Stopping at the edge of the couch she turned and narrowed those gray pixie eyes at him. “No one thinks a girl snorting is adorable.”
He shrugged and lifted his arms to lay on the back of the couch. “I would’ve agreed with that statement until I heard you do it over a week ago.”
She shook her head and laughed on her way to the kitchen, clearly not believing him, but that was okay. She would one day. One day soon she was going to know her worth and be comfortable with everything about herself, including her tendency to snort and run into inanimate objects.
As she made the popcorn and got them drinks he went through the movies offered on cable, selected Warrior, and paused it as soon as it came on. “Hey,” he called out. “You know what you call stubbing your toe just now?”
“The same thing I call it every time I do something like that: clumsiness.”
“No, this time it’s called karma. For when you lied to your brother this morning about stubbing your toe.”
She poked her head around the doorway, eyes wide. “Oh my gosh, you’re right! Well, that sucks.” Disappearing back into the kitchen she said, “Remind me to never make up lies that involve personal bodily harm in the future.”
He was still laughing when she walked back into the room holding a big bowl of popcorn and two bottles of water. “You just need to adjust your lies accordingly so that when karma does come around, as the saying goes, it’s something you’ll enjoy.”
She managed to place the bowl on the low table in front of them and sit on the couch without any further mishaps. As she settled back into the cushions she asked, “Oh, yeah? Like what?”
Twisting his body to face her, Reid leaned in close. “Like, ‘I’m sorry, I can’t talk right now because Reid’s licking my breasts like they’re his own personal ice cream cones.’” He’d never seen someone’s cheeks pinken so fast. Getting a rise out of her was quickly becoming one of his favorite past times and he couldn’t help taking it even further. “Although, I’m not sure if that falls under karma so much as it does contributing to the universe’s suggestion box.” He lowered his eyes to the juncture of her thighs hidden by the small black pajama shorts. “Speaking of boxes—”
That was all the further he got before she’d silenced him with a hand over his mouth. Though she was doing her best at looking incredulous, she was having a damn hard time hiding her smile. “Reid Michael Andrews! What’s gotten into you?”
He pulled her hand away as he laughed. “It must be you because I haven’t had this much fun with a girl in forever.”
She tipped her head in a coy manner and looked up at him through those sexy spiked lashes. “Then again, technically speaking, I suppose it’s you that’s gotten into me.” Reid hadn’t been aware his jaw had dropped until she lifted it up with the tips of her fingers and said, “You keep your mouth open like that and you’re bound to catch flies.” Then with a cat-who-ate-the-canary grin she pulled the popcorn bowl into her lap.
Reid burst out in a long, hard laugh as he slung an arm around her and tucked her into his side. He started the movie and they fell into a comfortable silence, eating popcorn and relaxing with each other. His attention seemed more focused on her rather than the drama on the screen, though. He noticed during the fighting scenes that her whole body tensed up. If something surprised her she’d utter a quiet gasp. And while watching an on-screen kiss, her fingertips drifted up to lightly touch her own lips as though she could feel it as much as the characters.
Lucie was a quiet woman by nature. She’d lived her life standing in the wings, content to let those around her take center stage. But that didn’t mean she was any less passionate than those who preferred the spotlight. She loved her job and her friends, was fiercely dedicated and loyal, and a romantic at heart.
Reid knew he’d never settle down and have a family. He didn’t have the “family man gene” like most people. Beyond that, he didn’t live the sort of life that families flourished in.
His dad was Stan Andrews, one of the top professional boxers in his day. He’d fought many of the greats and even won against some of them. His mother had been one of the ring bunnies that hung around the gym, went to all the fights, and did her best to land a fighter. Reid’s parents had been happy until he was five. That’s when the great Stan Andrews got hit one too many times in the head, and it ended his career. After that he started drinking, and his wife was disgusted with having a washed-up ex-boxer as a husband. The thrill of being ringside and cheering in his corner was gone. And then so was she.