While I’m busy eyefucking him, something in my path hits my shin and I stumble over the rug in the middle of the room. I get my arms out just in time to catch myself before I hit the rug face first.
“What the?—”
At my feet, Oscar is curling herself up. Sutton and Felix both bound over to me like the loyal ones they are.
Sutton kneels at my side and his eyes search mine. “Are you OK?”
I nod and start to stand, but his big hands wrap around my waist as he helps me to my feet. “I was fine until this fussy little thing tried to off me.”
His eyes fall to Oscar before he looks back at me. He brushes my hair out of my eyes. Once he’s satisfied that I’m alive and in one piece, his lips pull up into a grin.
“She’s just jealous that I like you.”
My heart flutters in my chest. “I sort of like you too.”
“Good. I’m glad we’re sort of on the same page.”
We look into each other’s eyes for what feels like far too long—in fact, I know it’s far too long, because smoke on the side of the room snaps us out of our trance.
“Shit. The bacon.”
I giggle and point at the smoking pan. “Why don’t you go handle that, Chef? I’m just going to go put on some real clothes.”
“You knowthis is pretty good for being burnt. I guess that’s the real sign of a world class chef.” I crunch a bite of bacon, sitting at the kitchen island across from Sutton.
He quirks a brow at me. “Well, I don’t normally cook with an erection, so I’ll take that as a compliment. Also, the maple glaze sort of covers up the burnt flavor.”
My lips part. “Sutton Sterling, that sounds like it could be a health code violation.”
He crunches a spoonful of cereal. “Good thing Jimmy doesn’t inspect my apartment’s kitchen. I just need to make sure I find all those buttons behind the bar before Rich shows up and I’ll be good.”
I laugh and fork a bite of my spinach and pepper jack omelette. “You’re right. I’ve known Jimmy since high school. He’s a sweetheart, just compliment his hair and you’ll pass.”
Sutton points his spoon at me. “I’ve learned it’s his belt buckles that will get you the easy A. Not that I don’t keep Gloria’s spotless, but it’s best to stay on his good side.”
“So he’s never found melted gelato and random buttons strewn all over the bar counter before?” I smirk at him trying to project confidence, but I can’t hide the way that my cheeks heat just thinking about last night. Even if I’ve got a touch of sunburn from spending days on Monica’s balcony this summer, I know he can still see the flush creeping over my face.
“Nope. I can’t say that’s ever happened before.” His lips curl into a mischievous grin. “I’d like it to happen again though.”
His eyes flicker with a hint of that intensity from last night and now I know my skin is red. As tempting as getting back into bed with him sounds, I don’t know what’s really going on between us right now. Thanks to Monica’s meddling and cajoling, I had just gotten to the point where I was willing to entertain giving him a chance. But I never actually got farenough in that plan to think about what that would look like. Instead I went for plan B and jumped his bones behind the counter, just like I told Monica. I meant it as a joke, but here we are and if she ever found out, I would never hear the end of it.
“Hey. Where’d you go?” His deep, raspy voice softens and I snap out of my mini spiral.
I drop my head and sigh. “What are we doing here?”
“I’m watching a beautiful woman in my kitchen eat the breakfast I made for her.”
I look up to see him smiling at me and his sky blue eyes nearly melt away all of my misgivings.
“I meant you and me.” I quirk a brow and gesture a finger between us. “What’s going on between us?”
He hops onto the kitchen counter and leans back, shrugging like nothing bothers him because nothing probably does.
“Whatever you want. I just know I’d like to see more of you. Even when you glare at me at the coffee shop or refuse to let me hold a door for you, seeing you is the best part of my day.”
I quickly take a bite of my omelette so that I don’t spew out something insane because no one says things like that to me. Outside of Monica, no one chooses me. The fact that he still does when I’ve been so cruel to him for so long means he’s either crazy or sees something in me I don’t.
I finish chewing and find him still eating his cereal and watching me. “I don’t know what I’m looking for. And even if I’ve forgiven you for my grandma’s house because that wasn’t actually your fault and I actually see what you bring to the community and people around you, I still don’t really know you.”