Page 35 of Collision of Winters
The dogs should be pacing restlessly by the front door.
“Kayden?” I dragged my ass out of bed and shivered at the chill in the air.
He soon poked his head in with a grin. “Good morning, Sir. Breakfast is almost ready.”
He didn’t look traumatized, just fucking gorgeous. He was back in his pajama pants and the indecent “Best Stuffie Ever” tee.
I mustered a tired smile. “You spoil me. Did you by any chance walk the dogs?”
He beamed. “We played in the snow. There’ssomuch! Then I left them in the dog yard. There’s no damage to it. I checked.”
His happiness did something to me; I wanted to get close and roll around in it. His energy was rejuvenating. To watch him be this way. It almost felt like he was being himself for the first time. At least with someone else present.
“I wish I could’ve seen you goof off.” I couldn’t help myself. I met him in the doorway and cupped his cheek, then kissed the top of his head. “I’ll go freshen up.”
“Yes, Sir.” His cheeks turned pink, and I forced myself to back off. “Um, I was gonna refill the tank, but the water you left on the porch is frozen solid.”
I wasn’t surprised. The temperature had dropped significantly overnight, and the roaring fire in the main room didn’t suffice anymore.
“There’s maybe half a gallon left in the bathroom,” he added.
“That’ll be plenty, thank you. I’ll be right back.” I ducked into the bathroom and instantly looked away from my reflection in the mirror. Instead, I relieved myself and then used the last of the water to scrub clean. Maybe we could get to the boathouse today. An actual shower would be nice.
We’d see what Quin’s first update looked like. If everything was resolved today, chances were we could start our journey home tomorrow.
I clearly needed distance from Kayden, which I would have to be smart about. I refused to risk upsetting him. Knowing him, he’d believe he’d done something wrong if he noticed my pulling away. The mere thought sickened me.
At the same time, I could feel my self-control slipping, so something had to be done.
After toweling off, I righted my boxer briefs and applied deodorant, then walked out of the bathroom again.
Kayden was in the middle of carrying two plates to the coffee table. “Sit down, Sir. Let’s eat!”
“I’ll just go get dressed first?—”
“Nuh-uh! We have blankets. C’mere. It’s cozy.”
I hesitated. Sitting there undressed when Kayden was so clearly in his Little space didn’t seem safe. Or Middle space, or what the fuck ever.
“Come onnn,” he urged. “Bacon’s getting cold, you know!”
Oh, all right. I’d bundle up and make sure we had some blankets between us.
I rounded the couch as he fetched my coffee and rambled about what he wanted to do today. He definitely wanted to play in the snow, and he wanted me to teach him how to play poker. Now that he was going to work with us, he wanted to learn so he could win money off Chris.
“Dad says Chris isn’t good at poker,” he finished.
I felt my mouth twitch as I took my seat, and I threw a blanket around my shoulders. “I’m afraid Chris is only decent in Quin’s eyes because Quin could mop the floor with the professional players in Vegas. I’m undoubtedly worse than Chris is. I can’t hide my expressions when I’m trying to study others’ poker faces.”
“Oh.” He set the coffee by my plate and sat down next to me. “I guess I can make my money off you instead. And none of that playing for quarters either,” he warned. “I’m talking dollars. Maybe even five-dollar bets if I’m feeling lucky.”
I grinned and took a sip of my coffee.
Perfect.
“First lesson is free,” I replied, picking up my utensils. It was an impressive, delicious-looking spread of eggs, bacon, buttery rolls, and presumably the last of my Brie. “You’re not supposed to tell anyone that you’ll raise your bet when you have a good hand.”
“Oh,” he repeated. “Dammit. Because then you’ll know. Duh!”
