Total pages in book: 81
Estimated words: 76647 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 383(@200wpm)___ 307(@250wpm)___ 255(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 76647 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 383(@200wpm)___ 307(@250wpm)___ 255(@300wpm)
My instinct was to slip to the side, out of his grasp, but the fridge stuck out too far on my right. Plus, he leaned forward, pressing me against the counter as he reached for the bag of treats.
His scent filled my nose and clouded my brain. It was a heady combination of the aftershave I’d noted in the bathroom, outdoorsy pine, and pure male. Even if he hadn’t pinned me in place, I would’ve been frozen by how intimate the position was.
My back was to his hard chest. My ass was smashed against his tight jeans—jeans that had a decided bulge in them. His arm stretched over my shoulder, pressing against my hair. It was almost like we’d embraced.
Then the bag passed in front of my face as he lowered it down. I took it from him, trying not to tremble, and finally, he stepped away.
Crap.
I couldn’t process my feelings, and there were a lot of them. Annoyance, yes. He could’ve waited for me to clear out of the way before grabbing the treats. But… arousal, too. He had a big, powerful body. No way had I invited it to be smashed against mine, but once it was… wow.
But Zeus was going nuts, so I gave myself a pass on analyzing the jumble of emotions. Instead, I reached in the bag and gave the dog some sort of foul-smelling jerky treat. When that disappeared in a second, I gave him another one.
“That’s probably enough.” Carter was over by the coffee maker. He held up a mug in my direction which may or may not have been an offer to get me some. Either way, I shook my head and stashed the treats on a lower shelf. Zeus watched with hopeful eyes for a few seconds more before slinking away in resignation.
Which left me alone with Carter. “Um, I was going to make scrambled eggs.”
He leaned against the counter, one eyebrow cocked upwards. “And what stopped you?”
You, I almost said. But non-engagement seemed like the best course of action with a man like him. “I didn’t know if you all had eaten.”
“Are you offering to cook?”
Did he have to sound so skeptical? “You all cooked for me yesterday. But I wasn’t sure how many eggs I should use. There’s only one carton left.”
“Make ‘em all.” With that pronouncement, he sat down at the table and took out his phone, as if waiting at a restaurant.
Did all women find conversations with him unnerving, or was it just me? I sighed as I grabbed the eggs from the fridge. Both possibilities seemed plausible. It was true that most women weren’t so skittish around men… but it was also true that he was one hell of an intimidating specimen. He had the body of a Greek god and then some.
The thought made me grin. Maybe he and Zeus should switch names—or was Zeus a Roman god? Not that it mattered.
I felt a little self-conscious at the stove with my back to Carter, but soon, I got preoccupied with my task. Since these were our last eggs, I didn’t want to screw them up. Fortunately, it seemed like I got the right mixture whipped up in the skillet, and I grew absorbed in my task.
“Eggs. Excellent,” Drew said, entering the kitchen with Tristan right behind him. I was so focused that I hadn’t heard either of them come down the stairs. “How can I help?”
“It smells great in here,” Tristan said, heading for the coffee. While his rumbled t-shirt and sweatpants made it look like he’d just rolled out of bed, Drew was dressed in jeans and a button-down flannel shirt.
“Morning,” I said, supremely grateful that it wasn’t just Carter and me in here anymore. “You could make toast,” I told Drew.
Tristan took his coffee and a bowl of fruit to the table, where he proceeded to sip the hot liquid and peel an orange. I was glad that he seemed to be preparing enough to share, since the fresh fruit wasn’t going to last too much longer, either. But there was frozen fruit and plenty of food in the pantry. It just wouldn’t be quite as tasty.
To my surprise, breakfast was a relaxed affair. I got plenty of compliments on my eggs. There was strawberry jelly—my favorite—to go with the toast, and the orange slices were surprisingly good, which was saying something coming from a California native.
While we ate, Drew entertained us with details of the phone call he’d been on upstairs. Apparently, the IT department at his company was a little lost without him.
“That’s because he’s the best,” Tristan said when I made that observation.
I finished a bite of toast. “So, you all work together now?”
“Yep,” Tristan said.
“But you’re starting your own company so that you can still work together?” They must really get along well.