Page 55 of Queen of Diamonds
15
“Shower, bath, or bed?”
Kinsey forced a smile. “A bath sounds wonderful.” Without giving her a chance to refuse, Rand had whisked her off to his place. Truthfully she was glad the decision had been taken from her.
As much as she was learning to love her brothers and their families, she couldn’t imagine their homes would be nice and quiet with all the children around. And that was what she craved. She wanted to crawl into a bed and pull the covers over her head, shutting everyone and everything out. But first she wanted to feel clean. If that was at all possible. She wasn’t sure it was.
He led her to the sofa. “Curl up here. I’ll come get you when your bath is ready.”
She must have dozed off because she startled and yelped when she felt herself being lifted into the air.
“Easy, Sunshine. I’ve got you.”
“I can walk.” But this was nice, too. She burrowed her face against his neck, his familiar spicy scent soothing her.
“I’m sure you can.” When he reached the bathroom, he set her on a granite counter that was longer than her kitchen. “Your overnight bag is here, but since I don’t know what Taylor packed for you, here’s one of my T-shirts if you need it. If you’d rather have a robe, there’s one hanging on the back of the door.”
She glanced over to see a long-sleeve tee on top of her tote. “Thanks.”
“I don’t have any bath oils or salts to add to it, which I will correct ASAP, but the water’s nice and warm. Take as long as you need. I’m going to make you something to eat before I tuck you into bed. Call me if you need any help washing your hair or whatever.”
He kissed her nose and then left her alone. “You’re a keeper, Rand Stevens,” she whispered. She shucked her clothes, then sighed as she eased her body into the water. The oversize tub was a Jacuzzi, and he’d turned the jets on low. God, that felt good.
After Taylor had left her in Nate’s office, Kinsey had refused to think of Sebastian spying on her, and she continued to block him from her mind. She’d deal with it when she felt better. Music came on, playing softly. She lifted her gaze to the ceiling to see four speakers. The music was instrumental, and she leaned her head back, closed her eyes, and did nothing but listen to the soft sounds of the orchestra.
When the water began to cool, she pulled the plug, then hopped over to a shower that could easily hold six people and washed her hair. By the time she dried off with a soft, thick towel, she felt better. And clean, which seemed a miracle in itself.
She dug her toiletries and hairbrush from her overnight bag. Taylor had packed a pair of jeans, two T-shirts, undies, and two pairs of yoga pants. Kinsey slipped on panties, the yoga pants, and Rand’s T-shirt. It came to almost her knees and she had to roll the sleeves up, and although it didn’t make sense, she felt safe wearing it. An illusion, but right now she’d take anything she could get to keep the turmoil trying to sneak into her mind at bay.
Barefoot, she padded into the kitchen. “Something smells really good.” Rand glanced over his shoulder and smiled, and her toes curled in response. Maybe she wasn’t dead inside after all.
“Homemade chicken noodle soup. It’s good for the soul and heals all that ails you, or so grandmothers around the world claim.”
Then give her a ton of it. “Homemade by?”
“Me.” He gestured to the island where two places were set with bowls, bread plates, and two glasses of water with lemon slices floating on the top. “Pull out a stool and sit.”
“You cook?” She’d imagined that… Well, she really didn’t know what she thought of his private life. Things had happened so fast between them that there was still so much she didn’t know about him. Did that mean she didn’t really love him, had only gotten caught up in the idea of loving him?
“Stop thinking, Sunshine. There’ll be plenty of time for that later. To answer your question, I cook soups. Egg things like omelets or scrambled. And I can make a mean sandwich. That’s about it.”
He set a large white bowl with a lid on it on the island, then took a loaf of bread from the oven and sliced it. She hadn’t thought she was hungry, but the aromas of fresh-baked bread and soup had her mouth watering.
“Sourdough bread straight from San Francisco,” he said, sliding the platter of bread onto the counter. “Butter up while it’s hot.”
“Who gets sourdough straight from San Fran?” she said before she thought better of it.
His gaze flew to hers. “I do. If you haven’t already figured it out, I’m rich. It wasn’t my doing, so I can’t claim to be a rags-to-riches story like my father can. Sure, it’s nice to have that kind of money, but it doesn’t define my life. Things have progressed pretty fast for us”—she nodded in agreement—“so maybe this is a good time to tell you about the man you’re in love with.”
If she really was. She believed she was, but today she was doubting everything she thought she knew. “Yes, please tell me about you.” Not only did she want to know him, but his voice was another thing that soothed her, and she wondered if he’d talk all night long if she asked.
He told her about his parents, he told her how he’d been inspired to apply to the FBI because of a boy named Tyrone. He talked about his marriage again and how much he missed his little girl, but that he finally knew he was capable of loving again, something he’d believed had been lost to him forever.
Then he started talking about her, how the minute she’d walked into Aces & Eights, he couldn’t stop thinking about her. “You brought the sunshine back into my life, Kinsey. I love you, and we’ll get through this together.”
She lowered her gaze to her bowl, wanting to hide her tears from him. Everything he’d said had deeply touched her. What a joke to even question if she loved this beautiful man.
“I was wondering earlier if I really did love you or if I’d gotten caught up in a moment,” she said, deciding to be truthful with him. She frowned. “My bowl is full again.”
