Page 9 of Your Coffin or Mine
“Black pudding.”
My stomach churns. “That’s definitely not any pudding I’ve ever seen. It looks like someone took a shit on a summer sausage,” I mutter under my breath. “Do you know the cook? Maybe if I can order some eggs and toast...” I say louder.
“Eggs and toast?”
I look up and flinch like a deer in headlights, his nearness sucking all the oxygen from the room while butterflies erupt in my stomach like they’re having a dance off.When did he come closer?
“Yeah. Do you work here?” I pick up on his earthy, clean scent when he leans down. My nipples tighten.Oh my gosh.My brain stutters and I start rambling. “I like eggs and toast in the morning, or sometimes oatmeal, or a muffin. You know breakfast is the most important meal of the day, especially when sexercizing.” My face goes up in flames as I splutter.
Sexercizing? I did not just say that.
“I had plans to go walking around the castle. Course, fat chance of that since all the snow. It’s crazy out there, am I right?” I blurt in a rush.
His expression morphs, making his brown eyes appear stark against his pale skin, and he looks at me like I’ve grown two heads.
Oh, shut up already.
He whirls around, stomping from the room, and I breathe easier. The door slams behind him and I roll my eyes. The man is as sweet as lemon is tart.
“Nice meeting you too!” I shout at the empty room.
I groan aloud. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day forsexercize? Kill me now. I prop my elbow under my chin and gaze out the window.
A cold blast of air hits me as the door opens again, plastering my nightshirt to my chest. My now very transparent nightshirt. Shit. I wonder how much of a view Grumpy got before stomping away. Today just keeps going from bad to worse.
I cross my arms over the table, hoping Doyle doesn’t notice my awkward fidgeting.
“Okay, I’ve turned down the furnace. How was breakfast?”
“Honestly, I think I just want some eggs and toast if possible. There was a guy here a minute ago and?—”
The color bleeds from Doyle’s face and his smile drops. “What?”
“Yeah, he went that way.” I nod toward the almost concealed door, and he pivots on his heel, heading the way I said before I can even ask who the grumpy guy is.
“Wow, I am making so many friends today.” My stomach rumbles again and I sigh.
Chapter 4
VLAD
“Apparently,we worried for nothing. Her frail human body won’t die in the winter,” Doyle says at my back. “I turned down the thermostat.”
The pots and pans clang noisily in the sink as I toss them, infuriated by the harridan who insists on havingeggsandtoast. “Eggs, and fucking toast, Doyle.” Why is it that humans these days have no palate?
I turn to him and finally notice he looks like he’s been in a windstorm with his hair sticking out at all angles.
“In her defense, it’s what most people like to eat for breakfast,” he answers.
“Did the little miss send you in here?”
His eyes bug from his head and I hide a smirk. “What the fuck were you doing talking to her to begin with?”
“I spent three hours this morning grinding ingredients to create her breakfast, and she called it ‘fecal matter.’”
He shrugs, hands lifting, as if I’m the ridiculous one. “Well, she’s not wrong. Black pudding does look like shit, which is why I ordered muffins. What did you do with them?” He asks, looking around the kitchen counters.
My eyes lift heavenward. “I’m surrounded by imbeciles.”
