I watch her with amusement as she works busily. She slides over to the oven where she pulls out a stack of warming pancakes she’s already made, and urges me to take a seat at my breakfast counter.
“You know I could get used to this,Sweetheart.” Seeing her working around my kitchen is definitely a sight for sore eyes and not something I’m used to. I almost feel out of place.
“Are you saying none of your lady friends stay over to cook breakfast for you in the aftermath?” she quips cheekily, stiflinga laugh, as she walks to the refrigerator to grab the butter. She places it in front of me on the white speckled quartz countertop.
“Not likely.”
Her eyebrows knit together. “Is that because I’m implying they stay until morning?”
I chuckle now, taking a sip of the liquid gold she’s prepared for me, and press my lips together, contemplating my answer. The perfect amount of hot coffee slides down my throat, soothing my senses and making me sigh. The implication isn’t something I usually worry about, but coming from her it seems different somehow. “You’re on fire this morning, Kiddo.” Avoidance is usually key, when awkward subjects like this come up.
I’ve called herKiddosince high school. She hated it when we were younger, and I admit, I did it to erk her, but she never tells me off anymore. The nickname has just kinda stuck.
She ignores me and starts plating up our breakfast like a ninja with tongs and a spatula, placing two pancakes on each of the plates with the eggs, tomato and a separate pan with bacon in it which I figure is for me as she’s a vegetarian. Just as the toast pops up, my phone buzzes, as if on cue it knows I’m about to eat. I didn’t realize where I even left it, but some kind person, probably Jade, put it on charge for me so my battery didn’t drain. Still, I choose to ignore it.
Nothing is going to interrupt a breakfast that looks this good.
“You want me to grab that for you?” She quirks an eyebrow, passing my plate over, followed by a knife and fork and some syrup.
“Nope.” I shake my head, accepting my plate with the glee and the enthusiasm of a small child. “I want the day to start out just perfect. Texting or answering calls can ruin it pretty fast.”
She smiles, rounding the huge island bench and takes a seat next to me. Sliding onto the stool, her short legs barely touch thefootrest. That makes me smile as I pick up a slice of bacon and shove it into my mouth.
“I know that to be true,” she says, picking up her fork and tucking into her scrambled eggs.
“And I don’t havelady friends,” I tell her, knowing I’m late to the party with that comment she made just before. I pour a ridiculous layer of syrup over my pancakes, then cut off a chunk and shove a forkful into my mouth. I'm aware I make a groan that sounds more like a sex noise, as the flavors rapture my taste buds.
Yep, definitely not used to this in the morning.
She side-eyes me, biting back a smile. “Really? No lady friends? What am I then?”
I sigh as a bead of silence hangs between us while I take another sip of coffee in between mouthfuls. “Okay, you’re different,” I start. My words get caught as I pause. And I give up, just like that. “You’reJade, it’s different.” It’s lame, I know. Like that explains everything. But the simple fact is true. I’ve always thought Jade is attractive, okay, sexy as hell – from her tiny frame, her golden tan, those sharp blue eyes that don’t miss a trick and a smile that shows her dimples – who couldn’t love her? But I’ve never thought about sleeping with her… at least not until that night in the bar when I didn’t know it was her until later and I nearly gave her an orgasm against the wall. Thank God, in a way, Ulrich, the goalie for the Hawks, interrupted us.
Her vivid blue eyes flash with amusement. “Different, huh?”
“We never got busy between the sheets,” I supply, in case she needed reminding, while tucking into my scrambled eggs and taking a bite of buttered toast.
She makes a new face which indicates I should quit while I’m ahead. “You tried to pick me up that night in the bar,” she points out.
“You were the cutest girl there,” I blurt without thinking.
I feel her head turn in my periphery. “You think so?”
“Not the first time I’ve told you that, Sweetheart.” And I’m pretty sure it won’t be the last.
“It seems I’ve interrupted your winning streak with the ladies since I’ve been here.” She always has the knack of changing the subject when compliments come up. I need to get to the bottom of that soon because it’s not the first time she’s done it.
I shove more bacon into my mouth and cut into another pancake. “Trust me, even the best of us need a breather.”
“Ew.” She makes a face again.
I laugh, holding my heart. She definitely wasn’t saying that the last time in town at the bar. I love how she’s managed to just let that little detail slip. It also never fails to amuse me how she doesn’t treat me any differently from when I knew her back in school. She’s known me long before I was anything close to being an NHL super star. I came from fuck all, but thanks to her dad, I learned how to improve my skating, and improve my game. Now I’m a very highly paid center for the Seattle Hawks. And I’ve never wanted to stray. I love it here.
“You know, most girls aren’t sayingewwhen I give them a compliment,” I say, as I scarf the rest of the pancake down in record time. “I’m quite the catch around Seattle.”
“And according to the tabloids, every other port around America, too,” she laughs, but I hear the hints of sarcasm in her tone.
I chuckle, but again, don’t protest. What would be the point? She obviously knows my reputation. I don’t mistreat women or make false promises. No guarantees, only a fun night ahead. One night stands are all I’ve ever been into and I’ve only had one serious girlfriend.
