Chapter Eleven
When he opened the bathroom door, he was surprised she hadn’t moved at all.
“Wait there.” He walked into his closet and came out a minute later dressed in faded jeans, a long-sleeved shirt, and his boots.
“Would you like another shower this morning?”
“No.”
He rolled his eyes at her terse reply. “Fine, get in the bathroom, use the toilet, and brush your teeth before coming out.”
She jumped from the bed and rushed into the bathroom. A moment later, he heard the lock click in place.
He shook his head and grinned. He’d let her get away with it right now, but locked doors would never happen with them in the future.
The coffee was started, and he’d pulled out eggs when his phone rang.
“This is Cason.”
“Hey, man. It’s Eli. I’ve got some things for Lacey, and I’m downstairs. Can you approve me to come up?”
“Yeah, hold on.”
Cason called down to his security desk. Within a minute, he heard the elevator door open.
“Hey, Eli, do you want some coffee?”
“Yeah, I’ll take a cup. How’d it go last night?” Eli asked and set the bags he carried on the ground before sitting down on one of the stools.
Cason handed over a mug. “She had a pretty bad nightmare, but we got her through it, and she was able to go back to sleep.”
“Is she sleeping with you?”
“Yeah,” he said and grinned. “I’ll tell you how that happened later.”
Eli nodded.
Both men turned to the doorway to the hall.
Cason held a hand out to her and was pleased when she automatically took it and pressed close to his side.
Eli smiled. “Good morning, Lacey. The girls had me bring a few things for you.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. You’re their friend now.”
Cason squeezed her when she teared up.
“What’s the matter, honey?”
“I’ve never had friends before.”
Cason glanced at Eli and saw the same surprise and confusion that he knew was on his face. “I’ll want to talk about that later.”
“Eli, do you want some eggs?”
“No, I already ate. You guys go ahead while I talk.”
“Can you show me what to do?”
Cason glanced at her. “Have you ever cooked?”
She shook her head. “No. I was never allowed. When my parents were gone, Talia, our cook, would let me watch her, but I couldn’t help because she was afraid my parents would find out.”
“I’ll teach you what I know, okay?’
“I’d like that,” she said and laid her head on his arm.
“The girls like to cook, so they can teach you some things when you’re with them.”
Cason grinned when she shyly looked at Eli and thanked him.
He set two plates with eggs on them.
“Do you want coffee, honey?”
Both men chuckled when she scrunched up her nose.