Page 17 of The Darkest Knight

CHAPTER FOUR

Shutting off the water, Seth grabbed the towel from the hook and dried his face. Then he stilled. He heard something from outside of the bathroom. What the hell?

Wrapping the towel around his hips and securing it, he stepped out, quietly moving down the hall and into the open room. Spike and Abby were both laying in front of the fireplace, and he heard clanking in the kitchen. He moved his gaze to Reese who was standing at the stove, stirring a skillet of something. She didn’t hear him come in and he didn’t alert her to his presence. Instead, he stood just outside the perimeter of the kitchen and watched her. She wore a frilly, thin flowered shirt and loose fitting shorts that didn’t distract from her knock-out curves. He slid his gaze down her long legs to her bare feet. His chest tightened. She looked right at home standing there, in his cabin, cooking…something he didn’t know she did. If he allowed his mind to wander, he could imagine seeing here every morning.

Who was he kidding? She’d said herself last night that she was here on business and he got the feeling that was for his benefit. Maybe she’d caught his staring too long, or a tightening in his jaw or body. Whatever, he’d make sure he stayed a gentleman.

“How long do you plan to stand there watching without asking what the hell I’m doing?” she said without removing her attention off the frying pan that had steam rolling up.

He smiled. He should have known she could tell he was standing there. The woman was a lot more vigilant than she let on. “I’m trying to figure that out, but yeah, what the hell are you doing? That pan doesn’t look like a microwave.”

She tapped the wooden spoon on the side of the skillet. “I saw that your chickens had laid eggs and I thought I’d show you that I can prepare one me—.” She had swiveled on heel and her words fell off her lips. Her warm gaze traveled down him and every part of his body tightened. So much for remaining a gentleman. He was glad to see everything was up to par this morning. Her cheeks turned rosy and the spoon dropped from her fingers. “You’re naked,” she blurted.

“No. I have a towel on,” he returned.

He could hear her swallow. “I-I hope this is okay. The food.” She glued her gaze to his face. “I cut up some potatoes. Grabbed the eggs. I thought I should say thank you for the steaks last night. They were delicious. So, thank you.” She bent and grabbed the spoon off the floor and placed it in the sink.

“Your dog has hypnotized Spike. He normally barks if someone gets close to the house. And the food, is this your way of buttering me up to give you an answer today?”

“Yes.”

He laughed. He had to respect someone who didn’t mince words. “At least your honest.” He smiled.

“Is it working?”

“As long as you don’t burn the potatoes.” He nodded toward the pan.

She twirled back around. “Oh shit! I said I can cook some things, but I didn’t say it’d taste any good.” She turned down the heat and used a clean spoon to stir.

He settled his gaze on her profile, watching how she worked her bottom lip as she concentrated on the contents of the pan. “Just so you know, I can’t be bought with food. It takes a lot more than that. Got anything else to offer?” He laughed.

She looked up and nailed him with a narrowed gaze. What happened to the smile and glazed eyes? What had he said? She dropped the spoon onto the counter, shut off the heat to the pan, and stomped passed him. “Hey, wait! What happened?” He caught her at the door.

“Come on, Abby.” The dog wasted no time before she was up and standing next to Reese waiting for her next command.

“Reese?”

She looked at him, her eyes cool. “If I’ve, in any way, made you think that I’m willing to have sex to get this project up and running…”

“No. That’s not what I meant. Oh shit! How did this conversation get so screwed up?” He rubbed his forehead. “Look, I’m a little rusty at communication, but I assure you, that wasn’t my intention. I only meant that you’d have to give me solid details, a zinger that I can’t resist.”

A second passed and she blinked twice. “Maybe I’m a bit sensitive.”

“You have reason, I’m sure.”

She crossed her arms. “The landlord I last rented off would always make inferences that if I’d give him a little, he’d take off a lot of my rent. I was more than ready to get the hell out of that apartment complex.” She dropped her hands. “You’ve given me no reason to believe you are like him. You’ve been nice to me.”

“Well, I’m glad you feel that way.” His heart slammed against his ribs. He’d like to pay a visit to that landlord and teach him manners. “Want to sit down and have breakfast? You did make it after all.”

“I’m afraid your expectations are too high if you can call that breakfast.” She chuckled.

“We’ve both had worse, I’m sure.” He moved to the table, pulled out a chair, and he motioned for her to sit.

After a second’s hesitation, her shoulders slumped and she dropped her arms to her sides. She took a seat.

“Let me dish us up some of this grub. It smells delicious.” He picked through the burnt pieces as he filled their plates.

When he put the plate in front of her, she laughed. “For heaven’s sake. You must wonder how a woman who can’t fix a simple meal of eggs and potatoes can stay alive across the ocean.”

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