Free Make It Right by Megan Erickson

for that?
    “Oh, of course, but do you know what to do with one this big? I mean, it can be a lot to handle. You don’t want to waste any of it.”
    That tongue peeked out again. “Oh, I never waste cucumbers. I make them last a loooong time.” She drew out the word, curling her tongue on her upper teeth on the l and emphasizing the shape of her mouth on the oooo . And then she chuckled, a deep sound that traipsed along his spine like fingers. “I’m not sure you’re used to cucumbers this big, so why don’t I just take this one? Hmmm?”
    She tugged. And he tugged back. Through gritted teeth, he said, “Trust me, doll, I know exactly what to do with a big cucumber.”
    And that’s when Lea lost it. She let go of the cucumber, threw her head back, shiny dark hair flying, and howled in laughter. She had a deep, husky laugh that settled into his gut like a cup of hot chocolate. He wanted to drink and drink and drink. Because he loved that he could make her laugh, especially in light of what had happened to her cousin.
    When her laugh subsided, she eyed the cucumber in his hand and shrugged, giggles still escaping from her lips. “You can have that cucumber. There are plenty other big ones I can use.”
    Then she winked.
    And he wondered if he had stepped into some alternate universe and this was a porno, because he wanted to say, the only big cucumber you’ll be using is mine , and grab her and devour her mouth. But that was corny, and creepy and probably illegal in twenty-four states. So instead he threw his cucumber in his cart and bit the inside of his cheek.
    Lea carted another cucumber—which was smaller than the one he had, he noted with a silent grunt—and looked at his cart.
    “Baby food?” She raised her eyebrows.
    He looked down at his cart. “Oh, uh, that’s for Wayne.”
    She blinked. Then shook her head. “You’re feeding your cat baby food?”
    “Well, kind of? I’m, um, making him cat treats.” Was that a bad thing to confess to a girl you wanted? At least his boner had gone down.
    “What?”
    He took a deep breath and plunged in. “Well I saw pictures of these fancy cats on the Internet with homemade food and thought, why can’t Wayne have that? Just because he’s probably eaten junk all his life and is okay eating junk doesn’t mean he has to. So, I’m making him some treats.”
    Her lips softened, the smirk morphing into a smile. She cocked her head and said quietly, “You’re making your cat treats.”
    He nodded. Didn’t he just say that?
    She peeked into his cart again. “What else goes in the treats?”
    He pointed to the ingredients as he listed them. “Well, I have some ingredients at home already, like eggs, water, oil and parsley. So I bought rice and baby food and some rice flour. The recipe said it makes a thick paste and then I spread it on a pan, bake it, and then cut it into bite-sized pieces. They are chewy treats, which I thought would be good for him. He eats dry food, which I read is best to control tartar. But I want to give him a treat, you know?”
    Lea stared at him. Fuck, he was rambling like a nut job about his cat.
    “Tess eats dry cat food, too. I give her canned tuna as a treat. She hears the drawer open where I keep the can opener and comes running.”
    The gears in his head clicked into place. “You have a cat, too?”
    “Well, at home. Not at my apartment because Danica is allergic. I miss her though. She’s a little tortoiseshell I got at the shelter. Her mom was brought in pregnant so she was born there and I picked her out as a kitten. She’s completely kooky. But I love her.”
    He smiled. “Tess?”
    “From Tess of the d’Ubervilles . By Thomas Hardy. One of my favorite books.”
    It didn’t ring a bell. He shook his head. “Never read it.”
    She laughed. “Not everyone is a Hardy fan. But I like him.”
    “I’ll have to look him up, I guess.” He didn’t read much, but if it was her favorite book, maybe he could make an