She couldn’t believe she was having a normal conversation with a guy she’d thought was breaking into the house. It was all so surreal. Maybe this was a dream? Maybe she’d drunk a little too much wine and fallen asleep in front of the TV? Because, truth be told, Reuben Tyler did look a little like a dream.
She stubbed her toe on the way into the kitchen. ‘Youch!’ She definitely wasn’t dreaming. That had hurt too much.
She waved her hand over the switch to turn the light on and walked to the cupboard on the far wall to retrieve the tablets. Reuben sat on one of the stools at the kitchen island and gave a little sigh.
She grabbed a glass and filled it with water. ‘Here you go.’ She hesitated then added, ‘I’m sorry about your head.’
He looked up at her through lazy, tired eyes. ‘Yeah, yeah. I’m sure I’ll get over it.’
He was looking at her with those chocolate eyes. The stare was so intense it almost felt as if it was burrowing through her thick pink onesie. It was definitely heading for the bin after this. His gaze made her feel uneasy and she started to ramble. ‘There are a few free bedrooms upstairs. I’m on the second floor so I’d appreciate it if you could sleep on one of the other floors. Maybe the third? Since Addison, Caleb and Tristan all sleep on the first floor.’
‘You’re pushing me into the servants’ quarters?’ His voice was a lazy drawl.
‘What? I am not.’
‘Yes, you are. Don’t you remember that in all these Georgian houses the servants stayed in the attics?’
‘Did they?’ She wrinkled her nose. ‘I wasn’t much of a history buff, more a geography girl myself.’ She waved her hand. ‘Anyway the rooms upstairs are lovely. The biggest one has an en-suite bathroom, I’m sure you’ll be comfortable there.’
He was still watching her, almost as if he was trying to size her up. But what alarmed her most was the fact there was a twinkle in his eye. He swallowed the painkillers and took a gulp of the water. ‘Maybe I’ll just crash on the sofa—next to your midnight feast. Were you actually going to eat all that?’
Colour heated her cheeks. She was about to be offended, but from the twinkle in his eye it was almost as if he was trying to bait her. She’d recovered enough from the shock of earlier to play him at his own game.
‘I was going to eat all that. And you owe me. Don’t think I didn’t notice that you swiped one of my favourite chocolate bars.’ She wagged her finger at him. ‘Touch anything else and I’ll give you more than a sore head.’
He surprised her. He threw back his head and laughed, just as his stomach growled loudly. He shrugged his shoulders. ‘What can I say? I’m starving.’ He stood up and started prowling around the kitchen, staring at the uniform white cupboards as if he didn’t know which to open first. ‘Is there anything to eat around here?’
Lara watched him for a few seconds. That was definitely a pair of well-fitting jeans. They hugged every inch of his thighs and backside, even though she could see the waist was a little loose. His white T-shirt was rumpled and there was tiny hint of curling dark hairs and flat abs. It was all she could do to tear her eyes away.
She sighed. ‘As I was a late arrival too and Addison had run down most of the fresh food, there’s only what I bought tonight.’ She opened the fridge. ‘I have bread, bacon and baked beans.’
He was smiling again and counted off on his fingers, ‘And wine, and chocolate, and crisps, and some kind of cake I didn’t even recognise.’
She smiled and shook her head. ‘Don’t even think about it—all of those are out of bounds.’
He leaned against one of the cupboards. ‘Well, I’ve thought about it. I know how you can make it up to me.’
‘Make what up to you?’
‘The fact you assaulted me with one of Caleb’s trophies.’ He put his hand on his chin. ‘I’m thinking a bacon-and-baked-bean sandwich might just cut it.’
‘You don’t put bacon and baked beans in a sandwich.’ She shook her head in disgust. ‘Especially not at one in the morning.’
The glint remained in his eyes as they swept up and down her body and he lifted his hand to his head. ‘Ouch.’ He gave the back of his head an exaggerated rub. ‘I think one o’clock in the morning sounds a perfect time for a bacon-and-baked-bean sandwich. Hours past dinner and hours until breakfast.’
She pursed her lips. He was getting to her. He was definitely getting to her. She wasn’t quite sure if it was the guilt trip working or the rising tension she could feel in the air between them.
‘Fine.’ She turned around and flicked a few switches on the coffee machine. ‘What do you want to drink?’
He stared at the machine as his brow creased. She hid her smile. The first time she’d seen the coffee machine she had been bamboozled by it. It had taken a few attempts to finally get it right.
‘What does that do—make coffee or beam you up?’
‘Oh, if it could beam you up I’d press that button right away,’ she said smartly, as she walked back over to the fridge, pulled out the bacon and fired up the grill.
He folded his arms across his chest. He looked amused, maybe even intrigued by her sparky response. ‘So, now we’re getting to see the true you.’
‘As opposed to what?’
He laughed. ‘As opposed to the crazy ammunition-wielding giant pink teddy bear I met when I arrived.’
She glared at him as she put the bacon under the grill. ‘Let’s see.’ She counted off on her fingers. ‘You’ve ruined my night. It seems like you’re going to interrupt the two weeks of sanctuary I was expecting to have here. You’ve insulted my favourite nightwear. Scared me half to death. Stolen my chocolate and blackmailed me into making you something to eat.’ She folded her arms back at him. ‘Why, Reuben, you’re my favourite person in the world right now.’
He shook his head at her tone. ‘I hope you’re not serious.’
She opened the cupboard and pulled out a tin of baked beans. ‘About which part?’
His cheeky smile reached from ear to ear. ‘About the favourite nightwear part. I’m hoping you’ve got something much more appropriate than that.’
Had he really just said that? He must have because tiny electric sparks were currently shooting down her spine and making her toes curl.
She opened the tin of beans, poured them into a bowl and started to nuke them in the microwave. ‘Why do I think you’re going to be a pain in the neck to have around?’
He raised his eyebrows. ‘You seem to have been hit with a sass attack. Exactly how much wine did you drink?’
‘Obviously not enough.’
‘Wow.’ Reuben mocked being hit in the chest and fell against the wall. ‘What’s happened to you?’
She shrugged. ‘I had an adrenaline surge when I thought someone was breaking in. You know, the old fight-or-flight thing. Then when the police arrived I started to panic.’ She turned the bacon over in the grill pan. ‘Both those things have left me now. It’s late. I planned on being asleep around an hour ago. Instead, I’m playing hostess in a kitchen that isn’t mine and plotting an elaborate lie to tell Caleb about his award.’
She stuck some bread in the toaster and walked back over to the coffee machine. ‘Now, pick your poison or learn how to work this yourself.’
He laughed and walked over next to her. ‘You know, the giant pink teddy bear is losing her appeal.’
‘That’s fine. I never wanted to be a cuddly toy.’ She pressed some buttons and coffee and milk steamed out of the coffee maker.