He abandoned his eggs and poured her a mug of coffee. “I anticipated that,” he said as he brought her the coffee and set it on the island. “That’s why I’m slaving over a hot stove—so I can provide you with enough fuel to become a tigress in the bedroom.”
She looked into his brown eyes. “You are so full of it, Grayson.”
“Yes, ma’am.” He winked at her. “And I want to give it all to you. Now drink your coffee, and in a jiffy I’ll have some scrambled eggs for you. And toast.”
“What kind of toast? I’m particular about my toast.” She couldn’t believe how much fun she was having. She’d never kidded around with her boyfriends like this.
“It’s cinnamon-raisin or nothing, sweetheart.”
“Lucky you; that’s my favorite.”
He glanced over his shoulder. “Somehow I knew that. Don’t ask me why.”
“Why?”
He groaned. “You really are a pain in the ass. But I’ll reveal my secret, because if I don’t, you’ll badger me until I do.”
“You’ve got that right.”
“A couple of months ago, you told me about a bakery in Dallas that makes amazing cinnamon-raisin bread. I think the mother of one of your friends works there.”
“That’s right. Melanie’s mother.”
“So the next time I was in town, I checked it out. Now I’m hooked. I buy in bulk and freeze it.”
She took a minute to absorb the news that a chance comment from her had prompted him to change his shopping and eating habits. But she was no different. Ever since learning that he was into classic rock, she’d tuned in to a station that played that, which was how she’d known who Buddy Holly was when he’d announced the foal’s new name.
“Don’t put too much importance on that.” He opened a cupboard and took down a couple of plates. “I’m always looking for local businesses to support.”
“Oh, I didn’t,” she said, lying through her teeth. “I do the same.” She would never admit how she’d obsessed over him for the past six months.
“Yep. That’s the value of talking to a variety of people.” He dished out the eggs, took a couple of forks from a drawer, and brought the plates and forks over. “Here you go. Fuel up.”
“Thanks, but you’re making this sound like a pit stop at the Indy 500. What exactly are you expecting of me?”
Grabbing his own mug of coffee, he rounded the island and sat down on the stool next to hers. He glanced over at her. “Nervous?”
“A little, yeah.” Especially because she’d noticed that he’d shaved, and he’d made some explicit promises about what would happen once he’d rid himself of the bristle.
“Then let me ease your mind, pretty lady.” He met her gaze. “Your clothes are in the dryer. They should be dry in another twenty or thirty minutes. If, at any time, you want me to take you home, you have only to say the word, and it will be done.”
“So I’m in charge?”
“As much as you want to be.”
“Now that’s a loaded comment if I ever heard one.”
His expression shifted from teasing to earnest. “Astrid, I’ve dreamed of having you in my bed ever since I met you. Forgive me if I’m eager to keep you there as long as I can. I won’t be the one to call a halt. You’ll have to do it. If I had my way, you’d stay . . . indefinitely.”
It was quite an admission, one that made him vulnerable. Her heart ached, because she longed for that kind of simple attraction—a man and a woman who discovered how right they were for each other and allowed the relationship to progress naturally. But life wasn’t that easy, and there were things about her that he didn’t know, things that undoubtedly would change his perception of her.
But she kept the exchange lighthearted, for both of their sakes. “With only one set of clothes, staying indefinitely would involve way too much time in your laundry room.”
He smiled. “Unless we forget about clothes completely.”
“There’s a thought.”
“A most excellent thought. Now eat your breakfast before it gets cold.”
“Yes, Mommy.”
He laughed, and the potential for an awkward moment passed.
She dug into the breakfast he’d prepared, which was delicious. “Great food,” she said between bites. “Where did you learn how to cook?”
“My mom taught me. She believed that a boy should be as handy in the kitchen as a girl. I had to do my own laundry, too, so you’ll be happy to know I separate whites and colors.”
“Excellent.” She thought about her clothes. “I didn’t have any whites.”
“That helped. And for the record, your black lace bra and black panties are sexy as hell.”
“So we’re back to sex, are we?” She pushed away her empty plate and sipped her coffee.
“Don’t I wish. But there’s something I have to tell you. I wanted to wait until you’d finished.”
Her chest tightened as she glanced over at him. “It’s about the truck, isn’t it?”
“The sheriff’s department called. They found it.”
“Where?”
“A long way downstream, a good twenty miles, at least. That water was moving fast.”
“I know.” She needed to hear this, but she didn’t want to. Living in a bubble had been great. She’d pushed the accident to the back of her mind while she’d contemplated bedroom games with Fletch. No longer. An image of her truck being pulled from the stream, water spilling out of the cab, twisted her stomach into a knot.
“Damn. You look horrified. I didn’t want to tell you at all, but I felt you needed to know.”
“Yes, I do.” She took a fortifying breath. “Was . . . anything still in it?”
He shook his head. “Sorry. They think it was tossed against other debris. The tailgate is gone, and the driver’s side door. The cab and truck bed are both empty.”
“So it’s pretty beat up, I guess.”
“Afraid so. They’ve towed it to a yard. I have the number if you want to call.”
She recoiled at the idea. Eventually she’d have to deal with her wrecked truck, but maybe not today. “Did you say I would?”
“No. I told them you were still recovering from your ordeal and would be in touch when you got your bearings.”
“Thank you.”
His voice gentled. “Astrid, do you have good insurance? Is that what you’re worried about?”
She glanced into his eyes, warm with concern, and thought how ironic it was that he was worried about the money. “I have good insurance. I’m just mad at myself for being careless. I shouldn’t have driven over that bridge. I put myself and you in great danger and ruined a perfectly good truck, not to mention losing all those medical supplies.”
“Don’t be so hard on yourself.” He slipped his arm around her shoulders. “We all have lapses. You’d been up all night. It’s hard to be sharp when you’re exhausted.”
“I wish I could say that was the reason I didn’t stop to look before I drove over the bridge. The fact is, I was fantasizing about you.”
He blinked. “Me?”
“You, nak*d.”
He seemed torn between horror and delight. “I’m not sure how I’m supposed to take that. Are you saying it’s all my fault?”
“No! It’s my fault for reliving that kiss when I should have been paying attention to the road. But if you weren’t so damned sexy, then none of this would have happened!”
He was quiet for a moment. “Do you wish it hadn’t?”
“No.” She said it in a small voice, but honesty made her admit the truth, however damning.
“That’s a relief. For a minute there I thought you were going to say that sex with me wasn’t worth nearly dying and losing both your truck and everything in it.” His mouth twitched, as if he wanted to smile but didn’t dare.
But she saw the glint of amusement in his eyes, and the tightness in her chest loosened. “I was determined not to have sex with you, you know.”
“I do know. And I was just as determined that you would, but I figured it would be a long, arduous campaign.”
“Instead it was a short, arduous campaign.” Her smile trembled a little. “I’ll bet you’ve never had to go through so much trouble to get a woman into bed before.”
“Can’t say that I have.” He squeezed her shoulder as he held her gaze. “But you are so worth it.”
“So are you.”
“Apparently I am, considering I make up for those missing supplies, a totaled truck and potential loss of life.”
Her smile became a grin. “Don’t let it go to your head, Grayson.”
“Too late. The more I think about your confession, the more I like it. An intelligent, beautiful woman drove blindly onto a dangerous bridge because she was mesmerized by the thought of seeing me nak*d. That’s an epic tribute to my package.”
“Good grief. I’ve created a monster.”
“I mean, think about this for a minute. You lost all sense of self-preservation under the influence of that vision. I need to use my sexual powers more responsibly from now on. For example, don’t ever have sex with me and then try to operate heavy machinery. You might—”