Page 58 of A Rogue Cowboy's Kiss

“Well, no.” She shrugged and released his shirt. “But I’m good at disappearing. I would have been fine alone. I made a choice, Falcon. I always choose.”

He caught her wrist as she began to turn away, drawing her back to him. “Well, then, thank you,” he said softly. “Thank you for taking charge, getting us out of there, and for coming back to the ranch for me.” He pressed a kiss to her hand. “I know it wasn’t what you wanted, and you did it anyway. Thank you.”

Her face softened. “You’re very welcome, Falcon. I’d never let you down. You know that.”

“I do.” He took a breath. “I never let myself be a burden to anyone. I never put myself in a position where anyone needs to help me, but last night, I fucked up, and I had to count on you.” He paused. “I can’t even express what it feels like to have someone take care of me like that. I—” He didn’t have words. “I’ll never forget it,” he finally said.

Bella smiled tenderly. “You are a very sweet man.” She patted his cheek. “Let me feed you, please. I hate seeing you so pale.” She pulled out a chair. “Sit those cute little butt cheeks on there, please.”

Falcon grinned and eased himself down on the seat. “I assume there have been security upgrades to your house?”

“Of course. No one could get in now. We’re safe.” She walked over to the stove and began making him an omelet.

She’d put in all his favorite ingredients, he noticed. She’d remembered what he liked and had made the effort to get everything for him in the few hours they’d been home.

He smiled. Bella might not want to be a wife or a mom, but her nurturing side was beautiful to him.

“What are you grinning at?” she asked, tossing him a sassy look.

“Your ass looks great in those leggings. Want to get naked later?”

She rolled her eyes. “You’re moving so stiffly that I don’t think you’d be able to handle me.”

“Try me.”

“No.” She was quiet for a minute. “I did some things you might not like.”

He leaned back in the seat, feeling immensely relaxed with her. He knew they were fully protected on the ranch, and he didn’t have to be on guard. This was what had kept him going for all those years. The vision of breakfast on the ranch with Bella. Just the two of them.

And now he was living it.

He knew it was fleeting, but he was going to burn every detail into his mind so he would never forget it.

She looked over. “Did you hear me?”

Oh, right. He focused on the conversation. “I did. It’s fine. When I blew my bodyguard duty, I forfeited the right to be annoyed with anything you do.” When he fell in love with her, he also forfeited that in some ways, but he wasn’t going to mention that.

She flipped the omelet. “Well, first, let’s get things straight. You didn’t fail at being a bodyguard. You took down a man coming to get us. Yes, you got stabbed in the process, but you saved the day, so take a little bit of pride in that, please.”

He grinned. “All right. I’ll admit that. Did you find out who he was?” He had no doubt that Brody made some calls, and that man had been tracked down before he’d gotten very far.

“Well, that’s one of the things I want to talk to you about.” She put the omelet in front of him, along with a coffee and utensils.

“Thank you for the breakfast.” He leaned over, caught her chin, and kissed her. “I appreciate it. You know that your omelets are the best in the entire world, and I’m honored you made it for me.”

She smiled and kissed him back. “You’re very welcome. And thank you for the compliment. I accept it.”

He kissed her for another moment, until his growling stomach made them both laugh. She pointed at the plate, and he sank back down onto the chair.

“Yes, ma’am.” He took a bite, and had to close his eyes. “Hell, this is incredible.”

“We have so many fresh vegetables and herbs in the garden right now,” she said. “It makes such a difference.” She paused, and he felt her tension rise. “I hired Dylan to track down the men who broke into my house and the guy who stabbed you.”

He paused, his fork halfway to his mouth. “What?”

“I don’t want you running around the world getting stabbed,” she said, searching his face. “You fulfilled your promise to your mom, Falcon. It’s over. I paid Dylan to take over. He already has his best team on it. They’ll find out what’s going on soon. In the meantime, you can just stay here and recover.”

He put his fork down, tension wrapping around him. “No.”

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