I arched a brow. “Try?”
“Well, I haven’t learned to cook much. We had a private chef so I didn’t need to.”
I tried to stifle a laugh, but failed. Gianina frowned, narrowing her eyes at me. “Don’t start.”
Raising my hands in surrender, I chuckled. “You kind of walked into that one.”
She rolled her eyes, then whirled around and went back to whatever she was cooking on the stove. “I know how to make a few things. One of them is scrambled eggs.” She waved her spatula around. “Plus, it’s not hard to toast bread and heat some sausage patties in a pan.”
“That’s true.” I rubbed the back of my neck, then stretched the sleep from my body. “I appreciate the gesture.”
“No problem.” After stirring the eggs for a few seconds, she started opening cabinets. “Where are your plates?”
“Top cabinet to the right of the stove,” I answered.
Opening the cabinet, she grabbed two plates, then scooped some eggs on each one.
The smell of burning filled the air, and I frowned. Gianina sniffed the air and gasped, “The toast!”
A couple of seconds later, the toaster popped up four slices of burnt bread. I laughed, “It takes some serious skill to burn toast.”
Gianina growled in frustration, throwing a dish towel at me. “Shut up.”
I went over to the toaster, taking the bread out and tossing them in the trash. Grabbing one of the nearby loaves of bread, I pulled out four slices, popped them in the toaster, lowered the setting, then pushed the lever down. “No big deal - I bought a ton of bread. I should actually put some of the loaves in the freezer.”
After I did that, I grabbed the butter from the fridge. When I turned around, Gianina was holding up a plate of eggs and sausage.
A smile involuntarily spread over my lips as I took the plate from her. “Thanks.”
She smiled back, and her cheeks turned pink. “You’re welcome.”
Our eyes met, and the tension started to build with each passing second. She bit down on her bottom lip, drawing my attention to that pretty mouth of hers.
Damn, I’d give anything to taste her.
After a few seconds, the toaster popped. Gianina startled, ending the moment between us. I cleared my throat. “Toast is ready.”
Gianina forced a laugh. “Yeah.”
As we sat down to eat, I asked, “Did you sleep okay?”
She nodded. “Better than I have in months, actually.”
I arched a brow. “Really? I didn’t think the room would be up to your standards.”
She sighed. “You are never going to let this go, are you?”
I shrugged. “Probably not.”
Shaking her head, she fought a laugh. “This is actually better than I expected. It’s so quaint and cozy; like out of book or movie.”
I chuckled. “Well, I’m glad you’re comfortable. Makes my job easier.”
Her face seemed to fall a little and she started picking at her food. “Yeah.”
I’m not sure what I said that caused the shift in her demeanor, but I could feel the awkward tension in the air. “Want some coffee?” I asked, standing up.
She shrugged, sarcasm lacing her answer, “I don’t want to make your job harder. I can take care of myself.”
