Accidentally Engaged(10)

Damnit. Nadim. So much for avoiding him. Reena opened her eyes and raised her eyebrows. “Oh, hello. Was that supposed to be funny?”

“Apparently not. Sorry,” he said, smiling. “But I didn’t expect to see you sitting in front of my door. Next time give me some warning and I’ll write a better quip.” He looked down. “Nice feet.”

She tucked her bare feet under her. He looked much cleaner today. And his hair was styled upward. Reena now understood why Marley had called him a haircut. “I’m locked out. Left my key inside.”

He pulled his key out of his suit jacket. “No spare?”

“No. My cousin isn’t answering her phone.”

He turned back to his door and unlocked it, opening it widely before looking down at Reena again.

“Well, come on then.” He motioned her into the apartment.

“It’s fine. I’ll wait for my cousin.”

“I’m not leaving you on the floor. Come inside, I won’t bite.”

She stared blankly.

“I won’t even make jokes about wanting to bite you. Or you to bite me. Or…”

Reena scrambled up quickly, before this conversation could go any further.

“Marley will be home soon. I left her a message.”

He tossed his keys on the kitchen counter and dropped his bag on a chair. “Marley. That’s the tall one upstairs, right?”

Reena stepped around his dining chair and put her purse and tote bag on the table. “Yeah, the breathtaking woman upstairs. Don’t feel you have to hold back on my account. You can sing Marley’s praises. Everyone drools after meeting her.”

He looked at Reena for a full three seconds before his gaze shifted to the ground in front of her as he removed his suit jacket and tossed it on the chair. “She’s not my type. It’s been a long day. You mind if I have a beer?”

Reena watched his back as he walked toward the fridge. He was wearing a suit today instead of athletic gear, so his impressive physique was a little more hidden. The suit looked good, though. Went well with that upper-crust Brit voice. Was this the image he had wanted her to see for their first meeting?

“Go ahead,” she said.

“I don’t have much to offer you. Water? I have some soda water, too, but it’s not cold.”

Reena removed Nadim’s jacket from the dining chair and folded it, before planting her own butt on the chair. “Beer is fine.”

He turned and stared at her. “You drink?”

“Yeah. I love beer. Why?”

“Your father…” He shook his head with amazement. “I’ve had to hide my evening pub habit since I started working for him. Does he know you drink?”

Reena laughed. “Yes. He doesn’t approve.”

Nadim smirked as he joined her at his table, two tall cans of beer in one hand and two pint glasses in the other. He opened one can. “This is an English special bitter. My favorite type of beer in the UK, and this local craft brewery does a bang-up job of it. Shall I pour?”

She nodded. The matte black can had an artfully drawn elephant on the front of it. He poured the beer slowly down the side of the glass, eyes glued on the copper brew. She could see why Shayne said Nadim had intense eyes. He had a way of zoning in with razor focus that left her a little breathless.

He really was handsome. She didn’t know how she ever thought of him as less than impressive. She felt her body flush.

Ugh. No. She couldn’t let her libido win.

To break the spell of his beer-pouring mastery, Reena looked around his apartment. Since the layout of his place mirrored her own, she expected it to be spacious, with low ceilings and simple midcentury moldings, but she didn’t expect its emptiness. Save for the old kitchen table and chairs they were sitting on, Nadim had only three pieces of furniture in his living area: a purple sofa, a strangely familiar olive-green armchair, and an ancient dining-room sideboard that held his electronics. No paintings or pictures on the walls, no cozy throw on the sofa, not even any books or magazines. Only one decorative element adorned the room—an ebony wood-carved African elephant on the sideboard next to the TV. The elephant wasn’t entirely unexpected—the man was from Tanzania, and most East Africans had at least one carved animal in their home. She herself was partial to giraffes and had a few in her bedroom.

“Love the minimalism in this place,” she said.

“Shush,” he said, grinning and holding out a glass for her. “It’s a work in progress. I just moved in, you know.”

She lifted the glass to her nose, and scents of smoky burnt sugar and mature grains mingled with a slight fruitiness. The taste exploded in her mouth when she sipped—rich molasses, caramel, and a slight bitterness that coated her tongue. This beer was exquisite. She closed her eyes as she took a second sip, stifling a moan.

“Like it?” he asked.

“Love it. Would be amazing with…” She thought for a moment. “Cheese. Maybe a sharp cheddar. Or smoked meat…short ribs. And definitely salty bread—pretzels, maybe.”

He grinned. “I am going to bloody love living across from you.”

Reena tensed, feeling exposed. She scanned the room and her eyes caught that puke-green chair. “Where’d you get that chair?”

“Your parents. They gave me a bedroom set, too.”