“How long will it take you to teach me how to make pancakes? I’d like to make you breakfast sometime without going to the bakery first.”
“Seven or eight years.”
“That’s fine with me, but you’re going to be eating a lot of muffins until then.”
If he served her a muffin every morning for the next fifty years she’d eat it and not complain.
Kiera’s phone on the counter beeped letting her know she had a text message. Grabbing her coffee mug so she could refill it, she went and picked up her phone.
Your dad is excited to spend the evening with his two girls, but your grandparents are not coming.
She detected an underlying message in the text. Either her mom wanted to know if Gray would be there, or she was trying to tell her that Gray didn’t belong.
Then again, Kiera supposed the message could be her mom’s way of saying that her dad didn’t want Gray there.
Throughout her childhood, her father had been overprotective. He’d refused to let her sleep over a friend’s house until she turned twelve, and she hadn’t been allowed to date until seventeen. Could her dad share her mom’s opinion? If they both believed she and Gray didn’t belong together, would they think differently if they knew she loved him? What if they knew he loved her? And he did love her.
Gray had a humorous side, but he wouldn’t joke about something like that. He wouldn’t merely say the words because she had said them.
Okay, see you tonight. Kiera typed the message and pressed send.
Maybe having him there tonight would change her mom’s mind. Perhaps when Mom saw how happy they made each other, she’d realize she was wrong.
“Did you decide on a meal for tonight?” Gray’s voice interrupted her thoughts.
“I decided on sear-roasted beef tenderloin with a cognac-peppercorn cream sauce. It’s one of my dad’s favorites. I’m going to serve broiled asparagus and artichokes with it. Birthday cake, too, but not chocolate. My dad prefers vanilla. I’ll need to go shopping this morning.”
Gray stacked the breakfast plates and brought them to the sink. “If you make a list, I’ll go so you can take care of whatever you need to around here.”
She watched him load the dishwasher. The sight of him doing something so domestic didn’t jive with the persona she’d read about for the past several years.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“You keep surprising me. First, breakfast, and now you’re doing the dishes. What’s next? Vacuuming?”
Gray’s sexy smile hinted at things to come. “You’ll just have to wait and see.”
“I appreciate the offer, but I better do it myself. I know where everything is so I’ll be quicker. The place is a zoo on Saturdays.”
“What can I do while you’re gone?”
He sounded sincere about helping, but she couldn’t ask him to dust and vacuum. “Maybe pick up some wine? Something that’ll go with beef tenderloin.”
“I can do that. Anything else?”
“A kiss before I get dressed.”
Gray’s shoulders sagged, and he shook his head, his mouth set in a frown. “I hoped you’d ask me to help you in the shower.”
Kiera’s pulse shot up at the mental image his words created.
“I could get your back for you.” His voice simmered with passion and promises.
Fudge. If she didn’t get out of her soon, she’d never leave. “How about after I get everything ready for tonight?” She brushed her lips against his and pulled back before either of them got carried away.
“Don’t be long.” He turned her toward the stairs, slapped her butt, and then gave her a little push.
***