Page 42 of Tangled Hearts

“What do you want for dinner?” Eli asks, standing in the middle of the kitchen. He’s got a huge smile on his face. It almost seems like our day yesterday… refreshed him. Made him happy. Probably because he doesn’t know what was going on in my head.

“Um, I’m good with whatever you want.”

His smile grows. “Okay. How about we just order in tonight? Does pizza sound good?”

“I’m good with pizza,” I say, trying to mirror his cheerful voice.

“Great.” He pulls his phone out to place an order. “What toppings do you want?”

“I’m not picky.” I mean, pizza is pizza, right? It’s all delicious.

“Me neither,” Eli says, then his nose wrinkles. “But I’m not getting mushrooms. That’s gross.”

I can’t help but chuckle. He’s so damn adorable. “Alright. No mushrooms, then.”

Eli nods, going back to his order. “Okay, I’ll get a supreme with no mushrooms. Also some cheesy bread.” He looks up at me with a sly grin. “We deserve cheesy bread, don’t you think?”

I think he deserves literally everything he could possibly want. “I do think. Definitely cheesy bread.”

When he’s ordered, he tosses his phone down with a sigh. “Now what do you want to do? Are you a Grey’s hater?”

“The doctor show?”

He nods. “Yeah, Dad and Uncle Holden hate it. But I’m just a regular person, so I’m good with the inaccuracies, but no one willwatch it with me. My friend Molly can’t handle gore, and Liam says there are too many seasons.”

I laugh. “I’m fine with watching it.”

His eyes light up. God, I am so fucked. “Okay. Perfect. While we’re watching, I can give you a comprehensive list of why Alex Karev is the best fictional character in the world.”

“Sure,” I say, chuckling a bit at his infectious enthusiasm.

When we sit down on the couch, there’s plenty of space between us—thank God—and Eli starts the show at the very first episode. “I only have one chance to get you hooked, so I figure I better just start from the beginning.”

The show is fine. It’s interesting, maybe not something I’d watch on my own, but the drama is intriguing. I may not be a human nurse, but as an animal nurse, even I can tell it’s overblown and dramatic for drama’s sake. It doesn’t matter, though; it’s entertaining enough.

Eli, on the other hand? He’s more enticing than the show could ever be. He reacts with his entire body, and I know he’s seen this before—at least once, probably more—but he acts like it’s his first time. He gasps and giggles and shakes his head. Sometimes, he glances at me like he’s making sure I’m paying attention.

I am, but mostly to him.

Dammit, this is the opposite of what I’m supposed to be doing.

There’s a knock at the door, and I jump to my feet in a rush. “I’ll get it.”

“Okay,” Eli says, pulling his feet up and tucking them under his legs.

I open the door, and after tipping the delivery driver, I set the pizza boxes down on the couch and sit down. “Do you want to eat hereor in the kitchen?”

Eli opens the cheesy bread and pulls out a piece, smiling when it does a massive cheese pull. “Here is fine.”

When he takes a bite, he groans, and my dick perks up. I mentally chide myself because come the fuck on. I’m almost thirty years old. I should have better control of my dick than this.

I take a slice of pizza and settle into the cushions. I’m making a valiant effort to watch the show, but my head is full of Eli. The pizza is good, though, and it seems like a safe thing to focus on, so I do that instead.

“Are you even watching?” Eli asks, startling me.

“Of course I am.”

He narrows his eyes at me before huffing and turning his attention back to the show. I bite the inside of my cheek to keep from smiling. “Are you done eating?”