The Heart of a Painter (As I Am Book 1) by Shani Haim

Author:Shani Haim [Haim, Shani]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: contemporary romance
Publisher: Shani Haim
Published: 2022-02-07T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

* * *

Thomas

In the last twenty-four hours since Erin and I had been reunited, we existed on words, feelings, bodily fluids, and cupcakes. She loved the red velvet ones, but it didn’t mean she didn’t taste the rest of them.

We talked for hours, and I listened intently while picking up on things that brought her joy, preparing a list in my head for later use. For now though, her stomach spoke for her when it told me Erin had to eat something more substantial than cupcakes.

“Sorry.” She covered her eyes while holding her belly.

“Don’t be.” I carefully removed her hand from her face and kissed it. I’d been kissing her nonstop, constantly longing for her sweet skin. “That’s”—I gestured at the strewn cupcake boxes on the bed—“not real food. I’ve been selfish in keeping you here.”

“Selfish wouldn’t exactly be how I’d describe you.” She twisted a strand of hair in her hand, smiling apologetically. “And the fridge is empty. Sorry.”

“Why are you sorry? You were away for three weeks.” I kissed her thoroughly, reassuring her through my actions as well as my words that this wasn’t an accusation. “I brought it up because I had my home stocked up and I would like to cook for you.”

At the mention of food, her stomach grumbled again. Catching her hand faster than she could, I pulled her to my body and covered her face with kisses instead of her palm.

“I hear you. Dinner at my place.”

She nodded into my chest, her body shaking with soft laughter.

Then an idea struck me. “What would you say if I offered to invite my friend Zach to join us?”

Since Zach and my talk weeks ago, I hadn’t brought Erin up in our conversations. Admitting I liked her to someone other than myself could’ve been the fast route to getting my hopes up higher than they already were, and possibly having my heart crushed.

As I held Erin in my arms, I felt it safe to say the doubts were gone and I wanted Zach to meet her, to see for himself what an incredible woman she was in person.

“You want me to meet your friends?” Her eyes grew larger.

“Technically, my only friend.” I leaned in and kissed her forehead again, gravitated to her by an invisible force. “But yes, I do.”

Erin peered up at me, her broad smile lighting up her entire face and making my heart skip a beat. “You’re moving fast.” She remarked with a tint of humor.

“I like you. I’m old enough to not hold back about what I want.” My hands moved over her absentmindedly. “And I want you.”

“Oh, you do?”

“I think you know I do.” Her taunting answer deserved an equal reply, and without thinking, as if we’d been doing this for years, I was on her waist, tickling her.

She fell to her back with me on top of her, her long hair spreading on her sheets, her mouth open, laughter echoing from it and filling my heart. I added tickles to the What Makes Erin Smile list.

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