Page 29 of Fixing to Be Mine

I lean against the counter, arms crossed, watching the sun stretch long across the floor. It pours in from the backyard, cutting through the windows in wide gold streaks. Dust particles dance in it, and I’m wildly aware of her closing presence.

She walks in, revealing enough of her thighs to make my chest tighten. Her hair’s loose around her shoulders, soft and wild, like the dream she left behind. And her skin glows in that sunlight, like she stepped out of a damn painting.

I don’t move. I watch her as she stretches one arm over her head like she got quality sleep.

“Well, hey there,” she says, voice husky with sleep and something else that curls low in my gut.

“You always look like that when you wake up?” I ask, tilting my head.

“Like what?” She smirks.

“Like a damn dream.”

She laughs—really laughs—and I want to bottle it up and keep it forever.

“Careful, cowboy. It’s too early to be flirting.”

“Oh, darlin’,” I say, pouring her some coffee and sliding the mug toward her, “it’s never too early for that.”

She takes the mug, fingers brushing mine. “Thanks. For this. And for last night.”

I nod once, the weight of it still lingering in my chest. “You okay?”

She nods, wrapping both hands around the mug like it’s keeping her steady. “More than okay.”

“How’d you sleep?”

She smiles into her cup. “Perfect once you joined me.”

“Yeah?”

“Better than I ever have,” she says. “Like my whole body finally shut off. It was rest I desperately needed.” Her voice softens on the last word.

“Good,” I tell her. “Happy to hear it.”

Her eyes meet mine, unguarded and bright. “I swear it’s you.”

And damn if that doesn’t undo something in me.

“I do have a question for you, and you can absolutely not answer it,” I say.

We stand there for a beat, her sipping coffee, me drinking her in.

“Okay,” she replies.

“Who is Skye?”

Her body tenses, and she lets out a sigh. “My little sister.”

“Oh. You kept saying her name,” I offer. “Is she … alive?”

This makes her chuckle. “Yes, but I very much want to hurt her right now.”

“Ah,” I say, understanding.

Then she sets the mug down and leans in a little, quickly changing the subject. “So, what’s on our to-do list today? I have to earn my keep since you won’t let me pay you.”

My grin spreads. “Your company is more than enough. It’s been lonely, doing this shit by myself.”

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