Inside Out - Lauren Dane [73]
Wow. That was some commentary. It made her happy. But he wasn’t happy just then. Not totally.
“Can I buy you a slice of pie?” In for a penny and she did have pie at her house. Pie made everything better. “Well, not buy. I have pie at my apartment. I can guarantee that my mom’s pie is a million times better than store-bought anyway. She had me convinced when I was little that love was the secret ingredient. I nearly got into a fistfight with some other neighborhood kid who denied it. Oh, and I have decaf coffee. Or we can stop at B&O if you’d rather. If you want to talk to me about it, you can.”
He was quiet for a long time as he drove, and self-consciousness crept in.
“You don’t have to. I know you’re tired. We can have a rain check and do it another day.”
He laughed, taking her hand and kissing it quickly before letting go. “I’d love a slice of pie. I just don’t want you to go to any trouble.”
Despite her renewed state of fluster after his casual hand kiss, she managed to keep going. “It’s pie. I can handle it.”
“Of this, I have no doubt. You’re an eminently capable person. I’m always impressed by you. And I want to be with you.”
“Oh. Well, good.” He found street parking a few blocks from her building, and before she could, he reached back to grab her gym bag, carrying it to the doors and then up to her apartment.
“Have a seat at the table, and I’ll get the coffee started.” She motioned and bustled about her kitchen, trying to find her calm again. “Pumpkin or apple spice? My mom makes the best crumble topping for the apple pie, if that’s something you like.” She’d made an effort, going over to her parents’ house to drop things by for Mick and, while she was at it, delivering some of the donuts her father loved. Her mother had then stopped by her office that morning, delivering two pies.
It had been a while since she’d felt so much hope.
She turned and caught him watching her.
“I like the way you move, Ella Tipton. Just so you know.”
Ella had no idea what to do with the things he said to her sometimes. He seemed so casually sure of himself. But she liked it most of the time.
He grinned at how flustered she was. “Apple then.”
She gave him a big slice. Having seen him eat, she knew he had a big appetite, and of course her mind wandered to how that translated to sex with him.
Sex had always been something she wished she was better at. Bill had been good at first. Kind. Saw to her needs in all sorts of ways, but he’d started to say things about how she was too eager for it, or too carnal, and how she was in danger of whorish ways. So she’d shut down. There’d been no girl on top. No oral. Missionary with the lights off. She’d kept totally silent because once when she made a sound, he’d told her she was wanton.
Now she had let the total opposite into her life and her bed, a man who seemed to love it when she was wanton. At times she struggled with what the heck to do with all the hormones running riot in her system all because of one Andrew Copeland who currently stared at her like he planned to do naughty things to her.
Which, she thought, wasn’t a bad way to end her day. At all.
First things first, though. She put the plate down in front of him and joined him with her own slice of pumpkin. “Coffee will be done shortly. Do you want to talk about your dad and Ben? Is that why you’re upset?”
“I do, but I can’t, not right now. God, I wish I could.” He sighed. “It has nothing to do with you, though, please understand.” He looked so miserable she wanted to kiss his forehead. Instead, she leaned forward and took his hand.
“I understand far more than you think I do.” She paused, licking her lips. They were on the verge of something, and she wanted to move carefully because they both deserved a deeper level of honesty. And because she cared about him and saw he was hurting.
“Sometimes things fall apart, Andrew. Sometimes you have to watch people you love be in terrible pain. And you’re afraid