“Talk to me, baby.”
Her plump lower lip trembled.He leaned close and dragged his nose along her face, inhaling her subtle and all-too-fucking addictive scent.
“I miss her, okay?”The four words were sharp and angry.Accusatory almost.“She’s my fucking twin and I miss her.”Jasmine’s voice broke on the admission and Lance’s heart did the same.
* * * *
She ached.And not in that good, I’ve been fucked within an inch of my life ache.More like the I bawled like a baby ache.
Jasmine Hoyer rolled over in the queen-sized bed, flopping her face into the pillow that smelled like Lance.He’d done it.Gotten her walls to not simply drop but fucking shatter.
Raw.Exposed.Vulnerable.
Nothing she’d allowed herself to be since she’d escaped the second abusive foster home.But this man, this arrogant, sexy-as-sin detective who was risking his life going undercover, had revealed it all.
“Gahhh!”She screamed in the pillow before punching it then leveraging up and off the bed.He’d rolled from bed maybe ten minutes before her.
Naked, she made her way to the bathroom and allowed herself a swift shower.Normally, lingering would be something to indulge in but this morning her emotions were still too open and she would think about how Lance was getting to her far more than she wanted to let him, or had believed she would ever allow someone to.Dwell.Sink further into her head.
Barely pausing to dry off, she pulled her light gray cut-off sweats up over her ice blue thong before tugging on her pale green razorback tee.She tossed her hair up in a messy bun as she walked up the hallway.
Lance stood in the kitchen over the stovetop frying some eggs and bacon.Shirtless.
Honestly it wasn’t fair.No man should be like this when they first woke up.Not that he changed the longer the day went on, but still.Not fair.Without looking away from the food he worked on, he reached out his right arm and, without hesitation, she walked right into him, allowing him to drape that arm around her shoulder and tuck her close.
“Morning.”
She tucked her thumb in the waistband of his unbuttoned jeans.For a moment they merely stood there, the act domestic in its simplicity.She allowed herself a moment of fantasy where this was her every day.Her.Him.
All she needed.
He leaned closer and brushed a kiss over her temple.“I’ll bring you some food, take a seat.”
Jasmine was halfway to the table before it registered she’d not even hesitated to follow his command.A low chuckle followed her as if he’d read her very thought on the matter.Within five minutes there was a hearty breakfast before each of them, complete with orange juice and coffee.
Instead of sitting across the small table from her, he’d moved the chair he occupied to right beside her, ensuring their legs touched.But he didn’t stop there, no, of course not.This man buttered and put jam on her toast, he cut up her potatoes for her, and she didn’t doubt he would have fed her if she’d not put a stop to that.
“I’m capable.”Her words were gruff.
“I am very aware of how capable you are, Jasmine.Doesn’t mean I stop wanting to take care of you.Providing for you.Protectingyou.”
Swallowing down her immediate response, she picked up the toast piece he’d slathered with butter and loganberry jam.A favorite of hers since she’d moved out here, it was a hybrid of blackberry and raspberry.Indulging in a large bite, she watched him in her periphery as she chewed.Slowly.
He observed her in return and once she swallowed, he picked up the toast she’d just taken a bite of and held it back out to her, offering a second.They ate slowly, more often than not him feeding her.But he didn’t try to force her into conversation.
A good thing because she was still raw from yesterday.That much confessing wasn’t easy.Her walls were thick and it had been harsh seeing the world without their protection.
Lance took the dishes away when they finished and together they cleaned up.As she wrapped up wiping off the final counter, someone knocked on the door.Weapons in hand, seconds later they moved in tandem to the door.When they were in proper position, she opened the door and scowled.
“What the fuck are you doing here?”
Lance moved closer and grunted.“How did you find us?”
Robert stood there, blood dripping down his head and covered in dirt and lord knew what else.The man wobbled and gripped the doorframe in one hand.
“I need your help.”
His voice was a wheeze.Jasmine narrowed her gaze but didn’t say a word.She didn’t trust this bastard as far as she could toss him.And given what had happened to Lance, she didn’t think he would either but the man hadn’t shot him yet, so what did she know?Then there was the fact he didn’t answer how he’d found them.
