“Morning, beautiful. Are you hungry?” he asks, then turns around.
Eli is slung to his chest in some kind of tan material that I missed when I was too busy checking him out. It’s not at all what I would have expected to see after spending the night with Walker for the first time.
Well, the first time after we fooled around.
I cover my mouth as a laugh breaks free. Then I meet him in the kitchen, where I see Eli is looking around wide-eyed, like this angle is something she has never seen before.
I bite my lip to keep from laughing more, but Walker’s grin is so damn smug that it sets me off. He catches me, shaking his head like I’m trouble, and I swear the air between us crackles all over again.
He leans close, voice low and teasing. “Careful, Jessie. You keep looking at me like that, and I’ll forget breakfast exists and take you into my room to give you a proper punishment.”
My laugh tumbles out again before I can stop it, warm and reckless, because, God, it feels too good to be wanted like this by him. He raises his eyebrows with a warning that he might just be serious.
Is it wrong that I want him to punish me? I’ve never been punished before. Would he … hurt me?
Moisture pools in my underwear. I close my eyes to try and get rid of the images dancing around in my head.
He shakes his head and turns around, mumbling to himself about not having enough willpower. Then he pours me a cup of coffee and hands it to me.
“I assume you still take it black,” he says as he extends his arm.
I take the cup from him cautiously, wondering how he knows a detail like that. I don’t get the words out before he answers it for me.
“I know everything about you, Jessie. All these years you think I’ve been indifferent, I’ve been memorizing you in silence.”
He can’t say things like that. It’s too confusing. I don’t know how to separate my feelings when he’s confessing such intimate details of his own.
“Thank you,” I reply, voice cracking.
“I’ve got pancakes, eggs, toast, fruit, and bacon.” He nods over his shoulder.
“That’s all?” I ask sarcastically.
He tucks my hair behind my ear. “I wanted to make sure I fed you properly. Plus, I’ve got a ton of energy. This little one slept great. That’s the most sleep I’ve had since she came around.”
“What can I help with?” I ask as I take a sip of coffee.
I normally like to sit and enjoy a cup while doing nothing to give my brain time to wake up, but I suppose that goes out the window with a baby.
“Nothing. Take a seat at the island. Food will be done in a minute.”
He goes back to cooking, and I prop myself up on a barstool and enjoy my view of his back again.
Once we are finished with breakfast, Eli is ready for another bottle. I place my plate in the dishwasher.
“Let me feed her. You just relax,” I tell him as I place the bottle in the warmer and take her from his arms.
She did a great job, sitting on his lap, propped up by his stomach, while we ate. I may know a bit about babies, but this is still a new experience for me too. I didn’t realize just how hard it was to do something so simple like eat or shower with a newborn.
“You don’t have to do that,” he replies.
I sigh, remembering him saying that last night. “From now on, if I offer, it’s because I want to.”
A smirk pulls the corner of his lips up. “Noted. So sorry to offend you, ma’am.”
“No need to be sarcastic,” I bite back as I begin to pat Eli’s back to soothe her while the bottle warms.
“Old habits die hard, babe.” He chuckles.
