Page 25 of Vengeful Guard

Wait a minute. Am I thinking about holding on to Paige Burke, my best friend’s little sister?

I look away quickly. “You asked me for tips.”

“Useful tips.”

“They are useful.” I glare at her. “You’re just difficult.”

She grins and licks the lid of her yogurt, and seeing her pink tongue dart out from her dusky lips sends a weird shock through my body.

Brat.

“Exercise will help you the most, you know? You should definitely try it.”

“Yeah, no thanks. Maybe I’ll ask you for exercise tips when hell freezes over.” She walks past me, and there are ducks on her pajama shorts. Such a little girl to be twenty-seven.

She walks up the stairs, and I make a concerted effort not to look at her ass.

I can’t hit the gym since it’ll be too far away from Paige, so I open the fridge and rummage inside for a few things to cook myself breakfast.

It’s only a few moments after I’ve started the sausage and biscuits, that she peeks her curly head into the kitchen.

“What are you making?”

“I’ll replace your groceries,” I grunt, flipping the eggs.

“I didn’t ask you because I don’t want you to use my groceries,” she mutters. “I asked because…”

I stare at her. Waiting. I have no idea what this is about, then.

Sometimes, I wish women would understand men are not mind readers. Just spill it out already. Jeez. “Well?”

She lowers her eyes. “I wanted to know if there’s enough for two?”

“Let me guess. You don’t cook.”

“I can’t believe you do.”

“My ma is from Georgia.” I shrug. “She’d kill me if I didn’t know how to make a good sausage and egg biscuit with gravy.”

“What’s in the gravy?” She stares at it like one of those cartoons that goes all bug-eyed when they like something.

“Salt and pepper. Milk. Sour cream. Sausage.”

“Sour cream?” She wrinkles her nose.

“Don’t knock it until you try it.” I put together the biscuit, cutting it in half, applying a little butter, and placing the fried egg on top of the sausage patty.

I place the plate down in front of her, and she looks at it for a moment before digging in.

I smile, sitting down across from her at the little breakfast nook and digging into my own food.

Paige moans, touching her mouth with the tips of her fingers to keep the gravy from escaping her lips.

It’s an altogether uncomfortable sound, and it shouldn’t make my heart speed up, but it does.

“It’s so good.”

I wink at her. “Told you.”

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