“Bozeman, then. I’ll surprise you.” Options ran through my head. There were steak houses, bistros, even bakeries, but those were likely closed in the evening.
“It’s a date.”
“An official one.” I rolled to my side of the bed. “Let me make you breakfast.”
“Cookies aren’t an option?”
“Not unless you want me to explain why I have frosting all over to everyone at the distillery.”
She giggled again, but it cut off when I rose and the sheets slipped away. My bare ass faced her, and when I walked to the bathroom, she saw my morning wood. I made sure of it.
When I was done cleaning up, I came out to an empty bedroom. The toilet flushed in the guest bath, so I dressed quickly and went downstairs. I wasn’t a baker, but I could make mean scrambled eggs and sausage.
By the time Madison entered the kitchen, the coffeepot was almost full, the sausage was almost done, and I had the eggs beaten and ready to scramble.
“Have a seat. Food’s not quite done.”
She peered at the time. “Don’t you have to get to work?”
I gave her a wink. “I’m the boss, baby.”
She rolled her eyes, but her smile was indulgent. She tidied the cookies and frosting from the night before. “I’ll pipe these later tonight. Or tomorrow since we’re going on adate.”
Her voice rang with disbelief. I’d show her. “Honestly, there might not be many cookies left by then.” I’d eaten at least three since I’d started making breakfast.
“I can make more. Another night.”
“I’ll let these count as your cookies for the week.” I’d keep her too busy to bake tonight anyway. I poured her a cup of coffee and set it on the island with the sugar. Then I got her cream from the fridge and took out the three different creamers I had.
“We both seem to have a sweet tooth,” she said, pouring more than a dollop of cream into her cup, followed by the caramel-flavored creamer.
“Tate always asks if I want some coffee with my cream and sugar.”
“I almost quit drinking it. Damien— Sorry.”
“You can talk about him. I’m not intimidated by Cocksucker.”
A small smile graced her face. “The partners at his firm also owned a coffeehouse, and they’d talk roasted beans during their social time. Damien wanted to impress them. We had so much gourmet coffee at home, I had to buy storage carts for them.”
“Sounds like a waste.”
“So much waste. I started making homemade marshmallows just to have something sweet to put into my cup. His partners loved those, so I made a double batch, and I could keep some for home. Sometimes, I think they liked me more than him.”
“I bet they did.”
Her expression turned shy. “I never knew it could be like this. Fun, yet relaxing. I’m not on edge.”
That was a punch right to the solar plexus. I took the pan off the stove and went to her. Kneeling in front of her, I put my hands on her thighs. “I want you to have everything, Madison. I promise you, I’ll never be the one holding you back or standing in your way.”
Her eyes shimmered. “Oh my god.” She swiped at a tear that broke free. “I don’t usually go for the gushy stuff.”
“Have you ever had the gushy stuff?”
Another tear slipped free and she sniffled.
Jesus, this woman. I captured the next drop rolling down her face with my thumb. “You deserve to have everything you ever wanted. If I could control the universe, I’d make sure you never heard another negative word.”
Her shoulders shook. “You’re unreal, you know that?” She sucked in a breath. “I think that’s why I always resented you a little. You were too good to be true.”
