“Good morning, sleepyhead,” Kyle said with a loving smile on his face as I entered the kitchen.
Harley wagged his tail while looking up at me from his spot on the floor.
“Morning,” I replied, smiling. “What has you up so early?”
“Early?” Kyle laughed. “Lily, it’s almost eleven in the morning.”
I blinked in shock at him.
Whoa…no wonder I feel so rested. I slept the morning away.
“Eleven?” I screeched while doing a double take at the clock. Sure enough, it was 11:03 a.m.
Kyle perked his eyebrow up at me. “Yep, and you still sleep like the dead. I’ve been making all sorts of ruckus out here for hours.”
I sat on a bar stool at the kitchen island and placed my elbows on the counter. “And what kind of ruckus would that be?”
Kyle’s eyes suddenly changed, now appearing with a mixture of shyness and satisfaction. He cleared his throat quietly while approaching me. “I, uh…started unpacking more of your boxes,” he said, lifting a Pampered Chef utensil, “and I came across this nifty gadget.”
“Ah, yes,” I responded while glancing at the tool that I recognized as my own. Then, I looked back up at him. “Although, I don’t think that is meant for chopping bacon.”
The corner of his lip twitched. “Well, it works quite well,” he said, pointing in the direction of the bacon. “Look, I chopped up all of the bacon into the perfect size and put it right into my omelet.”
He had a way of making food sound so complicated, and I had to laugh.
“I see. Well, at least you put it to good use, considering I love bacon and eggs, too.”
Kyle’s grin widened. “I even chopped up ham with it and added that, too.”
“What else did you put in there?”
He strode over to the stove, picked up an enormous pan and a plate, and then returned next to me.
“That is a
huge
omelet.”
He tipped the handle of the pan and let the omelet slide onto the plate. I opened my mouth to protest that I could never eat that all by myself, but he beat me to the punch.
“Now that I’m cooking for two…” He lifted a butter knife off the counter and cut the omelet in half. Then, he separated the two paper plates and tipped half of the omelet onto the opposing one. “I used a bigger pan, so we can share it…and we’re eating on disposable plates, so we have less dishes to wash,” he finished. His eyes glowed with satisfaction.
My heart swelled in my chest before melting into a puddle at his sweet gesture. I tilted my head back to look up into his stunning brownish-green eyes, and I curled my finger in a cute get-over-here motion.
He bent forward, rested his elbows on the counter, and brought his face within inches of mine. “Yes?” he said in a low tone. A small dimple formed at the corner of his mouth.
I leaned forward, balancing my feet on the lower rung of the bar stool, and I kissed him gently. This one was soft and sweet. As we parted, I breathed, “Thank you.”
Kyle smiled, that glow of his reaching his eyes. “Anything for you, beautiful girl.” He shifted over slightly on the counter and reached for a fork. When he poked it into his omelet, his eyes lit up with playfulness, and then he popped the piece into his mouth. “You came in just in time. I was just about to interrupt your snoring and wake you up.”
I gasped and playfully nudged him on his shoulder with my hand. “Way to ruin a perfect moment!” I shook my head. “And here I thought you were a gentleman.”
Kyle chuckled from deep in his throat. “Oh, I am a gentleman, beautiful, and I plan to show you just how much later on tonight. But until then”—he grinned—“we each have a job calling our names.”
“True.” I sighed softly while running my to-do list through my head. My mind was still reeling with all my thoughts from my shower. The ideas were begging to be put on paper. I was eager to start writing again. “Are you still working from home today?”
He nodded. “Yes, I’m going to finish up my paperwork from yesterday and then make some phone calls.”
“Okay,” I replied before taking a bite of the omelet he had made for me. It was cooked to perfection.
Kyle grabbed his plate and came over to sit next to me on the other bar stool. Then, he quickly began devouring his omelet. We quietly ate next to one another until we were finished. I stood with my plate and reached for Kyle’s.
He tilted his head at me with humor in his eyes. “Lily, I can clear my own plate.”
I motioned for him to hand me his plate. “I know, but you cooked, so I’ll clean up,” I said, wanting to be a team.
“Alright, thank you,” he said kindly with his eyes still on me.
