Page 63 of Cross Check Hearts

But as I step into the hall, the smell of something cooking hits my nose, and when I round the corner into the kitchen a few seconds later, a smile splits my face—because Declan is there, standing at the stove and cooking something I can’t see thanks to his broad shoulders. He glances over his shoulder when he hears me come in, and his face lights up with a smile that makes my pulse skip.

“Good morning,” he says and leaves his spatula behind to cross the kitchen and pull me in for a kiss that steals my breath.

As soon as he touches me, I feel myself coming alive inside again. His hands settle on my waist, warm and sure, and the feeling of his lips on mine makes my spine tingle and memories of the amazing night we shared race through my mind again.

“I hope you don’t mind. I poked around in your pantry a bit,” he says when we part, his eyes twinkling playfully.

Stunned and still trying to understand what he’s getting at, I shake my head. “I don’t mind at all. But wait a second, you made me breakfast?”

“Yup,” he says with a casual shrug, as if cooking for me is the most natural thing in the world. “It’s not gourmet or anything, but I did the best I could with what you had. It’s not just breakfast, though. I made you lunch too so you have something to eat between classes.”

I stare at him in disbelief, his words echoing in my ears but not really sinking in at first. I’ve never had a guy do anything like this for me before. I mean, cooking breakfast for me after a night together is one thing, but thinking so far ahead that he made me lunch too? That’s next level.

“Are you upset?” Declan asks, his brow furrowing as he studies my face.

“No, no. Not at all. It’s just…” I trail off, avoiding his eyes. “This isn’t the way I’m used to guys treating me,” I mumble out the rest, but Declan still hears it.

His expression turns serious as he thumbs my chin, tilting my eyes back up to his and holding my gaze. The glint I saw there before is still there, but it seems more intense now.

“You deserve so much better than you’ve gotten before,” he says and lets the words linger for a few moments.

They echo in my ears, and I feel my cheeks warming as my mind reels. It’s not that I think he’s wrong, it’s more that I’ve never had anyone say something like that to me before. Let alone someone as amazing as he is.

While I’m still standing there stunned, Declan presses another kiss on my cheek before he goes back to the stove and picks up the spatula to stir whatever it is he’s making. My cat meows at me as I follow him, and I look up and find Ralph perched on top of the fridge, watching Declan’s every move like some sort of gargoyle.

Declan spots me watching Ralph and chuckles.

“Yeah, I think I’m getting close to winning your cat over,” he says over his shoulder as he stirs the food on the stove. I laugh and walk over to scratch Ralph’s chin, and she tucks her head down to rub the top of it against my hand, purring.

“That’s unlikely, honestly. I love Ralph to death, but she’s a very fickle lady. Aren’t you, sweetheart?” Even as the question leaves my mouth, she uses her paw to push my hand down to her mouth so she can nibble on it. “See what I mean?”

He laughs. “I think you offended her. She’s not fickle, she just knows what she likes and doesn’t.”

“Trust me, she’s hard to offend. She’s just playful.”

“I guess I’ll have to take your word for it because I’m not trying to get my hand torn off. But wait a second… Ralph is a girl?”

“Oh, yeah. I know it’s kind of weird for a girl cat to have a name like that, but I didn’t know she was a girl when I got her. By the time I realized, she’d already gotten used to the name, so I just kept it.”

Declan chuckles. “I guess that makes sense. Don’t want to confuse her when she’s already responding to the name.”

“Yeah, I mean I’m sure she would’ve adjusted if I had tried to change it, but there’s something about the name that suits her anyway.”

“She definitely has big Ralph energy.”

“Right? I’m glad you see it too,” I say and scratch lovingly behind her big, perky ears. Her purring intensifies, but she jumps down from the top of the fridge to the counter. She trots over to Declan and tentatively sniffs his elbow.

He holds perfectly still for it like he’s afraid if he moves even a little bit he’ll scare Ralph away, but she seems totally unbothered. In fact, she rubs the top of her head against his elbow, purring so loudly I can hear it from where I’m standing. She really does seem like she’s starting to warm up to him.

He has no idea how rare this kind of behavior is with anyone other than me, but I decide not to tell him. He slowly reaches around to pet her with his free hand, and Ralph raises her head to meet him.

Declan raises his eyebrows at me. “See? I told you. Before you know it, me and Ralph are gonna be best buds.”

“Don’t hold your breath on that. She’s temperamental, just like every other cat. But she shouldn’t be up here anyway, especially not when you’re cooking. Come on, girl,” I say and lift her off the counter to gently set her on the floor. She glares at me like I’ve just committed a cardinal sin before she trots away into the living room.

“Well, I guess it’s good timing because I think your breakfast is done. Let me get out of your hair so you can eat and finish getting ready,” Declan says and rests the spatula on the counter to step aside and let me see his creation.

He made some sort of egg scramble with a bunch of veggies in it, and it looks and smells delicious. My stomach rumbles loudly at the sight and smell, and Declan laughs.

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