Rocked (The Everyday Heroes World) - Julia Wolf Page 0,47
once a day. I was in the area, so I took a chance you might be hungry. It’s seriously cool if you’re not. I’ll eat your food.”
My hand shot out, gripping his wrist. “No you won’t.”
He gave me a long look before turning away, a grin on his face. I followed him because I was hungry and didn’t really want to eat the turkey sandwich I’d brought. Not if Devon had something better. And knowing him, he did.
He’d left the bag of food on the kitchen table, but when he started to sit down, I stopped him. Instead, we went outside to this little patch of grass I sometimes sat on when things were slow. We sat cross-legged on the ground, our knees touching. He made no move to scoot away, and neither did I.
Devon handed me a bowl, and when I took the lid off, I gasped. “It’s beautiful.”
He leaned closer to see inside my bowl. “I took a chance you liked poke. There’s nothing Ellie’s allergic to in there, so, you know, you can breathe on her safely. I don’t know how that works, but better safe than sorry.”
Oh, damn him. He could go walk off a bridge with all that thoughtfulness. Bringing me a gorgeous poke bowl with raw tuna, a rainbow of veggies, and rice while thinking about my kid in the process? My heart could only be so hard. Was this man trying to make me fall for him, or did this come naturally?
“Thanks. I do try to avoid her allergens, so that was very considerate. Surprisingly considerate.”
“You wound me, Lady.” He shot me another devilish wink. “This is mostly selfish. I’ve racked up enough bad deeds. I don’t want to add any more to the list, and getting a kid sick through carelessness would be pretty fucking crappy.”
It wouldn’t have been the first time it happened, that was for sure. But there was no point in flooding myself with those particular memories. Not when the sun was shining on my face and I had this good food to eat and good company to enjoy.
“How did you happen to be in Melville? It’s a forty-five-minute drive from Sunnyville.” I gave him my most suspicious eyes, which only made him laugh. Devon’s laugh always reminded me of mischief. Like he knew something naughty, or he was about to do something naughty, and it tickled him. When I thought about it, he probably was nearly always on the verge of naughtiness.
He wiped his mouth with his paper napkin, then balled it in his fist. “I know you’re thinking I’m stalking you, which I am, but the funny thing is, there’s a bomb-ass used record shop here. I spent my morning there, flipping through thousands of vintage records. The place was disgusting, and I probably have black lung now, but it was worth it. I found some treasures.”
I nibbled on the plastic tines of my fork as he spoke, relieved he hadn’t driven all this way for me. Not that I really believed I had a rock star on a hook I hadn’t meant to throw out, but crazier things had happened.
“Do you actually listen to these records, or do they collect more dust at your house?”
“No, Kat, no. Music is made to be listened to. I’ve got a record player at both my places. I’m taking these beauties with me to LA next week so I can give them the attention they deserve.”
I paused, a forkful of rice halfway to my mouth. “You’re going to LA next week?”
“Yeah. I was dreading it, but now I’ve got something to look forward to. I’m gonna hole up with my new records until I have to fulfill my contractual obligations.”
“So, you’re coming back?”
He gave me a sharp look. “Of course I’m coming back. I wouldn’t just up and leave without telling you. Besides, I’ve got the cottage rented for four more weeks. I might stay longer, depending...well, depending.”
“Good.” I nodded. “I’m not quite ready to be rid of you yet.”
“I like that.” He dipped his chin, letting his dark hair sweep down over his forehead. “I like how straightforward you are. It’s pretty refreshing, coming from where I do.”
“You think it’s refreshing now, but this also means I’ll tell you when I’m ready for you to go.”
He touched his fingertips to my cheek. “And I’ll rue the day.”
We moved on to safer topics that didn’t involve face touching. And I was thankful for that. The pads of Devon’s fingers were