“Oh.” She smiles sweetly. “I could get used to this.”
“Fuck, me too,” I tell her, flipping a pancake. It’s perfectly golden brown on the underside. “Coffee?”
“Please.Mugs are?—”
“Already found them,” I say, grabbing one and pouring her a cup.
She wraps both hands around it and takes a long sip, her eyes closing as the caffeine hits her system.
“You’re a god,” she mutters into the mug, admiring me.
“I’ve been told.” I turn the eggs.
She watches me while I cook. The morning light catches her face and warms her skin. I have to force myself to focus on not burning the food.
“You look good in my kitchen,” she says.
“I look good everywhere.”
“And still oh-so humble.”
“Of course.” I plate the eggs and stack three pancakes beside them, then grab the syrup from the pantry and set everything on the bar top.
Addison grabs forks from a drawer and napkins, then sits on a barstool as I make my plate. I take the seat beside her, and we cut into our pancakes together. She drags a bite through the sugary syrup before placing it in her mouth. She chews, and her eyes widen.
“Are you serious?”
“Um. Yes?”
“Wow. This is”—she points her fork at me—“the best pancake I’ve ever eaten. You’re smart, hot, and you can cook? Pick a struggle.”
“Don’t forget how big my package is. How great I am at eating that cake. Oh, and the prince thing. That seems to matter to some people.”
She bursts into laughter. “True. You have a lot going for you. What’s the real reason you haven’t found someone?”
As our knees touch, I realize how intimate it is, sharing a meal like this. She’s got syrup on her lip, and I want to lean over and kiss it off, but I also want to watch her enjoy her breakfast. If we start this now, this food will absolutely be abandoned.
“You first,” I say.
She tilts her head at me. “No one has been able to keep me intrigued.”
“And you believe I can?”
This makes her chuckle. “Yes, drama king, I believe you can. There’s never a dull moment with you.”
“That would make most women run,” I say.
“I’m not most women. I always choose adventure over monotony. Now, tell me.”
I pick up my coffee and take a sip. “My mother always had a way of pointing out my girlfriends’ flaws, to the point where I couldn’t take it. And if they didn’t get along with my sister, it was a deal-breaker. If Delphine hates someone, I know it will never work out.”
Her brows rise. “Really?”
“Yeah. And I don’t think anyone has ever understood me on a human level, until you.”
She reaches over and grabs my hand. “I feel the same.”
We eat in comfortable silence, and her foot brushes against mine.
