A little mewl of pleasure escaped her, and Jace tamped down the remaining whispers of hesitation. He stepped up behind her, nestling his growing erection against her backside and sliding his hand onto her abdomen. She tensed in surprise, then softened, not breaking the kiss but melting against him. God, she felt good. Pliable. Trusting. Totally fucking into it.
He moved his hand lower, teasing at the band of her underwear, stroking her bare skin. She rocked against him, fitting the cleft of her ass against his cock. He groaned at the friction and kissed the back of her neck, inhaling the scent of both her apple shampoo and Andre’s lingering cologne. “Hmm, seems like you want more than coffee this morning, sunshine.”
She eased away from the kiss and untangled her fingers from Andre’s hair, her movements as languid as a sleepy cat. She peered over her shoulder at him, a wicked glint in her eyes. “I never want anything more than coffee.”
The halt in action had his body protesting, but he couldn’t help but chuckle. “You’re a vicious tease, you know that?”
“I’ve been called worse.”
He gave her ass a playful swat, enjoying the flash of lust the move incited from her. “Go ahead. You can have your caffeine. We have all day to taint you with our lecherous demands.”
She spun to face him and smiled, her lips tantalizingly swollen from Andre’s kiss. “Guess I better make a fortifying breakfast for all of us then.”
“Now hold on, bella,” Andre said, settling back onto his stool, his movements a little jerky, no doubt from a monster hard-on. “Just because you’re the submissive in this arrangement, doesn’t mean you’re the kitchen bitch, too. We’ve been bachelors a long time. We know how to put a meal on the table.”
She moved around Jace and headed for the fridge. “Oh, hush, I’m not offering because I’m your slave or whatever. I’m offering because I enjoy cooking.” She stuck her head in the refrigerator and her voice became muffled. “Plus, I’ve had bachelor fare. I’ll pass.”
Jace sniffed. “Hey, Andre can make some mean chilaquiles. And I can . . . Well, I kick ass at making toast and coffee.”
She emerged from the fridge and set her treasures next to the stove. “Have a seat, Iron Chef. I got this.”
“Our sub is kind of bossy, Andre,” he said as he slid on the stool next to his friend, trying to ease the earlier tension between them.
Andre smirked. “Yeah, but if it involves me getting to watch her flit around the kitchen half-naked, cooking something better than burnt toast, I’m all for it.”
“Good point.”
Jace watched her as she moved with efficient grace from one task to the other. Breaking eggs, lining up bacon in the pan, stirring a pot of grits, tasting a bit on the tip of her finger before tossing salt into the pot. She was beautiful. And more at ease than he’d ever seen her. Like she felt right at home with them, casually cooking breakfast and teasing them with the easy sway of her hips.
Andre set his elbows on the island, apparently as fascinated by the scene as he was. “So what do you like about cooking?”
She shrugged, keeping her back to them and stirring the grits. “I remember my mom cooking for me. Never anything fancy, but all really good, comforting stuff. Baked macaroni and cheese. Chicken and dumplings. She worked overnight shifts, so she always made sure I had something good to eat before she left for work. I looked forward to that time every day. Watching her prepare everything and having her listen to my chatter.”
She paused as if lost in thought, her spoon still. Jace frowned, knowing the story wouldn’t end well.
“She died right before I turned seven. And pretty much everything in my life, including those home-cooked meals, stopped.” She started stirring again. “So I figured when I got older, I would learn how to do it. Make the people around me feel as well taken care of as I did back then.”
The thought of everything warm and comforting in her life disappearing when she was still so young made Jace’s chest ache, made his own family drama seem ridiculously petty in comparison. He’d never gotten the full story from her, but his parents had told him Evan’s background when she’d come to live with them. Her mother had been killed on her way home from work by a drunk driver, and her father had completely fallen apart after her death. He’d spiraled into depression during the years following, had neglected Evan completely, and had eventually taken his own life, leaving his daughter with no one in the world.
Jace shifted on the stool, searching for what to say. He wanted to pull Evan onto his lap, tell her he was sorry she had to go through that, that no kid should have to experience such tragedy. But he knew she’d resist any attempts at sympathy from them and would see it as pity. He was surprised enough that she’d even shared the story about her mother. When he’d last known her, all discussions about her past had been strictly off limits.
He cleared his throat. “Well, we’re honored that you deem us worthy of taking care of this morning.”
She glanced at him over her shoulder, giving him a thank-you-for-not-pushing smile. “No worries. I don’t get to do this too much lately with all the travel we’ve been doing. Plus, Daniel’s more of a restaurant guy than an eat-at-home person, so it’s nice to get back to it.”
Just the mention of her fiancé’s name set Jace’s teeth on edge, but he refused to let his opinion show on his face. Dr. Dan was sounding more and more like an idiot every second. Obviously the man wasn’t satisfying Evan’s sexual needs. And apparently he wasn’t appreciative of her nurturing side. What the fuck did she see in the guy?
Money? Fame?
He didn’t picture Evan as the trophy wife type, but what did he know. He hadn’t pegged his ex-wife for that either, and it had turned out to be her life’s mission. Maybe growing up like Evan had made those things too tempting to pass up.
Andre drummed his fingers against the counter, and Jace could feel his friend’s agitation. Uh-oh. Something was on Andre’s mind, and he wasn’t one to hold his tongue. Jace shot him a warning look, but Andre’s mouth was already opening. “I know it’s not my business, but do you really love this guy, Evan? It seems like you two don’t have a lot in common.”
Jace kicked Andre under the counter, giving him a what-the-fuck look.
Evan stiffened, and Jace wished he could see her face. A few seconds passed before she answered. “You’re right, it’s none of your business. But yes, I do.”
Andre frowned. “Shit, I’m sorry. That was out of line. Sometimes my mouth opens before the filters get involved.”