The Vincent Boys (The Vincent Boys #1)(9)

I headed down the hall to greet my guest. The oxygen entering my lungs stalled when I saw Beau standing in the kitchen. Black had always looked good on him but having him stand in my kitchen in a tight black T-shirt and a pair of low-riding jeans made me a little dizzy. It dawned on me I was holding my breath.

“Hey,” I managed to say, mentally cringing at the breathless sound in my voice.

He nodded and gave me a small smile before walking over to the fridge and opening it. “I’m thirsty. Can I have a Coke?” he asked without looking back at me.

“Um, yeah, sure. I ordered pizza too. It should be here in a few minutes. If you’re hungry.”

He closed the fridge door and opened the can of Coke in his hand then took a swig.

“I’m always hungry,” he replied.

“Okay, good.” I didn’t know what else to say. I’d invited Beau to my house to watch a movie. Now he was here in all his mouth-watering glory and I didn’t know what to say. He walked toward me, grinning.

“Relax, Ash. It’s just me.” He nodded his head toward the living room. “Let’s go see what kind of movie selection you’ve got these days.”

Swallowing nervously, I turned and headed to the living room. This was a bad idea. I was acting like an idiot. This wasn’t the way friends acted. If I wanted him to be my friend I needed to start acting like one and not a love-struck moron.

“I rented two movies from the Red Box. If you don’t like either, you can pick from the ones I have in my room but I’m warning you now they are mostly romantic comedies. The ones I rented are probably more your speed.”

I kept my back to him because my cheeks were getting warm and I hated the idea of him seeing me blush. I was being so silly. I reached for the two action movies I’d rented and started to turn around to show him when he moved in behind me. I froze. My body went on high alert and I took several gulps of air.

“Let me see.” His mouth was surprisingly close to my ear. Then his arm reached around me and he snatched the movies from my grasp. When our hands brushed, I sucked in a quick breath. For a second he paused then moved away quickly. My crazy behavior had to be making him uncomfortable.

“Good choice. I’ve been wanting to see both of these but Nicole and I don’t normally watch movies.”

Nicole’s name sounded like a reminder for me.

I pivoted around on the balls of my feet. “Okay, good. Well, pick one and put it in. I’m going to go get my money before the pizza gets here.”

But first I am going to splash cold water on my face and calm down. I didn’t wait for his response before I fled the room.

The doorbell rang while I was shuffling through my purse for money. The delivery guy would probably be someone from school. Beau answering the door didn’t sound like the best idea. I rushed out of my bedroom door and came face to face with Beau. Or more accurately, face to chest. A very yummy-smelling chest. I closed my eyes tightly and took a deep breath.

“I’ll wait here while you pay,” he said in a low whisper. I nodded and stepped around him.

The moment I opened the door I was instantly relieved Beau was hiding. It was a starting lineman on the football team, Jimmy Noles.

“How’s it going, Ashton?” Jimmy asked, smiling.

“Um, good, thanks.”

“I guess you’re missing Sawyer.”

I nodded. “Yes, I am.” I handed him the money. “Keep the change and thanks.”

His grin got bigger. “Cool, thanks Ashton. See ya around.”

I returned his smile and closed the door.

Beau stepped out of the hallway. “That smells good.”

It did smell good but I doubted I could actually eat. Beau took the box out of my hand and walked over to the couch and set it down on the coffee table.

“I’ll get some paper plates,” I said, wishing I didn’t sound so nervous.

He started opening the box. “Don’t get one for me but a paper towel would be good.”

Beau managed to eat most of the pizza before I forced down one slice. I’m glad he didn’t feel awkward by my crazy behavior. He leaned back on the sofa with his eyes on the movie after wiping his hands on the paper towel. I sat my plate down on a stack of Garden and Gun magazines my dad kept on the coffee table.

“I left you two more pieces. You can’t be full.”

I glanced over at him. “You mean you didn’t stop eating because you were full?”

He shook his head. “No, I was being considerate. I’m never full.”

I leaned back on the sofa. “Eat all you want, I’m done.”

He didn’t lean forward to grab another slice like I expected him to. Instead his attention stayed on me.

“Why did you invite me here tonight, Ash?”

My face flushed. Why had I asked him to come? Answering that question wasn’t easy. Since he’d walked in the door I’d been acting ridiculous. I never seemed to be at a loss of things to say with Sawyer. Beau rattled me. Now, he was being bored to death by the preacher’s daughter while he could be with his sexy hot girlfriend doing all those things I knew nothing about. I was depriving him of an exciting evening. The idea that he’d come tonight to entertain me for his cousin’s sake made me feel awful. He’d been doing me a charity and I couldn’t even make it interesting for him. Well, at least I’d fed him.