Page 74 of Where We Bloom

I’m not typically the jealous type, but that … yeah, I didn’t like that.

I check my phone and see that Millie has responded.

Millie: Just black. If you’re making him coffee at seven in the fucking morning, that means that you spent the night together! Spill it. Tell me everything. Use the naughty words.

When I didn’t reply to that, she sent a follow-up.

Millie: Hopefully, your silence means he’s got his face between your legs to thank you for the coffee. Fill me in later. Go get him!

With a laugh, I set the phone aside and get to work on our coffees as the cinnamon rolls cool.

Maybe I made a rash decision. Cassie isn’tmyemployee, so giving her the day off might have been out of line. Hopefully, it doesn’t piss Connor off.

With a cringe, I set the coffees on a wooden tray that I found in the pantry, then add two warm cinnamon rolls and a small bowl of frosting on the side. After putting the leftovers in the fridge and covering the rolls with plastic wrap that I also found in the pantry, I carry the tray upstairs and find Connor just coming out of the bathroom, sliding his glasseson his nose.

“You didn’t leave,” he says when he sees me.

I set the tray on the bed and look around. “Where would I go, and how would I get there?”

He tugs me to him and kisses my lips, then raises an eyebrow and gestures to the food on the bed.

“I have a confession,” I say, climbing on the bed. “But we might as well enjoy these before they get cold while I make said confession.”

His eyes narrow as he pulls on his gray sweatpants, and then he sits next to me and sips his coffee. “Tell me.”

“I sent your cook home for the day.”

He lifts an eyebrow but doesn’t seem mad, so I take that as a good sign. “Go on.”

“Okay.” I let out a breath and stare at his chest for a second, trying to decide how I want to phrase this. “It was … jarring to walk into the kitchen this morning and find a hot woman making breakfast.”

Immediately, Connor sets his cup down, scowling, and I shake my head.

“No, let me finish. I’m sure she’s a nice girl, and a good cook, if the smell of these cinnamon rolls is anything to go by, but I had no idea that I’d walk into that, and I walked down there likethis”—I gesture to myself and wrinkle my nose—“although, she didn’t seem to mind, or bat an eye, as if that happens all the time, and I?—”

He scoops me into his arms and, with his hand on my throat, kisses the hell out of me, sending all thoughts of the chef right out of my mind.

“I’m sorry,” he says against my lips. “I forgot to warn you that she was coming this morning.”

“Your cook is not an old lady.”

His lips twitch. “No, she’s not. Would you rather she was?”

“Maybe.” I chuckle at myself, feeling so silly, but I can’t help myself. “Which is ridiculous.”

“I like you jealous, angel.”

I narrow my eyes at him and feel my cheeks heat. “I’m not jealous. I just don’t like surprises when I’m mostly naked.”

He nods, but his lips are still turned up on the side. “Right. Do you want me to fire her?”

I gape at him, panic searing through my chest. “No. Of course not. She didn’t do anything wrong.”

“Then how do you need me to fix this? Just tell me what you need.”

With a sigh, I bite my lip and stare at his mouth. “I feel stupid.”

“Well, stop that. Also, let me clear something up. Yes, Cassie is a pretty woman.No, I’ve never even considered fucking her. I met her after I met you, and I was already consumed by you, but even if that weren’t the case, I don’t pursue employees,andshe’s not my type. Second, I need you to be comfortable here. I want you here as much as possible. Bring a suitcase full of your things and move right in, as far as I’m concerned. So if having Cassie here makes you uncomfortable, I’ll either make other arrangements, or we’ll make do without a cook. You won’t walk into another situationlike that again, I can promise you that. There is nowhere in this house that’s off-limits to you, and if you want to walk around as naked as the day you were born, by all means, do so. In fact, I highly encourage it.”

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