Page 42 of His to Protect

I was not only starving, but sweating like a beast.

The shower could wait, I decided as I headed toward the kitchen.

When I got to the doorway, I was stunned speechless when I saw Trina at the stove, frying bacon wearing a tight, fitted tank top and a pair of even tighter shorts. She twisted to place bacon on a plate, and I could see her leg muscles flex.

Words lodged in my throat. She was sexy. Curves and muscles in all the right places. My fingers itched to trace the line of her exposed collarbone down her arms to her fingertips to the inside of her wrist where I wanted to feel her pulse. Would it race as fast as mine currently was?

“Good morning,” I barked out, sounding rude and rougher than normal.

“Morning,” she muttered, keeping her eyes fixed on her task.

Bacon grease spit into the air, and I knew she was concentrating, but I still scowled when she refused to look in my direction.

It had been a couple of days since I’d seen that tightness in her shoulders, or the way she avoided me.

“You okay?” I asked and walk past her for a fresh cup of coffee. The pot was full again, which meant she recently brewed some more. “You had a rough night last night.”

I watched her back.

“Yeah. Sure.” She paused and looked at me over her shoulder. “Why? Did I say anything?”

I sipped my coffee and shook my head. “No. Do you normally?”

She turned around and I watched as one shoulder lifted then fell. “Sometimes.” She reached out and turned off the burner, plating the rest of the bacon. “Bacon’s ready if you’re hungry.”

Still without meeting my eyes, she wiped her hands on a towel and turned to leave the room.

My kitchen was small and U-shaped. With one adult, there was barely room to move around. With two adults and a large oaf of a dog, we should have been tripping over each other. Instead, she was trying to keep as much distance as possible between us.

“Trina?”

She paused but still didn’t face me.

My brows knit together as I tried to figure out why she was avoiding me.

Whatever the reason, I didn’t like it.

“You avoiding me?”

“No. Of course not.”

Her cheeks flushed pink and her gaze dropped. The involuntary actions belied her words and I set my mug down, taking a step toward her.

“You embarrassed about last night?” I asked.

“No. I don’t care that you know about Kevin.”

“I’m not talking about Kevin, sweetheart,” I whispered, and unable to stop myself, I lifted my hand to press her hair behind her ear. Small bumps prickled on the side of her neck and I watched her body’s reaction to me, even as she tried to fight it.

But she was fighting it.

Which meant the attraction wasn’t one-sided.

Something warm, like pride, or the thrill of a victory, surged inside my chest.

“I’m talking about me sleeping next to you in your bed.”

She made a choking sound and looked toward the dining area. Away from me.

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