He picks up my hand, slotting our fingers together before resting it on his denim covered thigh. “My day was good. I had a few classes and worked out. I did hit a personal record when I was benching - three hundred sixty pounds, baby.”

“Congratulations. That’s awesome.”

“Thanks. I’m happy with it, but keep in mind Clancy does four hundred plus. But he’s a freak of nature.”

“He’s never played football?”

“He did when he was in high school, but he’s unbelievable at hockey and that’s his passion.”

“It must be awesome to be naturally athletic.”

“You don’t think you are?”

“No, I’m good at football, but I really have to work at it. It’s not something that came naturally for me. And you should’ve seen how much I sucked at gymnastics. My mom really wanted me to be a gymnast. She made me take lessons for four years.”

“Did you hate it?”

“No, I liked learning the skills, they just didn’t come easily for me.”

“I bet you looked adorable doing them.”

“Ha, you wouldn’t say that if you saw pictures. I was all knobby knees and red hair. Talk about awkward.”

“You went through an awkward phase?”

“I did. Why’s that hard for you to believe? I have red hair, freckles, and I’m ghostly pale. Those things make it hard enough, but I was painfully thin and tall for my age, too.”

He smiles. “I need to see pictures of this.”

“I don’t have to go back very far. I was still awkward in high school. In fact, I might even be now. At least I still feel it.”

“Stop it. There’s nothing awkward about your appearance or behavior.” He releases my hand, rising to his feet. “I’m going to check on dinner. Be right back.”

I nod and watch as Trevor walks toward the kitchen. His dark gray t-shirt hugs his shoulders, the short sleeves are tight around his massive biceps. My gaze drifts down to his ass for a quick glimpse before he rounds the corner into the kitchen. Damn, he looks good. Pushing out my bottom lip, I blow the strands of my hair off my forehead and then smooth a hand back over them.

Trevor looked so happy to see me when I arrived and he’s cooked me a vegan dinner. How am I going to resist him? It will take an iron will to keep my clothes on. Especially because I haven’t been able to stop thinking and wondering what sex will be like for us. I wasn’t attracted to my ex the same way I am with Trevor.

“Dinner’s ready.” He walks toward me. Stopping in front of the couch, he holds his hand out. Grabbing the bottle between my legs, I take hold with my free hand and let him assist me to my feet.

“What are we having? It smells delicious.” Every step closer to the kitchen has my taste buds salivating.

“I made vegan pizza from scratch.” He looks proud.

“You made the crust?” My tone sounds skeptical, and I don’t mean for it to. But I know first hand how much it sucks to make dough. Which is why I never bother.

“I promise you, I did. I can list the ingredients if you’d like. I even made extra dough and put it in the freezer so you can have it another time.”

“Wow, I’m impressed. I usually buy it all prepared.”

“Hey, nothing but the best for my girl.” My heart goes rat-a-tat at his words. Or maybe I should say kerplunk instead, because it feels like it stopped, dropped, and then kicked into overdrive. He pulls out a chair at the table and waits for me to sit.

“Thank you. You’re quite the gentleman, aren’t you?”

“Hey, I’m surprised it took you until now to notice. My mom sent me to classes for manners and dancing.” I giggle. He has to be joking. “I’m not joking.”

My mouth forms a perfect circle. “Were you the only boy there?”

“No. All the uber wealthy kids in my parents’ circle of friends went. It was a rite of passage. Not a fun one, but necessary according to my mom.”

“I can’t wait to see your dance moves.”

“If you’re lucky I’ll give you a demonstration later.” He winks, and I wonder if he’s talking about a horizontal dance. And if he is, how do I feel about it? Am I ready for sex with Trevor? Can one really be ready for sex with him?

He bends over, removing two round pizza pans from the oven. Taking advantage of the opportunity, I ogle his ass. When he straightens I notice his jeans fit just right, not too loose or too tight. The muscles in his forearms flex as he cuts the pizza, sending tremors through me. He’s so strong and manly. What does the rest of him look like? Will I be seeing him naked anytime soon? God I hope so. The more I ruminate on it, the more I realize I’m ready to take our relationship to the next level. It’s not like we’re rushing anything. I’ve been thinking about it for weeks. Trevor rattles the silverware in the drawer, snapping me out of my inner dialogue.

