Page 21 of Drop Pass

He didn’t move. Didn’t say a single word. Just stared.

I held the bag out so he could see the restaurant’s logo. “Don’t worry. I didn’t cook. I heard Teton Burger was good though.”

He nodded once. “It’s good.”

Perfect. We’ve established that. “I got you the western burger.” No response. “And chocolate cheesecake.”

Well. Color me surprised. The man could smile. He stepped back into his apartment and waved me in.

I was too lost, memorizing the gentle curl of his lips and the tiny creases at the corners to move.

“Uh, do you want to come in?”

Oh no. I nodded. “Sure, thanks.”

I followed him in, and he shut the door behind us. I went to his kitchen and set the bag on the counter. I set my salad down and reached in for his food. “Here you go.”

He peeked at the burger and nodded once. “Do you want something to drink?”

For some reason, his offer put me at ease. He was making an effort and he wasn’t going to immediately kick me out.

“Sure, water would be great.”

He nodded and went to the fridge. He filled two glasses and went to the sleek, modern dining room table that filled the space between the kitchen and living room. It was larger than I expected. It could sit at least eight people. I was planning on getting one that fits four. Maybe he had more friends than I thought.

That was mean. He could be popular with the guys. He was probably a lot more comfortable around them. I just saw the rougher sides.

I followed him with our entrees and sat down at one end. He sat at the head next to me and slid his box closer. He took a bite of his burger and let out a satisfied moan.

“This is good.”

My smile couldn’t have been contained if I’d been offered a million dollars. He was happy, and I’d done that!

“Good. I had to guess on what you would like. I’m glad I didn’t get something you find disgusting.”

He smirked. “This is my favorite.”

Thank heaven for Lucy. I was going to hug her the next time I saw her.

“Lucky guess.” Ha. I’m not a stalker.

He dug into his food, leaving me to pick at my salad while I watched him in a completely non-creepy way.

“I wanted to thank you for what you did today.”

He paused with a fry an inch from his mouth then slowly sat it down. “I did what anyone would have done.”

I shook my head. “Someone else might have moved to catch me before I fell, but only you would have known the ice was cracking and pushed me out of the way. Only you would fall into the ice so I didn’t.”

He looked down at his nearly empty box and shrugged.

“Why did you do it?”

He met my eyes for a second before looking away. “I would have wanted someone to do the same for my sisters.”

That was not what I was expecting, at all.

“How many sisters do you have?”