

Seventeen

A couple of days later found Tiffany happily stocking shelves with Kiki, the bright morning sun glinting off the windows and filling the shop