Page 202 of The Redheads

11

Iwoke up before Michael, so I got the chance to see him sleeping again. He lay on his back and held me pressed against his good side, my nose against his skin. I smiled. The position was ridiculously comfortable, at least for me.When did we come back into the bedroom?I really needed him to stop carrying me around. Of course, it was kind of sexy, too.

He let out a long breath and turned his head but didn’t wake. Was it creepy because I stared at him while he slept? I hoped it wasn’t. If he wanted to look at me, that would be fine…as long as I wasn’t too disgusting at the moment.

I got out of bed quietly and crept from the room. My phone, which he’d plugged in next to me, was charged and said it was eight in the morning. I made my way to my room, despite the fact I had yet to sleep in it, then brushed my teeth. I was a bit of a wreck, I decided, considering my reflection. Or at least I looked like a person who spent a good portion of the night before rolling around in bed. That thought made me grin, and I realized I never saw myself so deliciously rumpled before.

What a nice change it was! I did a little dance by the sink while I swished mouthwash just because I could. Quickly, Ishowered and then came out of my room to head for the kitchen. The house was still quiet. When Michael slept hard, he really slepthard. That was okay. I had plenty of things to do. First up on my agenda was coffee. There was nothing quite like the smell of it in the morning to rouse me.

I no sooner opened the fridge than he stumbled out of the room toward the kitchen. “How did I not wake up when you got up?” he grumbled.

“Well” —I pulled the eggs out— “I guess I’m incredibly stealthy. Maybe you should hire me. I’m a ninja, Michael.”

He drew me to him, putting my head on his good shoulder while he embraced me hard. “No. That would mean I had to send you off to all kinds of places. I like you where I can hold you like this. I’m selfish like that.” He rocked me in his arms, dragging kisses up my neck.

I couldn’t help my grin. Had anyone ever wanted me around that much? I didn’t think so. “Let me cook us some eggs.”

“Just one more second.” He exhaled and kissed my neck. “I woke up and had a little panic you’d run for the hills.”

I backed up. He was being adorable, but I had to tease him. So I pointed out the window. “Those hills? I could probably run for them, but then I’d have to walk back because I just don’t like running that much.”

Michael swatted my butt and I shrieked, laughing. “We can walk over there later after my PT appointment, if you want.”

“I’d love that. I never go anywhere. There is a shrine in Hong Kong I always wanted to visit. I could see it from my window, yet I never went.”

He poured coffee while I cooked the eggs. “Why do you think you didn’t go?”

“I don’t know. I’m cowardly or lazy, take your pick.” The eggs cooked fast, so I turned down the flames just a bit to avoid burning them.

“Well, since I know neither of those things are true of you, Bridget Radford” —He placed a glass in front of me—“how about you were bearing the weight of sins you did not commit? They were too much to lug around, so you did nothing that you didn’t have to do… Including some things you wanted to?”

I blinked and opened and closed my mouth before I finally said, “I love the way you see me, Michael. I don’t know if it’s true, but the version of me that you see is a nice one.”

The eggs came out fluffy and light. Scrambling was so easy, and I turned off the flame, but he took the pot from me. “Go sit down. I’ll serve them.”

If he wanted to. I took my place at the counter, bemused at how much it felt like a date. We never officially sat at the table together, since we usually grabbed quick meals at the counter. I guessed neither of us were up for a whole sit-down meal yet. He put the eggs on one plate and had just one fork with him when he sat next to me. I sipped my coffee and arched my brows, but I didn’t say anything. I’d made enough eggs to feed both of us, so was he not eating or was I skipping breakfast?

Michael put some eggs on his fork and held it out to me like he wanted me to eat from it. Was he going to feed me? I leaned forward and he did just that. Then he used the same fork to feed himself. He repeated the action. I watched, sort of transfixed. It shouldn’t have been sexy but it so fucking was. He must have thought it was too, because we both leaned forward like we wanted to be closer when he did it.

His gaze held mine. Oh, yes, I really wanted him and then I didn’t want any more eggs. I pushed them aside and climbed on his lap, straddling him on the chair. He moaned and kissed me before he bunched my hair in his hands. I couldn’t get close enough to him. He was hard against me, and I ground into him just to make a point. Why were we dressed? Could we have sex right there? Please?

His phone dinged loudly, and he wrenched his head back with a gasp. “Fuck. No, it’s too early. Not time yet.” He kissed my neck. “Sorry. PT isn’t for hours. He shouldn’t be here yet.” I panted while I tried to make sense of his words. I wasn’t sure what was happening, but whatever it was, it stopped what I wanted, which was us naked.

Right the fuck now.

“He’s not due for three hours.” That’s how he answered the phone. “What? Roy, are you fucking serious?”

The mood had changed. I didn’t even know what Roy said, but sex had fled from his body. He squeezed my waist, and I got off him, understanding what he was asking me without words. He needed to get up.

I grabbed the plate and the fork we’d been eating from and placed them in the sink, running the water over them before I put them in the dishwasher. We hadn’t run it the night before, so I tossed in a pod and started the machine, just as Michael hung up with Roy.

“We have a guest arriving any second.”

Okay.“You look really unenthused about our guest.” Sounded that way, too.

“She’s a colleague. A competitor, actually. If your father had more money when he decided he needed security, you ladies would have had her and not me, in fact. She’s been around about five years longer than me, but she got out of the business overseas faster than I did. She’s smart and ruthless.”

I nodded, although I really didn’t understand. “So why is she coming here now?”