Page 92 of Next Time I Fall (Excess All Areas 2)

When she opened the door, her eyes widened.

One of the throws from her sofa was laid out on the floor with plates of food on it.

She jumped when he thrust a cup of coffee in front of her. “What’s all this?” she asked.

“It’s a carpet picnic date.”

“At six-thirty in the morning?”

“Sip your coffee before you say anything else,” Jase said, stroking a hand over her hair. “That sounded pretty petulant.”

“Sorry. Tired. Woke up alone. Was confused.”

“Ah. Got it. Missed me and Little Jase when you woke up, did you?”

Cerys rolled her eyes but sipped the hot coffee as he suggested. It was strong, as she liked it. “Good morning, Jason. I’m looking forward to our date.”

Jase pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Me too. I know it’s a bit weird, but I want to date you. We’ve talked twice about going out to dinner, but we’re both too knackered when we get home. So, I thought I’d make breakfast special, instead.”

Her heart melted at his thoughtfulness. “That might be the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me. Is this all the extra stuff you insisted on getting from the store yesterday when I grabbed dinner?”

“Yeah, well. I didn’t want to ruin the surprise. Go sit. Eat a croissant. There’s jam.”

Cerys grinned as she sat down on the throw. There was also a bottle of freshly squeezed orange juice, and a melon that had been cut up into chunks. And strips of prosciutto.

Jase walked over with two plates and placed one on her lap. Her mouth dropped open.

“You made eggs Benedict?” she asked, looking at the beautifully presented platter.

Jase shrugged as he sat down beside her. “Nan. She made us cook with her from when we were old enough to stand on a chair next to her and help. Roast beef. Curries. Fried breakfasts. I can make a mean apple crumble, a decent scone, and a Christmas cake at a push. She always said we’d live on our own one day and needed to learn.”

Cerys cut into the eggs, perfectly cooked. Thick, runny yolks and hollandaise that had set over the eggs. She put the bite into her mouth and moaned. “Oh my God. It tastes so good,” she mumbled.

Jase shrugged modestly. “Glad you like it. Had to call Nan for the recipe because I couldn’t remember it. Now, she’s texting me on the constant for more details about you. Ooh, wait.”

Jase pulled out his phone and took a photograph before she could protest. “Wait! What are you doing with that image?”

“Just sent it to Nan, telling her you loved the eggs.”

“You can’t send it to your nan. I just got out of bed, my hair’s a mess. I—”

“Look absolutely gorgeous. Naturally beautiful. It’s when you’re like this I find it hardest to keep my hands off you. I mean, I find it hard to keep my hands off you most of the time. But now, when you still look sleepy, and your lips are all soft, and I can see the freckles across your nose before you cover them with makeup—this is when I think you are most adorable.”

“Jase,” she said softly. Every now and then, he had the ability to surprise her with the intensity of his outbursts, when he stepped out from behind that hard exterior of his and let her see the vulnerability beneath.

“Yeah, well. Little Jase agrees, so let’s move it along before he decides you don’t need to eat your breakfast and fucks you on the blanket.”

Cerys laughed. “You know what, it should be disturbing the way you talk about your dick.”

Jase laughed. “Ask any guy and he’ll tell you his dick makes its own decisions. The secret is to find a healthy coexistence with it, so you don’t, say, find your woman at work and fuck her on her dad’s office desk.”

Her eyes went wide. “You’ve thought about you and me ... on Dad’s desk?”

Jase shook his head. “No, not me. Little Jase. I’m the calm voice of reason that says that would be a really bad idea and lead to us getting kicked out of his studio without an album, seeing your dad doesn’t love the idea of you and me. But Little Jase loves the idea of bending you over it.”

Cerys laughed. “I have no clue why this is all making logical sense.”

Jase winked and took another bite of his breakfast. “One of the great mysteries of the world.”

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