“Thank you.” She sat the mug down onto the granite countertop that looked like white marble with gorgeous, gray veins. Taking the plate from his hand, Janie was careful not to let their fingers touched.
Her emotions were already on the verge of tilting in the wrong direction. The last thing she needed was to feel that electrifying spark his touch created.
Janie also didn’t balk at grabbing a serving spoon and filling half of the plate with the fluffy eggs. The other half was reserved for three strips of the perfectly cooked bacon.
“Is your team coming over for breakfast, too?”
“No. It’s just us until later.” Emmett frowned. “Why?”
She looked back at the amount of food still left in the pans and laughed. “Because you made enough bacon and eggs to feed a small army.”
The teeniest grin lifted the corners of his mouth, and if she didn’t know any better, Janie would almost think the man was embarrassed.
“I like a big breakfast,” he told her. “And you didn’t eat any dinner last night. I wasn’t sure what kind of appetite you’d have when you woke up this morning and figured it was better to be safe than sorry.”
“Oh, I’m not complaining.” Janie picked up her cup and carried it and her plate to the room’s monstrous island. Sliding onto one of the swiveling barstools, she realized she’d forgotten to grab a fork.
“You might need this.”
A fork appeared as if she’d conjured it with her thoughts.
She looked up to find Emmett standing inches from where she sat. “Thank you.”
Her eyes remained locked with his as she took the utensil from his hand. His thumb touched hers, and Janie couldn’t bring herself to pull away.
See? This is exactly what I was trying to avoid.
“How did you sleep?”
“Good.” When one of his dark brows arched, she assured him with a rushed, “Honest. I was surprised, too.” She sat the fork on the counter beside her plate. “I guess my body was too busy focusing on sleep to torture me in my dreams.”
At the mention of torture, Emmett’s dark stare slid to the bruise on her face. In a slow, almost hesitant move, he brought his hand up, feathering the back of his knuckles against her cheek.
“I hate that you were hurt.” His hand lingered before lowering away from her face to rest on the counter’s smooth surface.
Ignoring her earlier self-imposed rule, Janie reached down and covered it with her palm.
“I’m okay, Emmett.” She gave his hand a gentle squeeze. “It wasn’t your fault.”
The sexy operative’s focus slid from her beseeching gaze to where their hands were joined. When she followed his line of sight, her heart thumped wildly inside her chest.
“You’re safe here.” He didn’t look up as he spoke. “I know it probably doesn’t mean much after what happened last night, but I promise, Iwillkeep you safe.”
“I know you will.” Janie’s hold on him tightened. “But you are wrong about it not meaning much.”
That last part garnered her a deep frown.
“What do you mean?”
“Your being here, knowing I’m not facing whatever this is alone?” She stared back at him with sincerity. “It means something, Emmett. It means a lot.”
They were standing mere inches apart, literally hand-in-hand. Heat flared behind his darkening stare as it dropped lower, to her mouth. Janie’s lips parted slightly, her breaths coming a bit faster. Her ears filled with the sound of her racing pulse.
Emmett leaned in close, his intention crystal clear.He was going to kiss her. Any second, those enticing lips would be on hers.
She moved toward him, planning to meet the sexy protector half-way. But then?—
They bolted apart as if the air between them had erupted, when in reality, it was simply the ringing of Emmett’s phone.
