“In the kitchen,” he said. “I’m sorry if I woke you. I tried to be quiet and I hope you don’t mind that I took a shower.”
“Not at all.” She appeared wearing nothing but a tank top and boy shorts. He tried not to stare, but it was impossible. “My internal clock goes off every morning at this time.” She reached up, opened the cabinet, and pulled down a mug, putting it under the coffee machine. Her shirt lifted, showing off her firm midriff. Waking up with her arms sprawled out over his torso had been the purist form of torture.
In both a good and bad way.
He wanted more of her, and yet he couldn’t bring himself to dare ask for it. If he’d been more emotionally available and less cut off from the world, maybe he could have; however, for now, he needed to slow down. To take a breath.
“Can I make you something to eat before you take off?”
“Doug and Jim always have something on-site.” He raised his mug. “But I might make a second one of these. Do you have a travel mug I can borrow?”
“I sure do.” She took two steps and rummaged through a different cabinet before turning. “This should do the trick. Shall I fill it for you?”
He peered inside his current beverage. Three-quarters full and now that she was awake and the jobsite was only a quarter mile away, he wasn’t in such a hurry to leave. “Not yet.” He set his drink on the counter and inched closer. His heart beat in the center of his throat. Part of him really wanted to be a different kind of man. If he could only mend what was broken inside his soul. If he could figure out how to do that, maybe he could be what she needed. “Good morning.” He gripped her hips.
Smiling, she tilted her head. “I thought you snuck out.”
“I was trying to be nice and let you sleep. The sun isn’t even over the mountains yet.”
“I appreciate that.” She raised up on tiptoes, pressing her breasts against his chest.
He groaned.
“But next time you slip out of bed in the morning, you can kiss me goodbye. If it’s not time for me to get up, I’ll doze back off.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.” He brushed his mouth over her sweet lips. It was like kissing a piece of candy.
“Do you have plans tonight?”
He chuckled. That was like asking a monk if he had a girlfriend. However, this was his busy season. “I have a dusk wedding cruise, and then I wanted to check on Victoria.”
“I could help you find her.” Tonya twisted, snagging her coffee.
“I haven’t seen her in a few days. It could take a while, so I don’t want to drag you around.” Foster tried to do a visual check on Victoria at least twice a month. It had been about a week now since he’d seen her last and he was concerned about her health.
“I don’t mind.”
He cupped her chin. “I know. But I’ll already be in the village. And then I have a little grocery shopping to do.”
“What does the rest of your week look like?”
“Three dusk weddings.” He kissed her nose. “Thursday is your client.”
“That’s right.” She nodded. “You’ve got a busy week.”
He lifted his mug and finished the coffee before taking the to-go one and putting it under the machine. “I do.”
“Would you be interested in getting together with Tayla and Gael this weekend? They’ve been bugging me and truthfully, the idea of being a third wheel is not appealing.”
He laughed. “Sure. Either Friday or Saturday is fine. Just make it after six, okay?”
“Will do.”
He pulled her in for one last embrace and kissed her forehead. “I’ll talk to you later.”
“Have a good day,” she said as if this were a normal morning.
He stepped out into the warm summer morning. The sun peeked out over the mountain, barely lighting the sky. He’d always loved mornings. They were the most peaceful part of the day and full of promise. But after his daughter died, he resented them.
