A faint blush spread across his cheeks. I liked seeing him like that. He was so rumpled in the mornings, with just a hint of dark stubble across his face. He was so damn handsome, and I was lucky to have run into him that day at the restaurant.
“You woke up early.”
I huffed a laugh. “As did you.”
His shoulder, the one not pressed to the mattress, lifted in a shrug. “I’m always an early bird. I don’t think I’d know how to sleep in if you paid me.”
That was something I could relate to. Ever since I graduated from college and started building my empire, it was a miracle I slept at all most days.
I leaned closer. The call of his tempting plump lips was too alluring to ignore when my stomach grumbled.
“Are you hungry?” he asked, sitting up suddenly.
Disappointment churned in my gut as I rolled and crawled from the warm cocoon of the blankets. “I could eat something.”
Malcolm pulled on a pair of flannel pants over his boxer briefs, and I watched like a creeper. He had a round, firm ass thattrailed down to strong thighs covered with the perfect amount of hair. My attraction to him remained strong.
“Good, because when my mom makes breakfast, she doesn’t hold back.” He stretched, and I watched as his muscles contracted when his arms lifted above his head. I needed to turn away before I popped a stiffy and had to take care of things before I could eat something.
Malcolm slid from the room before I could even wrap my head around what was going on. At least I didn’t have to worry about him catching me ogling him anymore.
I pulled out a pair of black sweats and a T-shirt. While Malcolm may have been comfortable walking around shirtless in his family home, I didn’t know these people that well. I pulled the soft cotton over my head and found my way to the bathroom across the hall just as Malcom was walking out. We almost crashed into each other, and he smiled at me as we awkwardly maneuvered around one another.
The bathroom was small, but I smiled at the toothbrush propped next to the sink. I looked out the door, but Malcolm must have already gone downstairs. After emptying my bladder and brushing my teeth, I followed suit and joined the family in the kitchen. It turned out that the entire Fisher family didn’t know how to sleep in.
“Good Morning,” Dana said as she pulled a few mugs from the cabinet. The smell of roasted coffee beans and greasy bacon permeated the room. My stomach let out another grumble as I took one of the offered cups and filled it with the steaming brew from the pot.
Covering the counter were all sorts of breakfast items. Pancakes, eggs, sausages, bacon, biscuits, and an assortment of fresh fruit. Malcolm leaned into me as I was pouring a small amount of cream into my coffee to whisper, “I warned you aboutbreakfast. She’s probably been up since four in the morning making all of this.”
I snorted before lifting the mug and taking a sip. The bitter liquid soothed me and took away the last of the fogginess of sleep.
Dana smacked her son on the shoulder as she took plates from the cupboard. “We’re not overly formal around here. Go ahead and help yourself.”
Malcolm grabbed a plate and filled it full of all the different foods before sitting at the tiny table set in a little nook in their kitchen. We’d all squished into it the night before for dinner, but it made everything feel so cozy. Comfortable. It was nice that they were close enough as a family that it didn’t drive them crazy. Then again, it had just been Malcolm’s parents the last few years. If we’d had to share such close quarters in my childhood home, Audrey and I would have ripped each other to shreds.
I scooted into the bench seat next to Malcolm. Our thighs touched, and a little zing of electricity pinged through me at the contact. I wanted so much more with the man.
We ate our food quietly while his parents messed around the kitchen. There wasn’t a need to sit so close to him other than wanting to. When Malcolm didn’t complain, I couldn’t bring myself to move.
“What are your plans for the day?” Mr. Fisher asked as he filled his coffee cup for the second time.
Malcolm stuffed a bite of toast in his mouth and talked around it. It was cute how little crumbs went spraying across the table as he spoke. “I figured I’d take David around town a little. Show him some places I used to hang out…”
My eyebrows rose because that was an awfully boyfriend-y thing to do. If he was trying to convince his family that we were nothing more than coworkers, that wasn’t how to do it.
“That’s nice. You should take him over to the ice cream shop off Mayport. You and Marcus used to love that place…” Dana trailed off, looking between us. No doubt she knew of Malcolm’s history of telling people about his brother. I knew a little, but I wonder if she had any idea what I knew. And did I know as much as other people?
Chapter 17
Malcolm
After breakfast, David and I made our way back to the room. I did my best to keep my body turned away as we got dressed for the day, but it was difficult. Could you blame me? The man was drop-dead gorgeous and was half-naked in my childhood bedroom. Although when he took his underwear off… Well… fuck me. My body ignited as I tried to focus on grabbing something appropriate to wear for the day.
The weather in northern Illinois could be tricky this time of year. It varied from days of sunshine to days when you felt like your balls were going to freeze right off your body. Not that winter was any better. Part of me wondered why I hung around. Other than still being relatively close to my family. It would probably break them if I moved away completely.
When I got the worn gray Henley over my head, David spoke up. “So, what’s with this ice cream shop?”
A small smile graced my lips at the question. “It’s stupid, really. There’s nothing special about it. It’s this little hole-in-the-wall place Mom used to take us to, but the ice cream is good.”
