to make a run for it. I'm not exactly a morning person."
His laughter rumbled pleasantly through her as he drew her away from the door and handed her his mug. "You'll feel more human after a dose of caffeine."
"It'll take a mega-dose this morning," she murmured. The need to kick-start her brain prompted her to gulp the hot black coffee without the benefit of milk and sugar. Her reward was a scalded tongue.
"I picked up breakfast." Dan turned away. "Bacon, eggs, and the best sourdough toast you've ever tasted."
Watching him settle strips of raw bacon in a frying pan, Tess's stomach flipped over. "I'm not really hungry," she assured him with a delicate shudder.
A sympathetic smile sharpened the definition of the intriguing indentations that framed his mouth. "Then, it's a good thing I also have my secret weapon."
There were several in his arsenal. Thankfully, he seemed unaware of her susceptibility to all of them. "Secret weapon?"
"Pastry. I found the most sinful bakery this side of the Rocky Mountains four blocks from here. I guarantee , one bite and you'll crave more." He returned to his task at the stove.
Pushing away her more lustful cravings, she strove to make sense of his presence in her kitchen. The first whiff of frying pork tantalized her nose before she gave up that exercise, too. "What are you doing here, Dan?"
A wary frown creased his forehead. "I don't suppose you're referring to breakfast."
"No. I'm not."
"You do remember asking me to stay?"
She shrugged. "Uh, where...?"
"I slept on the couch, Tess." Dan flipped off the electric burner and leaned back against the counter, his arms crossed over his broad chest. "What do you remember?"
Not enough, and all too much. She'd obviously shed more than her clothes when she climbed into the bathtub last night. "I shouldn't have kissed you. I should have punched you in the nose instead."
He corrected her. "You mean you should have punched Anthony. He's the one who left you alone last night."
Her face lifted to the ceiling, she groaned. Could she have made more of a mess of things? "It's not what you think. Anthony didn't abandon me."
Dan was quick to make excuses for her missing lover. "Of course not. I'm sure, when he comes to his senses and dumps what's-her— na. ..um, he'd be nuts not to come back."
Tess choked back a laugh. It didn't take all that long to lose control of the conversation. "Do you think I should take him back if he does?" she asked, suddenly curious.
"I'm not sure I'm the best person to—"
He paused when he saw her smile. "What's so funny?"
"If I were upset about Anthony's new squeeze, do you think I'd want to be reminded of her?"
When Dan remained silent, Tess's discomfort grew. She blurted the truth more baldly than she'd intended. "Anthony is not, and never has been, my boyfriend. He didn't leave me for another woman." The rest escaped in another rush of words. "Anthony and Cleopatra aren't people. They're my canaries."
Straightening away from the counter, he worked through her confession. Several strong emotions darkened his eyes. Confusion. Disbelief. Anger. All those...and something more she couldn't begin to interpret, it disappeared so quickly.
Tess's stomach churned with regret. Her head pounded in chastisement. She should never have allowed her lie to continue, let their friendship suffer because she was too weak to fight the way he made her feel. It wasn't his fault he'd brought to life senses she'd purposely allowed to atrophy after her fiancé left her, stirred up yearnings and dreams she'd thought towed off in the twisted wreckage of the car that crippled her father.
Dan had every right to walk out of the kitchen, out of her life, without a backward glance. Sweet mercy, she hoped he didn't. His smiles of greeting, his jokes when she made her rounds each morning these past two weeks had become incredibly important to her. Like her coffee, Dan McDonald had become a fix she didn't want to do without.
He crossed the
His laughter rumbled pleasantly through her as he drew her away from the door and handed her his mug. "You'll feel more human after a dose of caffeine."
"It'll take a mega-dose this morning," she murmured. The need to kick-start her brain prompted her to gulp the hot black coffee without the benefit of milk and sugar. Her reward was a scalded tongue.
"I picked up breakfast." Dan turned away. "Bacon, eggs, and the best sourdough toast you've ever tasted."
Watching him settle strips of raw bacon in a frying pan, Tess's stomach flipped over. "I'm not really hungry," she assured him with a delicate shudder.
A sympathetic smile sharpened the definition of the intriguing indentations that framed his mouth. "Then, it's a good thing I also have my secret weapon."
There were several in his arsenal. Thankfully, he seemed unaware of her susceptibility to all of them. "Secret weapon?"
"Pastry. I found the most sinful bakery this side of the Rocky Mountains four blocks from here. I guarantee , one bite and you'll crave more." He returned to his task at the stove.
Pushing away her more lustful cravings, she strove to make sense of his presence in her kitchen. The first whiff of frying pork tantalized her nose before she gave up that exercise, too. "What are you doing here, Dan?"
A wary frown creased his forehead. "I don't suppose you're referring to breakfast."
"No. I'm not."
"You do remember asking me to stay?"
She shrugged. "Uh, where...?"
"I slept on the couch, Tess." Dan flipped off the electric burner and leaned back against the counter, his arms crossed over his broad chest. "What do you remember?"
Not enough, and all too much. She'd obviously shed more than her clothes when she climbed into the bathtub last night. "I shouldn't have kissed you. I should have punched you in the nose instead."
He corrected her. "You mean you should have punched Anthony. He's the one who left you alone last night."
Her face lifted to the ceiling, she groaned. Could she have made more of a mess of things? "It's not what you think. Anthony didn't abandon me."
Dan was quick to make excuses for her missing lover. "Of course not. I'm sure, when he comes to his senses and dumps what's-her— na. ..um, he'd be nuts not to come back."
Tess choked back a laugh. It didn't take all that long to lose control of the conversation. "Do you think I should take him back if he does?" she asked, suddenly curious.
"I'm not sure I'm the best person to—"
He paused when he saw her smile. "What's so funny?"
"If I were upset about Anthony's new squeeze, do you think I'd want to be reminded of her?"
When Dan remained silent, Tess's discomfort grew. She blurted the truth more baldly than she'd intended. "Anthony is not, and never has been, my boyfriend. He didn't leave me for another woman." The rest escaped in another rush of words. "Anthony and Cleopatra aren't people. They're my canaries."
Straightening away from the counter, he worked through her confession. Several strong emotions darkened his eyes. Confusion. Disbelief. Anger. All those...and something more she couldn't begin to interpret, it disappeared so quickly.
Tess's stomach churned with regret. Her head pounded in chastisement. She should never have allowed her lie to continue, let their friendship suffer because she was too weak to fight the way he made her feel. It wasn't his fault he'd brought to life senses she'd purposely allowed to atrophy after her fiancé left her, stirred up yearnings and dreams she'd thought towed off in the twisted wreckage of the car that crippled her father.
Dan had every right to walk out of the kitchen, out of her life, without a backward glance. Sweet mercy, she hoped he didn't. His smiles of greeting, his jokes when she made her rounds each morning these past two weeks had become incredibly important to her. Like her coffee, Dan McDonald had become a fix she didn't want to do without.
He crossed the
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