It looked as if he was processing having me here in his space.
“You know, one of these days, you’re going to have to get used to having a woman in your kitchen,” I teased gently.
His eyes danced with humor. “I will someday.”
He watched me make my way around the kitchen that was beginning to feel familiar to me.
“Right now though, you being here…is still so new. And I must say, I’m enjoying the view,” Kyle said in a more serious tone while rising to his feet. He strode over and stopped directly behind me, putting his hands on my waist. He leaned forward and ran his nose up the length of my throat before pausing below my ear. “I just don’t want to wake up one day and realize it was all a dream.”
“It’s not a dream,” I said.
I closed my eyes as he placed affectionate kisses down my neck. His warm breath on me seemed to put my whole body at ease.
“It still feels that way,” he admitted quietly.
I spun in his arms until we were face-to-face. As I looked into his eyes, I noticed a little worry in them.
What is he so anxious about?
He looked as though me being here was too good to be true or like I was going to run for the hills. I wanted to ease his anxiety. With one hand on his shoulder, I lifted the other to caress his face softly. He closed his eyes to absorb my touch as I felt his morning stubble brush across the palm of my hand.
“What are you so afraid of?” I asked bravely.
Kyle’s eyes opened wide. He parted his lips to speak but then hesitated.
“You can tell me anything, Kyle,” I reassured him. Deep in the pit of my stomach, I could feel he was hiding something from me.
“Telling you isn’t the problem, Lily.” His voice was low and unsure. “The fact that I don’t know how you’ll react is what terrifies me.”
I recalled our date at my childhood home in Colorado. He had surprised me with an elaborate setup in my backyard.
While we had been sitting next to the bonfire, he had pressed his forehead against mine as he’d said,
You saved me, too, you know…in more ways than one.
I wanted to comfort him and tell him that nothing would change my mind, nothing would change my love for him, nothing could ever come between us. “Do you remember when you asked me what the birds on my back meant?” I asked softly.
Kyle slowly nodded once, probably gauging where I was going with this conversation.
“In three years, I never told
anyone
what those birds stood for, not even my two best friends. Some would say that it was wrong to keep my friends in the dark, but I knew that I needed to have their honest friendship. I didn’t want to see their sadness for me. I wanted them to bring me into the light, to make me forget. And by doing that, I was avoiding it. It took me three long years to figure that out,” I said while searching his eyes.
He looked torn.
“Until I met you, and you changed my whole world, turning it upside down. I had faith in you, Kyle, from day one. You brought me out of that darkness, showed me how to live again, and opened my eyes to the world around me.” I paused, stroking the back of my hand down his cheek. “You could have walked away so many times, not wanting to deal with my past, but you didn’t. Why ever would you think that I would leave you after all you did for me?”
Kyle lowered his forehead against mine. “Because you are so kind,” he said, lifting his head to tenderly kiss my brow, “and loving and good.”
Does he think he’s not all of those things, too?
I slightly shook my head from side to side. “You are kind and loving and good, too, Kyle, and so much more.” I looked deep into his eyes, willing him to believe me, as I desperately tried to figure out why he had such self-doubt. It was so unlike him. “I wouldn’t be where I am today without you.”
It was Kyle’s turn to shake his head in denial. “No, Lily,” he said, cupping my chin. “
You
did that all on your own.”
I wordlessly raised my brow at the stubborn man in front of me, and he chuckled quietly.
“Okay, I might have pushed you a little,” he admitted.
“A little?” I teased, trying to lighten his mood.
“Yep, just a little.” He laughed. “Alright, beautiful, no more distractions. Off to work you go. I don’t want to be responsible for delaying your book and having angry readers knocking down my door.”
“True.” I laughed, knowing how much I loved to read myself. “Never get in between a girl and her novels.”
After a quick kiss good-bye, Kyle made his way into his office to work while I started hunting down a new writing spot. I remembered Kyle had told me there was a loft with a bay window above the garage. It sounded like the perfect spot to write, so I quickly grabbed my laptop and headed that way. Walking into the room, I was stunned.
Oh my, is it perfect. It is every writer’s dream.
