Page 31 of Collision

CHAPTER 14

Sam

Inuzzle the smooth skin under my cheek. Spicy oak fills my senses, and I groan in appreciation. My arms tighten around Carter, and it’s then I realize I’m wrapped around him like a vine. The upper half of my body is almost on top of him while my legs are tangled with his.

Carter’s hand slides up and down my back. It’s soothing enough that I could probably go back to sleep if I wanted to.

Instead, I roll over onto my back for a full-body stretch. “Good morning. What time is it?”

“Dunno.” Carter moves over to lie on my chest this time. I press a kiss to the top of his head. His sleepy murmurs are the cutest fucking thing I’ve heard.

“What time do you normally start your workday?” I ask, remembering it’s the middle of the week.

“Around eight.”

I cringe when I look at my phone. “Uh, you might want to get up soon, sweetheart.”

Carter tightens his arms around my waist. “Don’t wanna.”

I laugh. “It’s eight-thirty.”

He shoots up with a curse. “I have a meeting right now. Why the hell didn’t my alarm wake me up?”

“I’ll go make us some coffee.” I search the floor for some clothes when I remember they’re all in the living room. The memory of Nolan walking in on us brings a smile to my face. I can’t wait to watch Carter blush when he remembers, too.

After slipping on my boxers, I find Carter’s coffee maker and sigh when I see it’s one with the pods. I get a mug started for him, and when it’s finished brewing, I start one for myself while I deliver Carter’s to the bedroom.

He’s slipping into some khakis and a polo with jerky movements. His hair is still a mess from sleep, and he looks adorably rumpled. I hand him the coffee, and he smiles at me in thanks.

“My meeting should only be half an hour, so don’t go anywhere, please?”

“I’ll work on some breakfast for us if that’s all right?” I raise an eyebrow.

His grin makes my belly swoop. “Just try not to burn down my house in the process.”

“Jerk.” I cross my arms with a pout.

He smacks a kiss against my lips and then heads down the hallway to his office. I make my way back to the kitchen to see what I can scrounge up for breakfast.

I come to a quick conclusion that Carter only has ingredients and not premade food. This could pose a problem for me.

I can handle some eggs easily. But would that be enough for us? It’s not enough for me. I’d usually want some pancakes or something to go with it. Except, I only ever use the box mix. Maybe I could try to make the batter myself. I grimace. This could end in disaster, but my pride wants me to try.

I grab my phone to google a recipe. First up, let’s see if Carter has all the stuff. I dig through every cabinet and the pantry to pull out each item.

“Okay, starting off strong,” I whisper to myself. I go to follow the first instruction when my phone dies.

“Dammit.” I brought an overnight bag with me just in case, but it’s in my truck. I throw my jeans on, not bothering with a shirt, and step outside. There’s a manila envelope on Carter’s front step. Huh. Does mail normally come this early? And why wouldn’t it be in the mailbox? I dash to my truck to get my bag and then I pick up the envelope when I get back to the house.

I drop his mail on the counter and then focus back on my pancakes once my phone has enough of a charge.

Using a whisk, I do my best to mix the batter until it’s smooth. It looks the same as when I make it from a box, so hopefully, that’s a good sign.

As my pan heats up, I get the eggs scrambled. Those will be ready to go as soon as the pancakes are finished. There’s no way I could try to cook both simultaneously. That would be a recipe for disaster.

All of my pancakes turn out perfectly as long as I ignore the one in the trash can. Isn’t there a rule about the first pancake? I’ll just say it was my practice one. I had to make sure my pan was at the right temperature.

I’m about done cooking the eggs when Carter comes into the kitchen.

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