And theabs.
His shirt hugs his stomach, and every molecule in my hands itches to touch him.
So I press them behind me against the countertop and lift my eyes to his face, only to find him smirking at me.
“You done?” he asks.
“I’ve never seen you out of a suit.” I’m impressed that my mouth remembers how to speak because my brain is misfiring.
“Not true. We used to jog every morning, Rebel.”
Rebel?
I didn’t think he’d remember our morning jogs, but of course he’s calling me out on my little lie.
“I’m going to make us breakfast before we head out,” he says.
“Oh, coffee’s fine for me.”
“No, it isn’t.” He shakes his head and opens the fridge, starts pulling out eggs and veggies and even some cheese.
I miss cheese.
“I can’t do dairy,” I tell him softly, and he raises an eyebrow. “It kills my stomach.”
He nods and keeps working, so I sit on a stool on the other side of the island to watch as he scrambles eggs and chops the onions, mushrooms, and peppers. His hand looks so big on the handle of the knife, it makes me swallow hard.
You arenotsupposed to be lusting after the bodyguard who’s keeping you safe, Lena. Absolutely not. It’s highly unprofessional, and he isn’t interested anyway. Don’t make an ass out of yourself.
“Did you just call me an ass?”
I blink rapidly. Shit, did I say that last part out loud?
“No, my brain was just waking up. Ignore me until after my second cup of coffee. Nothing that comes out of my mouth makes sense.”
His lips quirk up on the side, and I wish with all my heart he’d smile at me. But then the moment is gone, and he turns to the stove to cook our food. Less than ten minutes later, we’re both eating.
“I’ll never eat all this,” I tell him after I swallow a bite. “I mean, it’s really good, but it’s too much.”
“You need the calories,” he says. “You’re going to work them off.”
“So what are we doing this morning?” I pop a mushroom in my mouth. “Also, where did you learn to cook? Because this is delicious.”
“Spent a lot of time in the kitchen with my mom.” His brows pull together, and before I can ask more about his parents, he keeps talking. “You’ll see what we’re up to when we get out there.”
“Am I at least dressed appropriately?”
He doesn’t even look my way as he nods. In fact, he’s hardly looked at me at all after the coffee spilled on my hand.
Great.I’m over here lusting after his hot body, and he’sbarelytolerating me. It’s so flattering. Such a boost to my ego.
Mentally sighing, I shake it off. Who cares what he thinks? I’ll only be here for a short time, I’ll go on his little jogs in the morning, and when my art supplies get here, I’ll shut myself away and work. Maybe I’ll find places to hike. I’ll figure it out.
When we’re both finished eating, we clean up our dishes and set them in the dishwasher, and then we step out onto the porch off the kitchen, and my jaw drops.
The sun is just coming up over the mountains, and the sky looks like it’s on fire, with reds and oranges shooting through wispy clouds. I had no idea that there’s a lake out here, along with those jagged mountains, already topped with snow, in the background. The trees have started to change color, so along with the burning sky, the trees are yellow and orange, with a touch of red, and I’m pretty sure I just found what heaven looks like.
If heaven exists at all.
