I looked up at him and immediately blushed and looked away. Just looking at his face reminded me of kissing him. And now I wanted to do so, so much more than just kiss him. My fingers ached to touch his skin again and to tangle in his hair.
Charlotte watched me closely for a moment, before swallowing her bite of grilled cheese and looking over at Bastian. “I don't know what put you in such a good mood that you made your Famous Grilled Cheese,” she said, taking another bite and turning to look pointedly at me. “But thank you.”
I blushed and gig
gled nervously, trying not to look up at Bastian. “I didn't do anything...”
“I don't want to know,” Charlotte quickly amended, holding up her hand. She looked back and forth at the not-so-secret gazes between Bastian and me. “So seriously, I do not want to know what the two of you were out doing all night.”
“Who says we were out all night?” Bastian asked, smiling. I had to struggle not to giggle like a school girl at anything he said. It didn't help that my stomach was full of happy butterflies or that I suddenly was finding everything very amusing. I was drunk on happiness just by being around him.
“I don't want to know.” Charlotte shot him a dirty look. “I don't want to know so much that I'm going to take this delicious sandwich to the other room. You two can sit in here making googly eyes without me. I'd like to keep my lunch down.”
She picked up her plate, but left smiling.
“You think she suspects anything?” Bastian asked, taking the last bite of his sandwich.
I giggled, and took another bite of my sandwich. It was definitely the best grilled cheese sandwich I had ever eaten. Three kinds of cheese and the bread was toasted to perfection. I knew that grilled cheese wasn't usually a gourmet event, but Bastian made it one.
“Okay, sister in the room,” Charlotte announced, walking back into the kitchen with one hand covering her eyes as if she were afraid she might see us doing something naughty. As tempted as I was to take Bastian on the kitchen table, she had no reason to cover her eyes.
“I'm seriously just eating a sandwich,” I told her. “And now that sounds dirty.”
Charlotte snorted and dropped her hand. “I'm sorry to interrupt your sandwich,” she said the word slowly and deliberately. “But Leo's here for the conference call.”
Charlotte managed to only blush a little, but her cheeks still told the full story about how she felt about Leo. Bastian sighed and stood up, putting his plate in the sink before standing beside me.
“Dinner?” he asked. His eyes sparkled and I wondered just what he had planned. I hoped it involved him shirtless.
“Yes, please,” I answered, a little too breathless. He grinned as if he could read the dirty thoughts in my mind. I wanted to kiss him again so badly it was driving me crazy.
Bastian grinned and walked past me to the door, skimming his hand along my shoulders as he passed. The deepest parts of me tightened at his wonderful touch, my skin aflame from his fingers. If he did this to me all day, I would go insane for sure.
Charlotte waited until he passed her to leave before giving me two big thumbs up. I laughed as she then followed him out. As much as she joked, I was glad she liked the two of us together. I knew I didn't need it, but I was glad to have her approval.
Chapter 17
“Hi, Daddy,” I said, picking up the phone and grinning from ear to ear as I set down my work. I glanced at my watch and saw it was much later than I thought. I had worked all afternoon and into the evening without realizing it.
“Hi, kiddo,” he replied, sounding relaxed and happy. “How's work coming?”
“Slow but steady,” I told him. “I'll get it all done in time. How are you?”
“As good as can be expected. The food here is terrible,” he complained. I could hear the TV on in the background. “They won't let me have any salt.”
I smiled, thinking of him pouting while watching Jeopardy in bed. “At least I'll get the appraisal done on time,” I promised. “That should make you feel better.”
“Don't work too hard,” he cautioned. “You should have some fun while your out there. You need a little distraction.”
I thought of how Bastian kept finding excuses throughout the day to walk through whichever room I happened to be working in, even if Charlotte or Leo happened to be with him. It made it very difficult to concentrate, knowing he was there, watching me with his blue-gray eyes. I had at least managed to sneak in one short kiss before Charlotte nearly walked in on us.
“What about you, Dad? What was the test for today?” I asked, changing the subject. I didn't want to talk to my father about Bastian or the way he kissed.
“Dr. Verner assures me that he's getting good data,” Dad explained. “It looks like I'm going to need a pacemaker, but I'll let him explain it to you when you get here.”
“A pacemaker?” I felt a jolt of panic again. Pacemakers meant that something was wrong. I shook my head. I already knew something was wrong, but it was still difficult to let the reality set in.
“Yes, and don't worry, Ava.” Dad turned down the TV in the background. “He says once it's in, I'll be right as rain. It's a very simple procedure. I even get to go home the next day. No more scares. I'll be back to usual.”