Page 248 of The Bonus

“I’m going to get to making you some lunch. Any requests?”

“Got any leftovers from the beef stroganoff you made last night?” I smirk.

His eyes widen and then flick down the hall to where Gabriel is. “I?—”

“Was just helping.” I shrug. “I get it, I won’t tell him that I know.”

“What gave it away?”

“Seeing he doesn’t know how to turn on my oven and he somehow miraculously cooked everything in record time, it wasn’t rocket science to work it out.”

“Oh.” He smiles. “He’s trying.”

“I know.”

“Do you, though?”

I frown. What does he mean by that?

Mark has something to say, I want to hear what it is.

“Why don’t you make us a cup of coffee and we go sit by the pool?” I say.

His eyes drift down the hall.

“I’ll get Gabriel to help me out.”

“Okay.” He disappears into the kitchen and I text Gabriel.

Sorry to bother you.

Can you give me a quick lift out to the pool?

I want to sit in the sun.

The office door opens and Gabriel comes striding out, he has his AirPods in and is talking on the phone. “I don’t think that’s a good idea,” he says, he bends and lifts me into his arms and kisses my arm.

All these arm kisses today…

We stride to the back door and he opens it as he carries me. “No, that won’t do. I want the report by Monday.” He listens as he walks me down the steps. I can hear a man talking on the other end but not well enough to know what’s being said. He carries me down to the pool and sits me down on the deck chair, he kisses my shoulder and smiles. “You okay?” he mouths.

I nod as my stomach flutters.

Without another word, he turns and marches back inside.

Five minutes later, Mark appears with two cups of coffee. He sits down beside me on the deck chair and passes me my cup. “Thank you.”

“How hungry are you? You feel like a cooked meal for lunch?”

“I’d kill for a grilled cheese sandwich.”

He smiles. “I can do that.”

I sip my cup of coffee as I try to work out what to say next. “So…you cook for him?”

He chuckles. “Not usually. He has a chef at home.”

“A chef.” I frown. “I forget how exotic his life is in New York.”

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