“What do you need help with? I’m being lazy just sitting here watching you.”

Peering over his shoulder, he winks. “I like you watching me.” He slides over to the fridge, removing a large bowl filled with salad and places it down on the counter. He adds serving utensils and then waves me over. “We’re going to do this buffet style.”

Taking the white plate from him, I begin to add salad until I have a small mountain. I move over to the stove. “This pizza looks incredible. I can’t believe you made this from scratch.” Reaching down I place two pieces beside my salad.

“Don’t thank me until you taste it. I’m not sure how it came out.”

“I can tell by looking it’s going to be fantastic. And the way it smells is incredible.”

“Thanks, I’m glad you think so.”

“I haven’t had pizza in well over a year.”

“What?” His eyes almost pop from his head. “How is that possible?”

“I don’t have time to prepare it for myself. And I haven’t found a place where I can buy it.” I shrug my shoulders. “Now you’ll understand why I’m so excited about this.”

“You mean another reason besides being in my company?”

I giggle, “Did I forget to mention that part?” I return to my seat and wait for him. He sits across from me. “Dig in while it’s hot. And if you don’t like it, be honest. I can always take you out to dinner.”

Raising one of the slices to my lips, I take a large bite. The combination of sweet and spicy peppers, combined with the parmesan cheese and sauce explodes on my tongue. I moan, chewing slowly, savoring the taste.

“You like it?” Trevor’s expression is adorably hopeful.

I lick sauce from the corner of my lip. “I love it. This is phenomenal. I can’t wait until you make it again for me.”

“I told you I was a catch.”

“You never mentioned you’d learn how to cook vegan food. That would have gone a long way towards making me cave in sooner.”

“Now that I know you like my cooking, I’m inspired to try something even more complicated.”

“I’ll eat whatever you make. I’m pretty daring about trying new things. When you’re vegan, you have to be open minded. I never expected to like veggie burgers, but they’re surprisingly good.”

We settle into silence as we both enjoy the meal. Trevor offers me small smiles from time to time, but seems content to remain quiet. I like this about him, along with a thousand other things. The list of positives grows daily and my reservations have been consistently chipped away by his persistence.

“What are you smiling about?” he inquires, catching me woolgathering about him.

“I was thinking about how much I like your company and how happy I am to be here.”

“I’m glad, and just so you know, I may never let you leave.”

“Cooking for me is one way to get me to stay.”

“What else will get you to stay?” His tone is teasing.

“It depends on how comfortable your bed is.”

“It’s king sized and soft as a cloud. I just changed my sheets today.”

“Ooh, after the past two months on my tiny, rock-hard dorm bed, clean sheets and sleeping on a cloud sounds pretty fantastic. Those are both big selling points, but I’m not convinced.”

“I’m a great cuddler.”

“You are?”

“Actually, no, I never have been. But I want to hold you in my arms all night long.”

“What if that’s all we do?”

“Cuddle?” I nod. “Then I’ll consider myself the luckiest guy in the world that you spent the night with me.” My stomach flutters with his sweet answer. Could he possibly mean all the things he says? God, I hope he does, because it’ll break my heart to find out otherwise.

I help him clear the table even though he tries to get me to remain seated. We load the dishwasher side by side and I wipe down the table as he puts the leftovers away. He steals the dish cloth from me and throws it into the sink.

“Can I persuade you to spend the night with me?”

“Do I need to make up my mind right now?”

“I want to watch a movie in my room, but if you’re not staying over we could watch it in the living room.”

“Should we rock, paper, scissors for it? Whoever wins chooses.”

“Are you serious? Growing up, I was the champion of that game.”

“Let’s see what you got.” We face one another, each placing a fist on the palm of their other hand. We pound our fists into our palms three times and then I make a sign for scissors and Trevor makes one for paper. “Scissors cut paper.”

“Lucky try.” He scowls.

“Let’s go again.”

We bang our fists into our palms and I stretch my fingers out making the sign for paper and Trevor forms a fist for rock. “Paper covers rock.” I smile. “I thought you were the champion of this game?”

“I let you win.”

