Page 49 of Fever

An incredulous smile spread across his lips.

“There are so many other words to describe it, but incredible is undeniably one of them,” he surmised.

A flutter of warmth dissolved inside me, and I blushed, dropping my eyes from his.

“Have a seat so I can serve you,” Josiah said.

I perched a hip on the kitchenette barstool while he put a plate in front of me with scrambled eggs, diced hash browns, turkey bacon, and grits. On a separate smaller plate, he added, strawberries, mango and orange slices. A third plate held toast, waffles, and pancakes. My eyes grew at the enormity of what he’d prepared.

“All of this is for me?”

Josiah chuckled. “Have as much as you like. I know when we spent time in Houston, you ate a very hearty breakfast, so I figured you’d do the same now that you live here in Chicago.”

“Did you just pleasantly call me fat?”

Josiah tossed the hand towelette he’d been using down on the counter and strolled around to me. His arms circled my waist, and his mouth touched the outer reins of my earlobe.

“I would never do such a thing. I love the way you eat. It’s sexy, and I need to make sure you keep these hips happy. Wouldn’t want you looking like a skeleton, now would we?”

I guffawed as he nibbled against my cheeks, making me squirm. Josiah pulled back chuckling and went to claim his seat, pouring a glass of orange juice.

“Would you like juice or water?”

“Water for me,” I said.

Josiah winked and poured me a glass of water. When his arms stretched across the table to grip my hands, I dropped my head instantly, knowing he wanted to pray over our food. I listened to his deep voice speak to God about blessings and guidance. His smooth vocals danced along my skin, and I silently asked God to forgive me if my mind slipped into the gutter. It was easy to do around Josiah.

“Amen,” he ended.

“Amen,” I agreed.

We ate in silence for a minute, and this felt so ordinary. I’d never gotten so much pleasure out of a simple morning or afternoon brunch. But I knew it was the person who occupied this space with me that brought me the most joy. During our time in Houston, Josiah had been there for my every need. Even when there was nothing I wanted, he managed to have something for me. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, car service. He even had Norma, the woman who’d practically raised him to come up to help with things like dry cleaning and such. Norma was their housekeeper, but to them she was Nana. She’d been in the family’s household since their mother passed.

Josiah hadn’t spoken much about his mother. From what he’d said, he was barely walking when the home invasion that took his mother’s life happened. But Norma was such a delight to be around, and she instantly grew on me. I pulled my sight from the hearty meal to Josiah’s angled face. Such strong features and a pristine contrast of brown skin.

“This is good,” I said, speaking openly about the food but inwardly about everything else.

“I think so, too. I’m glad you like it.” He winked.

I smirked and shook my head. “Cocky much?”

A full-on smile cast across his face. “Just a little,” he confessed.

I giggled. “I wanted to ask you a question.”

“Ask away,” he said.

“How did you get here so fast last night?”

Josiah sat his fork down, and his eyes traced over my face.

“I’d been sitting out there for about ten minutes before you called.”

This brought surprise to me.

“But I checked for you a few minutes after coming inside, and you were gone.”

Josiah was silent for a moment before he spoke again.

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