Page 445 of Savage Bosses

Tati waved him off and headed back to the bedroom.One more hour.She just needed one more hour of sleep. She awoke to the smell of bacon and pancakes. Stretching, she smiled. Her mom must've come over and made her breakfast.

Tatianna climbed out of bed and rushed into the kitchen. She skidded to a halt, her eyes widening when she saw Taro standing at the stove. He looked over his shoulder at her and smiled.Oh, right.He'd come over this morning.

She thought she’d dreamed that. He opened his mouth to say something, then froze. He gazed down. She followed his gaze to her bare legs. She hadn't put on pajama pants because she'd been expecting to find her mother in the kitchen.

"Look away," she ordered.

Chuckling, he faced the stove as she rushed back to her bedroom. Ugh, how could she have forgotten he was there?

"It's nothing I haven't seen before," he called out as she closed her bedroom door. "When you were staying with me, how many times did I rush into your room when you were having nightmares about that guy? Only to find you half-naked."

"Which is why I started sleeping in clothes."

"How's that working out for you?"

"Shut up," Tati yelled as she got dressed. "You probably told your ex-girlfriend about that. That's why she wanted me to move out."

"No, she wanted you out because you're prettier than her."

"Flattery will get you nowhere," she called back.

His ex had looked like a model. Tati hadn't understood why she'd been jealous of her. Anyone with eyes could tell that Taro saw Tati as a little sister and nothing more. Even though her mom made sure she had her own place when she moved to Paris, she still accepted his invitation and stayed with him for a while.

She’d lived with a stranger her mom trusted because she’d been afraid to live in a new place by herself. But because of Taro, she’d overcome a lot of fears while she’d been in France. He was truly like a big brother to her.

Still, this little sister couldn't run around without pants on in front of her big brother. Tati returned to the kitchen to find Taro placing their plates on her table. A glass of milk was next to each plate.

"Where did you get milk?" she asked.

"I purchased it while you were sleeping. You don't cook much. You still eat mostly processed food."

Shaking his head, he pulled her chair out for her. Tati sat down and began eating. He sat down across from her.

"Take your time before you choke," he told her.

Nodding, she chewed slower. After swallowing, she told him, "Even though this is a simple breakfast, I've always told you that you could be a chef. Your food is always amazing. Even this."

"I'll leave the cooking to you. I do better at protecting. Let's get down to business." He took a sip of his milk, swallowed, and then sat his glass down. "Your mom has caught me up to date on things. So, you want to take down this Melinda who had you attacked but don't want to take out your boyfriend who killed your attacker?"

"Yes. No. Uh, he's not my boyfriend."

"He's just the guy who caused you to have nightmares so much that you almost overdosed on sleeping pills to keep from dreaming."

"Taro!" Tati yelled, slamming her fork onto her plate.

"What? Do you want me to sugarcoat things?"

"He didn't make me have nightmares. My own guilt did that."

"If he loved you, he wouldn't have run away after killing someone who hurt you."

"He was afraid I would see him as a monster."

"Then he doesn't know you very well. You've seen me kill. You even helped me clean up after a kill."

“You didn’t tell my mom about any of that, did you?”

“She would’ve been happy if I had. But no, I didn’t. For some reason, you’re set on hiding yourself from those close to you. I don’t understand it.”

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