Standing from the bed, I shifted into the kitchen and leaned against the counter, putting myself in the center of his workspace as he moved back and forth between the kitchen and the stove. He retrieved more eggs, like we had last night, and some of the leftover pan-fried potato wedges we didn’t finish from the fridge.
“Bacon?” he added.
I nodded big.
I could tell he enjoyed feeding me, just like my older brother did. Nash loved to spoil me with home-cooked food, never letting me go hungry if he could help it. It would be foolish of me to deny a man the chance to feed his people.
Unbidden, a glimpse of the future flashed before my eyes: him making piles of bacon and pancakes for a crowd of kids. I couldn’t shake the image, especially since all the children looked so much like him and me.
Warmth pooled in my gut at the thought. It felt so cozy and right that it should have scared the pants off me, but I felt my lips curl into a smile instead.
I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to shake the daydream.
Gray was quiet for a bit, lining up his ingredients on the kitchen counter. His expression soon changed into one of contemplation before he finally spoke again,“Would you like to talk about it?”
‘It’being the attack and the subsequent aftermath. I hardened my expression.“No,” I grumbled into my mug.
Gray pressed his lips together and nodded.
I sighed, dropping the mug onto the counter.“I’m still mad, Gray. Just because I seem pleasant right now doesn’t mean I’ve forgiven you or processed any of it. I’m just trying to survive, one minute at a time here, okay?”
“Clearly,” he murmured.
I felt my anger sharpen at that.“You kidnapped me, asshole. And I don’t trust you, and won’t trust you ever again. I get you had righteous intentions, but you could have done a better job warning me before barging in at the last possible minute and stealing me away. How the hell did you get into my townhome so fast, anyway?”
He didn’t look at me as he said,“I was on your roof.”
My mouth fell open.“On theroof?!”I wanted to pace, but there wasn’t room.“Why?!”
I could tell he was getting frustrated.“Look, my family is a dangerous bunch, Betty.” He was brandishing a knife, slicing the bacon in half.“They’ve got a lot of enemies, and plenty of people are keeping tabs on them—including me. When I heard you were being followed, I didn’t put a whole lot of thought into it before leaping to your aid.”
I probably shouldn’t be picking a fight with a morally gray man alone in the woods while he held a knife, yet here I was, doing just that.
There was a hint of guilt swirling in my gut. I was berating him when he was trying to help. Even so, he could have done a better job with the entire thing.
“I get you wanted to keep me safe, I do,” I said.“But I would have preferred we’d approached this as ateam.”
I could tell that only frustrated him further.“I’m not really accustomed to doing things as ateam, Betty,” he gestured around the cabin.“I’m not perfect.”
“I don’t want you tobeperfect, Gray,” I spat back.
No one is perfect.
We were both silent for some time as he chopped up some onions and other vegetables.
A modicum calmer, I eventually tried again, unable to help it.“So you were on my roof… Did you plant new cameras in my house again? Obviously, you were inside,” I pointed to where Villy lay.“Case in point.”
“No,” his reply was sharp.
“Look me in the eye and say that,” I shot back.
He looked up from the cutting board, his expression dead serious.“No, I did not install any new cameras.” He moved around me to the stove and began frying the bacon.
I huffed, still annoyed that he’d been on my roof. I turned on the stool so I could face in his direction.“But you were camping on my roof, Gray. That’s still weird!” I lashed out to slap him on the back, launching off the stool.
He dodged away with a flourish, sensing it coming with greasy tongs at the ready, using them as a shield.“I wanted to protect you,” he justified.“And what better way than on the roof with 360-degree views of any incoming danger.”
“Why, Gray?Why?” I growled.
