AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Chapter 13
Scarlett
I woke up to sunlight on my face.
My drawn curtains were open a bit in the center, and the sun just happened to rise perfectly in that crack. It blanketed me with warm light, the heat enough to stir me from my sleep. But I didn’t mind in the least because I didn’t wake up alone that morning.
I was on my side with Axel pressed up against my back, his chest like a warm blanket against my bare skin. His arm was hooked over my waist, his hand resting on the sheets beside me. With his slow breathing, he appeared to be dead asleep.
I would have thought last night was a dream if he weren’t there beside me. We shared the same pillow, shared half of the mattress and disregarded the rest. I closed my eyes again and treasured his presence, so happy that he was there with me instead of in his house on the other side of the city.
I lay there for a while, appreciating the morning rather than despising it. It was the first time I’d felt happy in weeks…maybea month. All the chaos that had happened was distant in the rearview mirror.
I gently slipped out of bed without disturbing him, put on whatever clothes were the most easily accessible, and then crept out of the bedroom without waking him. Before we were married, I used to make him breakfast in the morning. But when I walked to the fridge, I realized I had no food.
I hadn’t eaten much these last few weeks.
I quickly walked to the market, grabbed what I needed, and when I came back, he still wasn’t awake. I got to work in the kitchen, making chocolate chip pancakes and applewood-smoked bacon, along with hashbrowns made from scratch. I’d cooked in preparation for my new restaurant, but that didn’t make me happy, not like it did when I cooked for him. Lost in what I was doing, I hummed under my breath, the pans sizzling with the light coming through the uncovered windows.
“Damn, something smells good.”
I nearly gave a jump when I heard his voice right behind me. I was standing at the stove over the hot pans, and I turned the burners down low before I set the spatula on the counter. When I turned to him, I expected to see his handsome and sleepy face and his messy hair, but I didn’t expect to see that grin…that playful, arrogant, happy grin. I stilled when I saw it, coupled with the brightness in his beautiful eyes. I was about to ask if he was hungry, but the sight of him made me lose my train of thought.
He seemed to know my thoughts because he hooked his arm around the small of my back and pulled me in for a kiss. “I was referring to you, by the way.” His hand traveled down andsqueezed my ass through my jeans. He gave my ass a quick pat before he walked to the coffee machine and made himself a cup.
I stared at his muscular back as I felt a soaring sensation inside my chest. I was fully awake, fully aware of the world around me, but I felt like I was walking through a dream. Time felt different. It was slow…and easy.
He took a sip of his black coffee then turned back to me. “Can I help?”
“No. Almost done.”
He carried his mug to the dining table and sat down, in nothing but his boxers, slouched in the chair in his typicalI don’t give a fuckfashion. He absent-mindedly pushed his fingers through his unkempt hair before he rested his fingers around the handle of his mug, his eyes studying me. Once they landed on me, they stayed there, content with just watching me move about the kitchen.
I turned to the stove and got back to work.
We sat together at the table, the dishes between us laden with far more food than either of us could ever eat.
Just like he used to, he stacked his plate high with food and went to town, eating everything like he was starving. He gave a moan as he chewed. “This is what I’m talking about.” He gave a nod in approval then took a drink of his coffee.
“I guess I haven’t lost my touch.”
“I think you’ve gotten better.”
“I’ve been designing the menu for the restaurant.”
“And it offers chocolate chip pancakes?” he teased.
“I thought I could offer brunch on the weekends.”
He sliced his fork through the little cakes in preparation for another bite. “I like that idea. But you still need to cook for me—don’t forget that.”
I smirked as I looked down at my plate. “I won’t.”
We ate in comfortable silence, like we’d gone back in time to before we were married, still getting to know each other between our sexy romps on theliving room couch and in the bedroom.
He wore his wedding ring, the black ring dark in comparison to his fair skin.
I’d taken mine off before I’d left. I imagined it was in his nightstand…if he hadn’t thrown it away.
