Page 59 of Toxic Vengeance

Her lips quirked and if he wasn’t mistaken she smothered a laugh as she turned back to the stove. “You and I have serious trust issues to work through, Maguire.”

“Yeah. But I’m willing to put in the work to get through them.” He closed the distance between them and settled his hands on her waist. Her abs contracted beneath his fingers but she didn’t push him away as she scooped eggs onto a plate and handed it to him.

“Just eat your breakfast and behave yourself.”

He couldn’t resist leaning in to run his nose up the side of her neck. “You smell so damn good,” he murmured, gratified when goosebumps rose on her skin, her nipples hardening to points beneath her T-shirt. He resisted the urge to touch them, allowed himself only three soft kisses along her neck before letting her go and reaching for the cupboard to get mugs out. “Do you really like your coffee black?”

“Yes.” She aimed him a sideways glance, her eyes laughing at him. “Why would I have lied about that?”

“I dunno why you Valkyries do the things you do,” he answered, filling both mugs and carrying them to the table. She came over with two plates of scrambled eggs and sat across from him.

It was so much like before, the quiet intimacy of sharing breakfast with her, just the two of them. Except now they knew each other’s deepest secrets, so the intimacy was ten times as intense. He held out his fork. “Cheers.”

A slow smile curved her mouth. He’d done this every time they’d eaten together in whatever hotel they had stayed in. “Cheers.” She tapped her fork to his and dug in, her eyes warm as she gazed at him.

Taking that as a good sign, he started the conversation with something non-personal. “Where are the others?”

“Stayed at different places last night. Safer if we all split up for the moment.”

“Any word on the driver last night, or Bennett’s killer?”

“Not yet. Trinity said she’d call when she’s got something for us.”

“Yeah?” He gave her a heated look that was only partially teasing. “How long do we have, do you think?”

She wagged her fork at him. “Not long enough for what you’re thinking.”

He blinked in mock surprise. “What am I thinking?”

“X-rated things.”

She wasn’t wrong. “You sleep okay last night?”

“Pretty well. You?”

“I was out cold.” And she didn’t look like she’d slept that well. She had shadows under her eyes. What time had she left the bed?

“What?’ she asked when he kept staring at her.

“Tell me something about you that’s different from how you were before with me.”

She considered it for a moment. “I don’t like flashy clothes. I prefer this look.” She tugged at the snug T-shirt she filled out beautifully. “It’s comfy and practical.”

“Hmm. And you’re definitely shier than you were before.” When they’d first met she’d posed as a classy, breezy, and stylish flight attendant. Elegant clothes, sophisticated makeup. In reality she was far more subdued.

Her lashes lowered, a slight flush turning her cheeks pink. “I can’t be when I’m on a job, but… Yes.”

It was charming. And adorable. “I never would have guessed.”

Those gorgeous amber eyes lifted to meet his. “Never would have guessed you were an introvert.”

That made him chuckle. “Touché. What else?”

“I hate wearing makeup. And heels. God, I hate heels.”

“You wore them every day we were together,” he said in surprise.

“I know, but I always ditched them as fast as I could, and I usually got a nice foot rub out of the deal for my troubles.”

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