thoughts dancing across Sara’s face. She’d taken a leap earlier, and Z fully planned on rewarding the display of trust. But for now, he wanted to keep things light. He poked at the charred mess on his plate. “Is this a test to see how bad I feel about pushing you so hard last night?”
She laughed, that wonderfully free sound that he loved so much. “Maybe. Is it working?”
“Consider me sufficiently repentant.” He pressed a kiss to her bare shoulder and stood. “But I think cold cereal would be a safer bet.”
“Chicken.”
He turned to find her emptying both plates into the garbage. “That makes two of us.”
“Sure does. Now sit your fine ass down. I think my nervousness has passed enough that we don’t have to soldier through cold cereal.” She said it like bran flakes was on the same level as dog food.
“God forbid.” He leaned against the counter and watched her get to work, pointedly ignoring him as she started another helping of bacon. “Who taught you to cook?”
“Believe it or not, it was Uncle Rodger.” She smiled, her gaze going distant as she broke eggs into a bowl. “My… My mother took care of that kind of thing before she left, and she never let anyone in the kitchen to help. So after she was gone it was a mess. We ate a truly terrifying amount of fast food and pizza. Then one day, right before the twins graduated, Uncle Rodger showed up. He only came around on the weekends, since he had his business to run, but he managed to impart a lot of knowledge to all three of us.”
“He sounds like a remarkable man.”
“He is.” She shot a guilty look over her shoulder. “I mean, I love my dad. A lot. But my uncle is as unmovable as a rock. Even when he wasn’t around, I knew he was just a phone call away. It helped.”
He watched her for a few minutes longer, comparing this new information with what he knew of her. “You never called, did you?”
Sara laughed. “Not once.”
That made sense. From everything he’d seen, she was fiercely independent, and she looked up to Rodger in a big way. It was understandable that she wouldn’t want to show him weakness, whether it was to avoid disappointing him, or to try to live up to his example. “But you called your brothers.” Surely someone was there to help her when she got into trouble.
“Only when there was no other option.” She stirred the eggs. “But we all survived and turned into mostly normal functioning adults, so I guess it worked out just fine.” Toast was once against laid out on a pan, buttered, and put in the still-warm oven. “What about you? Any family missing you when you’re traipsing all over the world?”
“No.” He realized how abrupt the word sounded and tried to soften it. “My parents have been gone a long time, and I have no siblings.”
“So the guys in your group are like a family, huh?”
He shot her a surprised look that she didn’t catch because she was flipping the bacon. He’d never said it aloud, but he’d definitely come to see his men as brothers, of sorts. Garrett especially. It was part of the reason why he went to great lengths to make sure they didn’t have to shoulder any more shit than strictly necessary.
Not if he could shoulder it for them.
“That’s not a bad comparison.” He shouldn’t be surprised by her observation—she’d already proven herself to be incredibly intelligent—but it was strange to hear it.
“I have my moments.” The oven dinged and she turned with a flourish. “Now, sit down for real. Allow your obedient sub to serve you an edible breakfast.”
“Obedient sub. I don’t think you know the meaning of the words.” He sat, enjoying the mischievous grin she wore as she placed the plate before him with overdone extravagance. “You definitely don’t know the meaning of the word.”
“You’re probably right.” She grabbed her plate.
Z watched her out of the corner of his eye as he ate. It was interesting that she seemed to open up
She laughed, that wonderfully free sound that he loved so much. “Maybe. Is it working?”
“Consider me sufficiently repentant.” He pressed a kiss to her bare shoulder and stood. “But I think cold cereal would be a safer bet.”
“Chicken.”
He turned to find her emptying both plates into the garbage. “That makes two of us.”
“Sure does. Now sit your fine ass down. I think my nervousness has passed enough that we don’t have to soldier through cold cereal.” She said it like bran flakes was on the same level as dog food.
“God forbid.” He leaned against the counter and watched her get to work, pointedly ignoring him as she started another helping of bacon. “Who taught you to cook?”
“Believe it or not, it was Uncle Rodger.” She smiled, her gaze going distant as she broke eggs into a bowl. “My… My mother took care of that kind of thing before she left, and she never let anyone in the kitchen to help. So after she was gone it was a mess. We ate a truly terrifying amount of fast food and pizza. Then one day, right before the twins graduated, Uncle Rodger showed up. He only came around on the weekends, since he had his business to run, but he managed to impart a lot of knowledge to all three of us.”
“He sounds like a remarkable man.”
“He is.” She shot a guilty look over her shoulder. “I mean, I love my dad. A lot. But my uncle is as unmovable as a rock. Even when he wasn’t around, I knew he was just a phone call away. It helped.”
He watched her for a few minutes longer, comparing this new information with what he knew of her. “You never called, did you?”
Sara laughed. “Not once.”
That made sense. From everything he’d seen, she was fiercely independent, and she looked up to Rodger in a big way. It was understandable that she wouldn’t want to show him weakness, whether it was to avoid disappointing him, or to try to live up to his example. “But you called your brothers.” Surely someone was there to help her when she got into trouble.
“Only when there was no other option.” She stirred the eggs. “But we all survived and turned into mostly normal functioning adults, so I guess it worked out just fine.” Toast was once against laid out on a pan, buttered, and put in the still-warm oven. “What about you? Any family missing you when you’re traipsing all over the world?”
“No.” He realized how abrupt the word sounded and tried to soften it. “My parents have been gone a long time, and I have no siblings.”
“So the guys in your group are like a family, huh?”
He shot her a surprised look that she didn’t catch because she was flipping the bacon. He’d never said it aloud, but he’d definitely come to see his men as brothers, of sorts. Garrett especially. It was part of the reason why he went to great lengths to make sure they didn’t have to shoulder any more shit than strictly necessary.
Not if he could shoulder it for them.
“That’s not a bad comparison.” He shouldn’t be surprised by her observation—she’d already proven herself to be incredibly intelligent—but it was strange to hear it.
“I have my moments.” The oven dinged and she turned with a flourish. “Now, sit down for real. Allow your obedient sub to serve you an edible breakfast.”
“Obedient sub. I don’t think you know the meaning of the words.” He sat, enjoying the mischievous grin she wore as she placed the plate before him with overdone extravagance. “You definitely don’t know the meaning of the word.”
“You’re probably right.” She grabbed her plate.
Z watched her out of the corner of his eye as he ate. It was interesting that she seemed to open up
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