Heath (Wild Boys After Dark, #2)(29)

“Do you cook often?” Ally asked as he tossed a handful of chopped mushrooms into a pan with some olive oil.

He shrugged, stirring the mushrooms. “Not often and not well. We cook for my mom when we visit, but I’m usually running late, so sometimes I pick up takeout to keep everyone from having to wait too long to eat. After work I usually grab something quick for dinner, but I cook a few times a week. What about you?”

“I’m not a great cook, but I’m not picky, so I usually whip something up after work. Not that what I make is edible by other people’s standards. You should remember that if you ever expect me to cook for you.” She watched for his reaction. She really wasn’t a great cook, and she figured it was better that he found that out now.

“Then between you and me, we’ll be eating a lot of substandard, quick meals.” He folded her into his arms. “Good thing food isn’t the most important part of a relationship.”

“What is the most important part?” She wrapped her arms around his waist and slid them up the back of his untucked dress shirt.

His lips curved in a devilish grin. “You mean there are more important things than good sex?”

She swatted his chest.

“I’m kidding. Communication, compromise, having things in common in and out of the bedroom.” He turned his attention to the sauce, and his tone became serious. “Then there are the key elements, the things that build the foundation of trust. Like honesty and compassion. The ability to put someone else’s needs ahead of your own.”

She leaned against the counter and listened to him reel off all of the things she’d been thinking about lately. “For a guy who’s so up on what it takes to build a good relationship, you’ve gone a long time without one.”

He lifted his brows, still looking at the sauce.

“I have, too,” she added. “I think the things you mentioned are all keys to a successful relationship, but it’s interesting that we both reacted to being hurt in the same way.” She took plates from the cabinet and worked with Heath to drain the pasta and serve dinner.

Heath poured them each a glass of wine, and when they finally settled onto the barstools at the counter to eat, he took her hand and kissed the back of it.

“I think there are two ways to react to being burned. People either protect themselves, which usually means putting up some sort of barriers against being hurt again—some thick and rigid, some more flexible—or they chalk it up as part of life and try to be more careful next time. I’m a wall builder. Obviously, you’re a wall builder, too.”

She picked up her wineglass. “Here’s to tearing down those walls.”

Hers seemed to be crashing down lately.

After they ate, Heath got up to do the dishes.

“I’ll get those,” she said, coming around the counter to help.

“I’ve got it. You can look through the journals, or play with Fifi. I actually like doing dishes. It’s relaxing for me.” Fifi rubbed up against his leg, and he smiled as he glanced down at her.

“Relaxing? Want to come over every evening about this time? I can arrange for a little relaxation time.”

He dried his hands on a towel and set the plate he was washing aside, then picked up Fifi and stroked her fur. “Yes, actually. That’s exactly what I want to do.”

Their eyes locked, and for a moment Ally forgot how to breathe. His voice was dead serious, and the look in his eyes was equally earnest. Seeing him with Fifi did funny things to her, and Ally realized that she was falling for her not-so-one-night stand.

He kissed Fifi and set her down at his feet again. “Don’t freak out on me. I’m not turning into a possessive guy who is always around.”

She hooked her finger in the waist of his pants. “But you want to be around more.”

He closed his eyes for a second and sighed. When he met her gaze again, he smiled and shrugged. “Is that so bad?”

“No. I like spending time with you. But I’m not an exciting person. You might get bored of me.”

He gathered her in his arms again—she loved the way he kept her close. “No chance, sweetheart. You’re not a plaything. You’re someone I admire.” He kissed her softly. “You’re someone I enjoy talking to and spending time with.” He kissed her again, then patted her butt. “Go do something else or we’ll end up in your bed again, and I need to prove to you that our relationship is deeper than oral and orgasms.”

She laughed. “But you have to admit, the sex is amazing.”

“More than amazing,” he agreed.

Ally put the movie in the DVD player, chuckling about oral and orgasms, then sat down with a medical journal and thumbed through it while Heath finished washing the dishes. Then they snuggled on the couch to watch the movie. They laughed a lot, though Ally cried when one of the characters was killed. Heath was quiet, sitting with his feet up on the coffee table, with Ally tucked beneath his arm. She felt so comfortable with him she wasn’t embarrassed by her tears. It was as if they’d been cooking dinners and watching movies together forever. Fifi crashed in her bed beside the couch, and as Ally wiped her tears, she noticed Heath’s eyes were suspiciously damp, too. When the movie ended, Heath was uncharacteristically quiet.

“You okay?” she asked.