looks of it, he was preparing to feed an army, with fruit, eggs, bacon, sausage, and fixings for pancakes.
“What can I do to help?”
“How good are you with a knife?”
• • •
“What are we going to do today?” she asked around a mouth full of bacon and pancakes. She sat with one leg tucked under her body and the other foot in the chair with her shin pressed against the table. They’d prepared their meal together like a well-organized team, talking and joking the whole time. He’d enjoyed the way she chattered on and on, telling funny stories from her childhood that made him laugh out loud.
He loved listening to her. Her face was freshly scrubbed, and she wore no makeup. The polished, professional woman he knew her to be had vanished for the moment, but he found himself liking this casual side of her even more. He’d been astonished by her admission of voyeurism and lustful yearning, delivered in a sullen tone. Hearing a woman unapologetically admit to her carnal desires was a new experience. And he liked it.
He was amazed at how comfortable he felt with her his home, and even more amazed that he hadn’t panicked at the thought. It was a pure delight to have her in his kitchen and to watch her eat. He was experiencing a lot of “firsts” with Candace. It was the first time he’d invited a woman into his home to stay for more than a night. It was the first time he’d spent the night in bed with a woman and had actually slept. And it was the first time he’d ever played the role of that knight in shining armor, to rescue the damsel in distress. She’d brought out protective instincts in him he didn’t even know he had.
“It’s Saturday, so there’s not much going on, but I’ve got a few errands to run. You can tag along if you like, or you can stay here and take it easy.”
“Your offer sounds tempting, Brice.” She emitted a small sigh, brushing her hands together to rid them of the last few bits of clinging crumbs. “But I should get back to reality and decide what to do about my problem. You’ve made me all but forget that my house was broken into last night. I’m grateful for the distraction, but I should go home and check on things.” A wry expression settled on her face. “I should at least have the locks changed, and probably shop around for better security. Could you drop me off before you run your errands?”
“It’s already been taken care of. Your locks are probably being changed as we speak, and someone should drop your new keys off sometime today. You can call around for a new security service from here. I happen to know of a couple of good companies I could recommend.” He poured another cup of coffee and calmly awaited her reaction to the news. But it didn’t matter what she said, he’d already made up his mind between bed and breakfast. There was no way he’d let her out of his sight, today or tomorrow. He wasn’t about to leave her to deal with her problem all alone. And if he could stretch their time together into next week, well, he’d do that too.
“What? What are you talking about?”
“I called a locksmith last night, and I had security guards posted in front of your place until he got there.”
Her eyes grew wide with surprise. “You did what?”
Brice sighed and carefully placed his coffee cup on the table. “Look, Candace, I told you I’d take care of things, so I did. And if you don’t want to go home right away, you don’t have to. You can stay here for the weekend, or until you’re ready to face your place again. However long it takes. So, you can hang out with me for the day while I take care of some personal things. And then later, we can go out to dinner to the fanciest restaurant in town.”
“I didn’t bring anything to wear to the ‘fanciest restaurant in town.’”
“We can go shopping. I’ll buy you whatever you think you’ll need for the evening.”
“You’re taking this ‘knight in shining armor’ thing a little too
“What can I do to help?”
“How good are you with a knife?”
• • •
“What are we going to do today?” she asked around a mouth full of bacon and pancakes. She sat with one leg tucked under her body and the other foot in the chair with her shin pressed against the table. They’d prepared their meal together like a well-organized team, talking and joking the whole time. He’d enjoyed the way she chattered on and on, telling funny stories from her childhood that made him laugh out loud.
He loved listening to her. Her face was freshly scrubbed, and she wore no makeup. The polished, professional woman he knew her to be had vanished for the moment, but he found himself liking this casual side of her even more. He’d been astonished by her admission of voyeurism and lustful yearning, delivered in a sullen tone. Hearing a woman unapologetically admit to her carnal desires was a new experience. And he liked it.
He was amazed at how comfortable he felt with her his home, and even more amazed that he hadn’t panicked at the thought. It was a pure delight to have her in his kitchen and to watch her eat. He was experiencing a lot of “firsts” with Candace. It was the first time he’d invited a woman into his home to stay for more than a night. It was the first time he’d spent the night in bed with a woman and had actually slept. And it was the first time he’d ever played the role of that knight in shining armor, to rescue the damsel in distress. She’d brought out protective instincts in him he didn’t even know he had.
“It’s Saturday, so there’s not much going on, but I’ve got a few errands to run. You can tag along if you like, or you can stay here and take it easy.”
“Your offer sounds tempting, Brice.” She emitted a small sigh, brushing her hands together to rid them of the last few bits of clinging crumbs. “But I should get back to reality and decide what to do about my problem. You’ve made me all but forget that my house was broken into last night. I’m grateful for the distraction, but I should go home and check on things.” A wry expression settled on her face. “I should at least have the locks changed, and probably shop around for better security. Could you drop me off before you run your errands?”
“It’s already been taken care of. Your locks are probably being changed as we speak, and someone should drop your new keys off sometime today. You can call around for a new security service from here. I happen to know of a couple of good companies I could recommend.” He poured another cup of coffee and calmly awaited her reaction to the news. But it didn’t matter what she said, he’d already made up his mind between bed and breakfast. There was no way he’d let her out of his sight, today or tomorrow. He wasn’t about to leave her to deal with her problem all alone. And if he could stretch their time together into next week, well, he’d do that too.
“What? What are you talking about?”
“I called a locksmith last night, and I had security guards posted in front of your place until he got there.”
Her eyes grew wide with surprise. “You did what?”
Brice sighed and carefully placed his coffee cup on the table. “Look, Candace, I told you I’d take care of things, so I did. And if you don’t want to go home right away, you don’t have to. You can stay here for the weekend, or until you’re ready to face your place again. However long it takes. So, you can hang out with me for the day while I take care of some personal things. And then later, we can go out to dinner to the fanciest restaurant in town.”
“I didn’t bring anything to wear to the ‘fanciest restaurant in town.’”
“We can go shopping. I’ll buy you whatever you think you’ll need for the evening.”
“You’re taking this ‘knight in shining armor’ thing a little too
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