The thought made my heart flutter with joy and disbelief that this was actually happening. That this beautiful, complicated man had chosen me and this life. He was really willing to upend everything he’d ever known for the chance to build something together.
“Good morning,” Kent murmured without opening his eyes, his voice rough with sleep and impossibly sexy.
“How did you know I was awake?” I asked.
“Your breathing changed.” He cracked one eye open and smiled at me. “Plus, you’ve been staring at me for the past five minutes.”
Heat flooded my cheeks. “I was not staring.”
“Mmm.” He pulled me closer, nuzzling into the curve of my neck. “What would you call it then?”
“Admiring,” I said, then immediately felt ridiculous for the admission.
Kent’s laugh rumbled against my skin, sending shivers down my spine. “Admire away. I’m not going anywhere.”
“Hungry?” I asked.
“I know what I’d like to feast on for breakfast,” he said with a grin. “And lunch. Dinner. Dessert.”
My cheeks burned. “Stop.”
“Yes, I’m hungry,” he said. “Missed dinner.”
“Sorry.”
“Don’t be. You’re not expected to take care of me, but if you want to feed me breakfast, I would love you.”
“Wait, I thought you already did love me? Are you saying it’s conditional?”
He pretended to think about it. “I guess I’m going to love you as long as I can before I die from starvation.”
I giggled and pushed at him. “Drama queen.”
I rolled out of bed and started coffee, happy to find I had breakfast basics. Usually, I would eat at the lodge, but I wanted to keep him all to myself.
I texted Stacy and let her know I would be sleeping in.
She replied with chili peppers.
She had no idea.
Kent insisted on helping me make breakfast, though his idea of helping mostly involved distracting me with wandering hands and murmured compliments about how beautiful I looked in the morning light.
My kitchen was barely big enough for one person, let alone two, which meant every movement brought us into contact. When I reached for the eggs, Kent’s chest pressed against my back. When he moved to get coffee mugs, his hand brushed mine. When I tried to flip the pancakes, he wrapped his arms around my waist from behind and nuzzled my ear.
“You’re going to make me burn breakfast,” I protested, though I made no effort to escape his embrace.
“Worth it,” he murmured against my neck, his lips finding that spot that made my knees weak.
I leaned back against him, marveling at how perfectly we fit together, how natural this felt despite everything we’d been through. “Kent.”
“Mmm?” His hands slipped under the hem of my pajama top, his palms warm against my skin.
“The pancakes.”
“Can wait,” he said, turning me in his arms and lifting me onto the small counter with surprising ease.
I was about to point out that we had work to do, but then Kent stepped between my legs and kissed me with the kind of hunger that made all rational thought impossible.
