I place the omelet in front of Cosima. “It’s nice to have someone in the house that can cook. I think the lady, Norina from next door, was overfeeding us.” That’s exactly what I paid her to do. To watch over Cosima and make sure she was taken care of as much as possible without being too obvious. Just a friendly neighbor looking out for the younger girls next door.
“It’s part of her job.” I put the bowl of fruit I cut up next to Cosima’s plate.
“Wait.” Cosima blinks, thinking over what I said. “Norina works for you?”
“Yes, Norina is on my payroll,” I admit. “Had to make sure you didn’t burn the place down.”
“Hey!” Cosima huffs. “That was only once.” I lift a brow. That lie might work on someone else, but I know every single detail about her. “Okay, twice. Do you have cameras in here?” She lets out a small laugh. I pop a grape into my mouth. “You’re supposed to laugh with me.”
“I don’t laugh about your safety and security.” I pop another grape into my mouth. I suppose slowly letting Cosima know how insane I can be when it comes to her would be best.
As I said, all secrets have a way of coming to light. I’ll ease her into it.
"You're crazy, you know that?" She shakes her head, smiling.
See, it's already working.
Chapter Fifteen
COSIMA
How the heck did I not pick up on Norina being hired by Z? Once he said it, it clicked in my head. As much as I want to kick my own booty for not catching that one, I have to give her props. She’s good at what she does, and I can’t be mad at her for that. Plus, she makes the best breakfast soufflés.
“You’re not upset?” Z brushes my hair off my neck. I tilt my head when he kisses me there.
“No, but her breakfasts are better than yours.” I bite into my omelet.
“Brat.” He nips my neck, making me laugh. This is nice. I hate that Marks took off, which I will be chewing her ass out about later, but I’m enjoying this time with Z alone.
“You should google how to make soufflés.”
“I know how to make them.” I let out a pretend gasp.
“Out of all these sneaky secrets you have, I can’t believe you’d keep the food ones from me.”
“I’ll do better.” He smirks. I drop my head back, wanting a kiss. He gives me one. “Eat. I’m going to hop in the shower.”
“Maybe I could join you.” Z’s hand slides between my thighs, cupping my sex.
“Are you sore?”
“I’m okay.”
“Not what I asked.”
“A little.”
“I’ll kiss it better,” he says against my lips. “After you eat.” Z pulls back. “You’ve lost weight.”
“You think?” The second I ask, the whole pregnancy thing comes rushing back. How the hell did that slip my mind again? I totally blame him. He can be very distracting.
Still, how could I do that? Of course I did. This is probably one of the reasons I shouldn’t be a mom. I can’t cook, and now I’m forgetting about the baby. My stomach twists with the thought of me not being able to be a good mom.
“Not much, but I want to know you’re okay.”
"Go take your shower." I nudge him, wanting a few minutes to collect my thoughts, but Z doesn't move. In fact, his eyes narrow on me.
"You know I can read you, Cosima." I’ll have to learn to school my emotions a bit better. Not that I want to hide things from him, but I’m not used to having to explain them to anyone.
