“What do you do for a living?” She leaned with her forearms on the island and watched him.
“I head up a few small startup security firms.” He tried not to smile. There was some truth to that statement. He still couldn’t believe she’d never heard of John James Fialko the third. Wasn’t sure if that pleased him or pissed him off. “I assume you have another job, other than working part-time for Olivia?”
“Not at the moment. I was working for Amazon. I got bored with the whole thing. I’m between careers and trying to decide what I want to do next. Freelance consulting. You know how it is.” She shrugged. “I have a few more web pages to write.”
“I see.” He raised an eyebrow at her, but she was already focused on her hands, ignoring his non-verbal inquest. No point in continuing that line of conversation right now. Once they mated, she’d have to stop with the whole illegal hacking career. “What can I get you to eat?”
She cocked her head to the side when he placed a frying pan on the stove. “You’re going to cook? I thought we could go out…”
“I’m a pretty good cook, actually. Scrambled eggs okay?” Jack opened the door to the large modern refrigerator, pulled out a carton of eggs, and held them up to her.
She nodded.
Jack cracked two eggs using one hand and they dropped perfectly into the pan. Okay, he might have been showing off a little.
“I invited my sister, Kathy, over. I have no idea how to teach a grown woman how to come into her powers. She can help.”
“Okay.” She chewed on her bottom lip.
When he placed the eggs in front of her, she stared at him with her eyes all wide, and they started to water at the corners.
Jack looked down at the plate and frowned. “What? Too dry? I can try again.”
She actually started to cry. Not the big sobbing thing. No. Just a couple of tears that she angrily wiped away with the back of her hand.
“Sorry. That was just really nice of you. I mean people make other people breakfast all the time. Right?”
“Yeah, they do. What’s wrong, Zoe?” Jack sat down next to her, careful not to touch her.
“It’s stupid, really.”
“Not if you're crying.”
She turned away. “I just don’t remember anyone ever making me breakfast before.”
“Never?”
With her back still to him, she made a little negative motion with her head. Against his better judgment, Jack moved closer, kissed her neck, and breathed in her scent. She still smelled like the ocean, fresh and salty. Like mother earth. Blood rushed south and he quickly put some space between them.
Fuck, what was going on with him? Mating was all about the sex. He shouldn’t care whether she’d ever had breakfast served.Damn. His head suddenly felt screwed on all wrong.
He wracked his brains for words of comfort but his tongue stuck to the roof of his mouth.
“Let’s just wait over here in the parlor for a few minutes. My sister should be along any minute.”Great job comforting her, Jack. What a blithering idiot.
He got her situated and made a beeline up the stairs towards a cold shower. That was probably all he needed. Then he'd be fine. On the way up, he heard his niece babbling on the front porch.Shit. He rushed back down the stairs, just as his sister entered.
“Hello beautiful ladies.” Jack gave each a kiss on the cheek.
“Is it true?” Kathy caught his eye and shifted the baby onto her other hip. “The little weasel Kyle threw a couple of cowardly shots at you last night. Did he really almost kill you? Then challenged you? What’re you going to do?”
Jack held up his hand. “How did you hear all this?”
“The whole clan knows. It doesn’t take a brain surgeon to put two and two together. Kyle is after your leadership.” Her face grew pale as she spoke. “The last time you two fought, you barely came out on top. Has he really found a perfect mate?”
“Don’t panic. I have a plan and you and Yolanda are part of it.”
At the sound her name, the baby squealed, “Ya, ya, ya, ya.” She reached her chubby arms to him and he happily took her over in the crook of his arm. She kicked her legs into his stomach and laughed at some big 'ol baby joke known only to her.
