Accidentally Amy(13)
What the hell was wrong with him, thinking idiotic thoughts like that?
“Josh said you owe him because this guy puked on his couch.”
“That mooching dick.” She shook her head and said, “If Josh didn’t feed him sushi all the time, The Darkling wouldn’t puke. Did he take my beer?”
“Only a couple. Does he babysit the cat for you or something?” Blake asked.
The door buzzer buzzed, and she held up a finger. “I’ll tell you the whole story of this building after I get that.”
“The tip’s already been charged to my card, so we’re good, by the way,” he said.
“First the ride, now this. Thank you,” she said, opening the apartment door and going out to the stoop to meet the pizza guy. Blake heard her say hey, Austin, and he shook his head as he heard the pizza delivery driver talk to her like they were lifelong friends.
He wondered why - what the hell was wrong with him - her unorthodox everything was charming the hell out of him. Shouldn’t he be annoyed, or at least marginally put off, by half-dressed wandering cousins and antique store furniture? Why did those things just make him hungrier to learn every little thing about her?
He needed to get his shit together and get the hell out of there. He’d given her a ride to be nice, and because he was worried, but nothing good could come from hanging out at Isabella Shay’s apartment. He was going to get in his car and forget that he even knew where she lived.
Just as soon as they finished the pizza.
Chapter Five
Izzy
Izzy carried the pizza into her apartment, her stomach empty of food but also filled with butterflies. Because - holy crap - Mr. Chest was sitting on her couch, The Darkling in his lap, looking like the centerfold of a hot-guys-who-like-cats calendar.
He was wearing jeans and a black sweater, the soft kind of garment that hugged his pectorals, and she blinked and closed the door behind her, trying to be cool. But - shit - what the hell was up with the universe?
This man, this incredibly charming and attractive man, kept getting thrown in her path.
It was bad enough when they were just randomly running into each other in public places, but when he’d shown up on the side of the freeway in her time of need, she almost hadn’t believed her eyes.
Because at first, when her car died, she’d been calm. She’d tried calling her brother, and she’d tried calling her cousins. When none of them had answered, she’d decided to just wait it out. Surely a cop would pass eventually, see her flashers, and rescue her.
Then her flashers quit working and her phone battery dropped down to 2% power. She’d started imagining all the things that could happen; a car slamming into her car, a serial killer happening upon her, lighting striking, water rising enough in the ditch beside the shoulder to submerge her car. She’d begun to panic, ultimately deciding to get out and walk.
After five minutes of stumbling through the downpour, she’d realized the enormity of her stupidity. She’d been bawling and freaking out when she got the text from Blake and he literally rescued her from the thunder and lightning.
So if she believed in fate and that sort of meant-to-be nonsense, and she SO did not, she’d be freaking out right about now. She could feel his eyes on her as she set the pizza box on the coffee table and went to the kitchen for two plates, and she didn’t know what to say.
She didn’t feel awkward, like one of those times where she was searching for words, but she felt like she needed to address the "what are we doing" elephant in the room.
But by the time she’d pulled herself together and walked out of the kitchen, Josh was there. He was sitting next to Chest, shoving half a piece of pizza in his mouth while he told Blake about a game we made up called Billboard Assholes.
“Oh, look - it’s you. Quit taking my beer and also put on a shirt.” Izzy set down the plates and rolled her eyes as Josh ignored her and kept talking. She grabbed a slice and looked at Blake, who was genuinely grinning as he listened to Josh expound upon the rules of the game.
“Okay, that sounds hilarious,” he said, and Izzy was surprised that he could look so fun. He’d been so hardcore businessy in the conference room that she never would’ve guessed he’d be laughing like their idiotic made-up game was genuinely funny. “Good, because you’re playing,” Josh said.
“Dude, no,” Izzy replied, shooting Blake an apologetic look before telling Josh, “He just came by to save me from drowning. He’s not really a Billboard Asshole kind of guy.”
“How would you know?” Blake asked, giving her a knowing look.
“Because I know - trust me. Stakes are high, and you won’t win.”
“Whoa,” Blake said, scowling. “What makes you think I’d lose?”
She pulled a piece of pepperoni off of her slice and said, “You’ve never played - just trust me. You’d lose.”
“I think you could totally win,” Josh said, rolling his eyes at Izzy like she was ridiculous.
“Shut up, moron,” she said to her cousin as she popped the pepperoni in her mouth, and then she sighed and said to Blake, “Come here.”
She went into the kitchen and he followed. Once they were out of Josh’s earshot, she said, “You’re right - I don’t know you. And I’m sure you win at nearly everything you do. But not this game.”
Wow - he was so tall. He towered over her, which was probably why she felt fidgety and frazzled. Surely it had nothing to do with his attractiveness, and everything to do with human survival instincts.