His eyes dropped to where the collar hung loose on my shoulder, exposing my collarbone. The grin faded to reveal his raw emotions.Hunger. Want.His nostrils flared slightly as his hand gripped the counter edge, and I wondered wildly if he could smell what he was doing to me.
If he could sense the heat pooling in my core, the way my body was responding to him against every instruction my brain was giving it.
“I like it better this way.”
My thighs clenched hard under the counter. I was definitely wet now, and if he didn’t stop looking at me that way, I was going to do something very,very, stupid.
I shoved another bite of pancake in my mouth to avoid responding. Also to avoid climbing into his lap and finding out exactly how that wicked grin tasted.
Where the hell had that thought come from?
“So.” He spoke around a mouthful of his own breakfast. “Questions. You’ve gotta have them. About all this.” He gestured vaguely at the cabin.
“About a thousand.”
“Hit me. I’m an open book.”
“Where are the other two?”
“Lucian’s on the phone with work stuff. Solomon’s doing his boring morning routine.” Percy jerked his thumb toward the back of the cabin. “He stands on the porch and stares at the trees. Just Solomon being dramatic as always.”
“And you’re making pancakes?”
“Somebody has to maintain morale around here.” His grin widened. “Those two are allergic to joy. It’s a medical condition. Terminal, I think.”
I snorted, and he looked at me with such naked delight that I had to look away.
“What?” I stared at my pancake. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Because you laughed. Twice now. In one morning.” His voice dropped lower. “When you got here last night, you looked like aghost. And now you’re laughing at my terrible jokes and eating my pancakes.” He shook his head slowly. “It’s a good look on you. The laughing thing.”
“I’ll try to do it more often.”
“Please do. I have a whole arsenal of bad jokes. The guys hate them. You’d be doing me a favor.”
“Lucian, I believe, is expressive but does Solomon talk enough to say all that?”
“Only when he’s insulting me.” Percy leaned back on his stool. “He sat outside your door for six hours last night, you know. Didn’t move or sleep, listening to make sure you were okay.”
My throat tightened. “I didn’t ask him to do that.”
“You asked him to stay.” Percy’s voice gentled. “That’s really all it takes.”
The weight of his words settled between us. I didn’t know what to say or how to process the fact that a man I’d known for less than forty-eight hours had spent the entire night guarding my sleep.
“Why?” The question came out smaller than I intended. “Why do you all keep acting like I matter?”
Percy’s expression shifted. The joking warmth faded, replaced by something serious.
“Because you do matter.”
He reached out slowly, giving me time to pull away, and tucked a strand of copper-streaked hair behind my ear. His fingers grazed my cheek. The touch was featherlight, barely there, and my whole body lit up in response. Nerve endings sent sparks down my neck.
I stopped breathing.
“You matter more than you know.”
His thumb traced along my jaw, and I had to lock my knees to keep from swaying toward him. My skin felt too hot.