I poke him in the chest. “Ha, don’t be a sore loser. Admit your defeat.”

He catches my hand and tugs me into him, pinning my arms behind my back. “I’ve got you in my arms and at my mercy, seems like a win to me. What’s it gonna be, Red? Are you spending the night with me or not?”

I stare up into his blue eyes. “I’m staying.” He releases my hands and throws me over his shoulder. We move quickly down the hallway. I’m getting dizzy from the blood flowing to my head in the upside down position as I hang down his back. We enter his room and he mercilessly drops me on the bed. I bounce in place squealing with laughter.

He chuckles. “What movie do you want to watch?”

“I like anything.”

He picks up the remote, turning on the television. Flipping to the guide he scrolls through the various selections. “Porn it is.”

I laugh and kick my flip flops to the floor. “How’d you know that’s my favorite?” Scooting backward, I slide up the comforter until my head is lying on a pillow. My gaze skates around his bedroom, taking in the light gray walls and navy blue and gray comforter. Floor to ceiling bookshelves line one wall. He wasn’t kidding about having a collection of books. His closed MacBook sits on top of a matching desk with a brown leather executive chair pushed in behind it. All in all, it’s a very neat space and somewhat unexpected for a college guy his age. And no half naked posters of women either. I was sure he’d have at least one.

He sits on the edge of the bed. “What kind of porn will it be? Amateur? Anal?”

Grabbing the pillow next to me, I smash it against his back. “I’m not watching porn with you.”

“Tonight? Or do you mean ever? Because I think I’d like watching some with you. It could be hot.”

“Tonight… ever.”

“Which one is it?”

“Grrr, you’re so aggravating. You know what I mean.”

He laughs, “I like firing you up, Red. You’re cute when you’re annoyed.” He lies down beside me, stretching his long legs out and places one hand on the pillow behind his head. “No preference on what we watch? How about a little World Class Wrestling?”

“Meh, whatever you want. I might fall asleep now that you fed me.” I rub my hand over my stomach.

“Is that what happens when you eat?”

“Pretty much.”

“Remind me not to cook for you ever again.”

I giggle. “No way. That pizza was delicious.”

He places the remote on his nightstand and rolls over to face me. “Come here.” Reaching out, his hand lands on my left hip, sliding me closer until my side meets the front of his body. “There, much better. You were too far away.”

Leaning on his elbow, he stares down at me, his eyes slowly skimming over my facial features as if he has all the time in the world. I try not to squirm under his close scrutiny.

“I just want you to know I’m so happy you’re here with me.” He sweeps my hair from my forehead and then caresses the back of his fingers down my cheek. “I’ve never been in love before, never even been close to it. I’m not sure what love is supposed to feel like.”

He takes my hand, his fingertips trace over my skin causing a chill to engulf me, my downy arm hair rises from his touch. It’s been like this with us from the moment we met. My heart may not have been on the same page as my body, but I’m glad it caught up.

“Does being in love with someone mean your chest aches from all the feelings building up inside you? Does being in love mean your heart is an impossibly fast drumbeat thundering in your chest whenever the person you care about is around?” His fingertips continue to skim over my hand making me buzz with anticipation while his words hug my heart. “Does being in love mean that special someone is on your mind every minute of every day? And you find yourself smiling whenever you think of them. They’re your first thought when you wake up and the last one before you drift off to sleep.” He releases my hand and his fingers ghost over the curve of my brow. “Does being in love mean that you lie in your bed and fantasize about having them with you, and when they finally are you’re afraid to do anything that might ruin the moment?” He cups my cheek in his palm. His blue eyes are so earnest it brings a lump to my throat.

“If being in love is all of these things I’ve mentioned, then I’m in love with you, Grace Duffy. I’m hopelessly fucking in love with you.”

Oh my God. He is? I wrap my left leg over his right hip, driving him to his back. Straddling his lean hips, I lean forward until my hair is a straight red curtain around our faces. “Trevor Lincoln, I love you. I’m hopelessly fucking in love with you.”

He grins up at me, his straight teeth a flash on his handsome face. “You are? I mean, I knew you were. How could you not be?”

“Now that we got that out of the way how about my boyfriend, who I love, shows me with his hot body how much he loves me back?”