Page 49 of Seduction in Blood
"Here's more hot food. The other has grown cold." Cook took the time to fix me a plate.
"Where's Letty?" I asked. I'd never seen Cook serve the food. He hated to leave the kitchen.
"Letty has gone shopping." Devon appeared, and my stomach did a little flip at how amazing he looked in a tailored black shirt, black pants, and a silver chain disappearing under his shirt.
I'd never seen him wear jewelry before, except for his House ring. It made me curious as to what lay under that shirt, and I tore my gaze away. I already knew what was under that shirt—intimately. Didn't I? Once again, I questioned my dreams—so real, yet they couldn't be. I wasn't sure what triggered them, other than a display of Devon's intense emotions each time it happened. Maybe vamps could project thoughts. Cook's voice snapped me back.
"If you ate breakfast at the appropriate hour, Letty would have been here to serve you," Cook grumbled.
"And we appreciate your service." Devon snapped open a napkin, and Cook appeared contrite.
"I made you crepes this morning." Cook's demeanor softened as he presented Devon with three small crepes, two filled with eggs and vegetables, the third filled with some type of fruit. Before he could step back, Devon touched his arm.
"Thank you, Cook. You're a blessing."
Cook beamed at the praise then surveyed the table. "I'll bring a new pot of coffee." He picked up the platters of cold food and hustled out.
Sergi chuckled. "You spoil him." He licked his fingers after finishing a slice of toast that had been smothered with raspberry jam. "But it's worth it."
"Why the off-schedule shopping trip? Planning a party?" Lucas dug into the scrambled eggs then added a small mound of sausage on top of the two left over from his first helping.
"Under the circumstances, I thought it best to have more people here, at least until after the mission."
"Excellent. I can run through the security systems this morning before the training session." Sergi scraped more eggs onto his plate then lifted his mug when Cook returned with a new pot.
Cook scowled at Sergi but filled his cup and then mine.
I placed a hand on his arm as Devon had. "I could have done that. Thank you, Cook."
He beamed down at me. "Always a pleasure, Cressa. If you look under this cover," he pushed the small plate with a silver dome forward, "I think you'll find something to your liking." He hovered, waiting for me to look before he left.
I lifted the lid, all eyes on me, and laughed with joy. A fresh blueberry scone lay on a white paper doily. A tiny bowl of what looked like homemade blueberry jam sat next to it. He'd been washing blueberries the day he made my picnic lunch, and I had mentioned in passing how much I loved blueberry scones.
"You remembered." I was truly touched.
"Of course." He glared at Sergi and Lucas. "You deserve the best." He blushed as he picked up Anna's plate and hurried from the room.
"Someone has Cook wrapped around her finger." Lucas grinned at me.
When I glanced toward Devon, I found him studying me, a slight upturn of his lips, the precursor of a smile. He seemed to approve of Cook's gift, and a tingle of pleasure ran through me. I spread jam on the scone and tried to convince myself the tingle was for the freshly baked scone and not the hint of desire I caught in Devon's gaze.
"There will be a change in the schedule today. I'm taking Cressa on a field trip. Sergi, you can spend the day with the security system. And set the secondary perimeter alarms." After Sergi nodded, Devon turned to Anna. "The day is yours, so rest up. The next few days will be busy." Anna had appeared hurt when Devon mentioned taking me someplace, but she brightened when hearing she had a day off.
"Lucas, you'll be coming with us."
Lucas nodded and returned to his breakfast. If he was curious about where we were going, he didn't show it.
Devon's gaze rested on me. "After breakfast, why don't you check in on Ginger and make sure she has everything she needs. I'm sure you'll find her quite settled, but let me or Lucas know if she requires anything else. And wear something casual for today." He grinned, and I sensed mischief. "Consider this your day off."
I raised a brow. "A day off that you've prearranged?"
His grin grew wider. "Sorry for that, but I think you'll find the trip interesting."
Intrigued, I simply nodded and stared down at my plate. His grin made him so irresistible, I wanted to run my hands through his hair and pull him to me, hungry for his taste. I dropped the knife, and it clattered against the plate, thankfully snapping me out of my daydream. Good grief.
When I glanced up, his grin had turned into a full-on smile. I gulped. Thank the gods Lucas would be with us.
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