“Morning.”
“I was gonna make breakfast,” I offer. “Will we disturb you?”
“I’m in the kitchen. If I didn’t want to be, I wouldn’t be.”
His words are stern but his delivery is soft. Confused, I look over at Carnage, who studies his boss before he half shrugs and heads over to the coffee station.
I open the fridge to see what ingredients we have and decide what I can make. The guys probably won’t be up for a while, so I should make something that can sit all morning.
There’s fresh fruit and new bananas on the counter, so I can make a fruit salad. I spot a few packages of meat and pull them out to check what they are, eyeing a package of breakfast sausage. Cream, butter, cheese, eggs. Ah, yes. I’ll make biscuits and gravy with eggs and a fruit salad.
I get to work while Carnage sits next to Shadow, sliding a cup of coffee toward me. The two of them talk quietly, and I’m sure Carnage is updating his boss on recent events, but I’m focused on getting my biscuit dough just right. You can’t overwork the dough or they’ll be tough.
Quickly, I lose myself in the cooking and baking process, humming a few tunes to myself as I work. I could get used to this. The kitchen in this house is amazing, fully stocked, and just the thing any budding chef would want. Maybe if Carnage and I manage to stay together, I could help out by making more of the meals. That would be fun for me.
I made a dazzling fruit salad while the dough rested, and now I’ve got the biscuits in the oven while I start on the gravy. A few of the guys have come in now, getting coffee and chatting a bit, but then everyone’s conversation fades away when the effervescence that is Bellamy enters the room. He’s wearing a too-small t-shirt that shows off a sliver of his flat belly, and shorts that curve around his plump ass perfectly. I’m a little jealous. I want to look that good. He must work out. Not as much as Colson, but still.
Shadow’s jaw drops. “I didn’t know you were here.”
“Ended up staying over,” Bellamy says, pouring himself some coffee. “Me and Colson were battling to the death.”
“In what?” Phantom asks.
“Ark Raiders. I’m almost at level four.”
“Is that a video game?” Shadow asks.
Bellamy nods happily, lifting his mug to his nose and inhaling. “You guys have the best coffee.”
Stealth enters the room a minute later, his eyes landing on Bellamy and heating rapidly before he clears his throat and turns his back to get his own coffee.
I immediately look at Shadow to get a reaction, but he’s still staring at Bellamy like he’s a ghost.
“Where did you sleep?” Carnage asks, his eyes shifting between Shadow and Stealth.
“Guest room,” Bellamy says. “Great bed too.” He sniffs the air. “What smells so good?”
“Sausage,” I say. “I’m making biscuits and gravy for breakfast.”
“Oh my god, yes,” he drawls. “I haven’t any good enough to beat my maw maw’s.”
“Your maw maw?” Carnage asks.
“My grandmother,” Bellamy says. “She was from the south. A real Georgia peach. She used to make it every Sunday and on holidays, but she’s been dead a decade. You know how to make it, Rue?”
“I don’t know if it’ll meet Maw Maw’s standards, but I’ll try.”
Bellamy giggles, settling against the island right next to Shadow. “You don’t have any grits, do you?”
“I don’t know. Anyone know?”
“Doubt it,” Shadow says. “We can buy some though.”
“Next time.” I turn my attention back to the sizzling sausage.
I finish breakfast prep while everyone is chatting, putting Carnage to work by asking him to scramble the eggs. I add shredded cheddar and a dollop of cream cheese, encouraging him to blend it in. The oven timer goes off and I remove the biscuits, smiling at my work. They look fluffy and perfectly toasted.
“I need serving platters.”
