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“I’m okay. I promise.”
Unable to resist touching her, he wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her close, tucking her head under his chin as he lazily ran his hand over her soft skin. She shivered beneath his touch.
“I promise this wasn’t what I had planned when I invited you over.” He sat up long enough to grab the spare blanket from the end of the bed to cover her with. “But I’m not complaining.”
He felt her smile as she nuzzled closer. They had plenty to talk about, but he knew better than to push her. She had been working on regaining her confidence and independence. Feeling confident enough to speak her mind was all part of it. The last thing he wanted was for her to feel nervous or overthink what had happened between them. He continued to graze her skin with his fingertips even after her breathing slowed and she relaxed in his arms.
He woke up to Samantha clinging to him on one side of the bed, and Asher curled up behind him on the other. He had managed to slip out of the bed to let the dog out after Samantha fell asleep, and then got back to bed without waking her. The way her arms and legs tangled with his, there was almost no way he could get up without disturbing her. It was a good thing Asher was lazy and preferred to sleep in.
He looked at the woman asleep in his arms. Her braids were piled in a bun on top of her head where they wouldn’t get in the way while she slept. Her lips were parted and when he closed his eyes, he could still feel their soft touch on his. Only a thin sheet stopped Bryce from staring at her naked body. He couldn’t see it, but he could feel it against him.
If he didn’t rein in his thoughts, she was going to get an unexpected wakeup. He eased out of bed before memories from the night before kept him from doing what he needed to do. After carefully maneuvering around her limbs, he pulled the blanket over her before quietly calling for Asher. The dog hopped down off the bed and followed him to the back door.
After letting the dog out to do his business, Bryce started a pot of coffee and tried to figure out breakfast. Remembering their conversation from the night before, he decided to keep it relatively healthy. Eggs, turkey bacon, avocado, and toast with fruit on the side. He wanted to do his best to support her.
The strawberries were cut up and in a bowl on the island and he was placing the rest of the items on the counter by the stove when he heard soft footsteps behind him. He turned to find Samantha standing in the doorway looking like an absolute vision. She had on one of his white dress shirts. It fell just above mid-thigh and was buttoned up enough to keep her modest, but he could see the outline of her nipples where her breasts strained against the thin fabric.
“Good morning,” he greeted, trying his best to ignore his arousal.
She looked down at the floor before mumbling, “Good morning.”
“How do you like your eggs?”
She rounded the island and stood on the other side of the stove. “You don’t have to cook for me.”
“I know I don’t have to. Scrambled or over easy?”
She chewed on her lip before answering. “However you like yours is fine for me. I can cook breakfast, though. I don’t mind.”
Bryce placed the pan on the stove before making his way over to Samantha, who was standing rod-straight, clasping and unclasping her hands. He wasn’t sure what had her so worked up, but he was determined to make her feel comfortable.
“Samantha, it’s okay. I want to cook for you. I know I don’t have to. I want to. If you want, you can fix us both a cup of coffee. The cups are in the cabinet above the coffee maker.” He waited for her to take two cups down before he continued. “Now. Is scrambled okay?”
When he stepped behind her and wrapped his arms around her, she was shaking beneath his touch. With a quick kiss on her shoulder, he stepped back.
“You’re shaking.”
She took a deep breath before turning to face him, her eyes cast down. “Yes, I’m okay. I’m just cold. And I’m not used to this, I’m sorry.”
“No need to apologize. Just sit down and relax. Enjoy your coffee and let me do this for you.” After a quick nip to her ear, he got back to the task at hand.
It wasn’t long before he joined her at the island with two plates of food. She seemed to be over whatever had her upset before and accepted her plate with an easy smile. “This looks delicious.”
“Thank you. Do you have plans for your day off?” he asked.
She shook her head and took a bite of food before answering. “I have no plans other than to sit here with you.”
He tried not to allow her words to go to his head. Of course she didn’t have plans, if she did, she wouldn’t have been sitting across from him. He couldn’t think of a better way to spend his last day off. He had a busy week ahead of him. The community center was his pet project, but he had a few jobs finishing up that week that he would need to check on.
“So, what now?” he finally asked.
“I do the dishes,” Samantha answered as she stood and picked up both plates.
“That is not what I meant, and you know it,” he said, once again stepping behind her to put his arms around her. “I mean, what now with us?”
She turned to face him. He did his best not to look at everything her borrowed shirt revealed while waiting for her to speak. “I’m tired of arguing with myself.”
He took both her hands in his before prompting her to elaborate. “Tell me what you want.”