The large window was centered on the south wall of the home, perfectly designed to overlook his backyard and the lake. The bench connected to the window was covered by one long cream-colored cushion with a wide variety of fluffy pillows and a brown blanket. Abstract art, all colorful and bright, were displayed on the earth-toned walls.
This room is definitely my new writing cave.
After I arranged the pillows on the windowsill, I covered my legs with the blanket and opened my laptop. I wanted to squeal with excitement when my Word document opened. I was fired up and ready to go.
My fingers hit the keys endlessly as my characters’ love story flowed effortlessly through my mind and onto the screen. This couple in my story had been through so much heartache, so they deserved a happily ever after. I planned to deliver that one hundred and ten percent.
An hour and a half later, a tear ran down my cheek as I typed
The End.
I let out a content sigh as I moved on to the epilogue.
Just as I started to type, I heard Kyle’s footsteps enter the room.
“I thought I might find you in here,” he said, striding over to me. He sat on the couch that faced the windowsill where I was sitting.
I glanced over at him with a smile, my eyes beaming. “I
love
this room.”
Kyle laughed softly. “I hoped you would,” he said while looking around. “I didn’t even know you when I designed it…yet somehow, it seems to fit you so well.”
“It does.” I nodded while letting my gaze wander around the room. “I don’t think it could be any more perfect.” My eyes glued themselves to his gorgeous smile.
“I’m glad you approve.” He grinned. “Remodeling is expensive.”
“I can imagine,” I said before letting out a loud laugh. I turned off my laptop and set it down on the bench. Then, my attention shifted to the room once more as I began feeling playful. “Although”—I sighed, putting on my best poker face—“now that you mention it, the color in this room is all wrong. And that couch,” I teased, pointing to it, “is butt ugly.”
“Oh, it is, is it?” Kyle said, his eyes darkening with want by the second. He stood, prowling closer. “Then, I guess I’ll have to teach my girl how to remodel then.” He paused while his heated eyes roamed over my body. “I can envision you painting in old, raggedy clothes. Then, you’d take a hot shower, and I’d have to scrub the paint remnants off every inch of your body.”
I jokingly shook my head.
“And we can start practicing the shower part…right now,” he said in a rough voice as he took a step closer.
“Oh no!” I screeched, jumping to my feet. “I already had a shower!”
Kyle grabbed me before I could escape, and he threw me over his shoulder with ease. I yelped, and he chuckled mischievously.
“Quiet,” he joked, lightly slapping my ass with one hand while holding me in place with the other. “You picked on my house, and now, you’re gonna pay the price.”
Shit. Hot, sexy alpha is back with a vengeance.
“I take it back!”
I laughed while squeezing his firm ass as he carried me down the stairs.
He made his way in the direction of the bedroom. Once there, he headed into the bathroom. He set me on the counter, and my hands grasped his shoulders.
“Too late for that, beautiful.”
I lowered my hands, stroking them down his chest, feeling every hard plane of muscle underneath my palms. My body felt so attuned to his, and my desire for him washed over me. A playful growl erupted from his center as I met his gaze. His eyes were keen and hot. He was ready to devour me.
Kyle gripped my hips and brought my core flush against him. Even through the thickness of our clothes, his erection pressed along my sex. I let out a breath of pleasure, yearning for him to strip me naked and take me against the shower wall.
His hands came to either of my sides as he lifted the hem of my shirt before tossing it without a backward glance. I rid him of his own T-shirt, wanting to feel his bare skin under my palms. He firmly cupped my breasts in his hands, kneading them, while his eyes burned into mine. It made my pulse beat wickedly. I arched forward into his touch and sighed in pure bliss, allowing the intense currents to flow throughout my body.
Kyle lowered his head, taking my lips in a passionate kiss. Lifting my hands, I ran my fingers through his hair and tugged him closer. His insistent lips demanded and took, yet they gave so much in return. My hands lowered to his belt buckle, and I yanked it open before pushing his jeans down his legs and to the floor.
We parted, both heaving for air. He shifted back fractionally to step out of his pants. Then, stepping near me once again, he unbuttoned my jeans. Before I could stand, his hands grasped either side of my waist, and he lifted me off the counter. He set me on my feet, dropped to his knees, and removed my pants quickly.