sneaking a peek at his ass, before he sat across from me, setting down a steaming bowl of pasta for both of us.
My appetite suddenly returned, and I ate without question. It was freaking delicious. I didn’t know exactly what it was, something like spaghetti but with a plethora of different cheeses to accompany it. And it was messy. I tried to keep it under control, but by the time I’d finished and Declan was staring at me with barely-contained laughter, I knew I’d failed.
“You could have offered me a napkin,” I told him coldly, fighting off the instinct to wipe my face with the back of my hand. I had manners, even if he was lacking.
He shrugged, folding his own used napkin into a small square before placing it in his empty bowl.
“I’m running a bit low at the moment. That was my last one, I’m afraid.”
Fantastic.
My glare didn’t offer me nearly as much satisfaction as I would’ve liked, so I kicked out at him under the table. He dodged me knowingly, and I only succeeded in ramming my toes into his seat.
The ugly noise I made from the pain and embarrassment only made him laugh harder.
“Just think of the service you’d be doing for the rest of the cast and crew by walking around looking like a two-year-old with their first plate of pasta, Adley. You could provide a much needed laugh for everyone.”
“There isn’t even a foul enough word to describe how I feel about you, Davies,” I told him dryly, as I stood up, heading to the small bathroom in the back. I had no intention of sporting a tomato sauce mustache, even if it made the movie a million dollars.
He smiled charmingly as I passed him. “I’m certain it doesn’t exist then, because if anybody knows curse words, it’s you.”
I tried to close the door behind me, but he squeezed in, despite the general lack of space. The toilet and sink practically overlapped each other, and the shower was so small I doubted Declan could use it without propping a leg outside. There was barely room for me to stand alone in the tiny chamber, much less accompanied by a six-foot-plus man breathing down my neck.
“You have absolutely no concept of personal space, do you?” I spun around in attempt to make him back off, and instead found myself planted in his chest.
“If you can’t manage to eat without getting it all over your face, I doubt you can clean up properly on your own,” he said in a simpering voice meant to patronize. Snatching up a washcloth from the basket on the toilet, he reached around me and had the damp object on my face before I could object.
I slapped his hand, taking the washcloth for myself and scrubbing the whole bottom portion of my face just to make sure I left no evidence. When I was finished, I tried to turn back to the mirror to check, but I found myself encircled by the Australian holding me hostage.
“Hold on. You missed a spot.” His voice was deep as he dragged me impossibly closer. Sometimes it amazed me how big he really was. From far away, his stature could be misleading. It could be the way he held himself or his deceiving thinness, but being so close to him, ensnared against his hard looming body, I felt tiny. He was warm, tall, broad; the perfect form to collapse into on hard days, or hide behind when the world wouldn’t leave you alone. If there was a way to remove his vocal chords, I might have considered keeping him.
My chin was pinched between his thumb and forefinger, holding me so I couldn’t look back at the mirror and remove it myself.
“Let me,” he breathed. I held perfectly still, telling myself it was because he hadn’t given me any other choice, but the way he gazed right into my eyes as he slowly leaned closer made it hard for me to breathe, much less flee.
I had absolutely no intention of telling him he’d forgotten the washcloth as his lips pressed the lightest kiss to the corner of my mouth. My lips parted with a breathy intake at the surprisingly erotic sensation. I’d never been kissed there before. He stayed close, only barely not making contact as he grazed across my lips to the other side. He teased me, dragging out the moment before finally pressing his mouth to the other corner.
Oh…my…God. Heat rushed to the pit