Page 31 of Guarded Love

Was that why Evelyn came into my life? To show me what I had gotten wrong for so long? Because it was never like this with Leila. Nowhere close. My marriage was empty, hollow, a charade compared to the simple joy of cooking breakfast, imagining the surprise of the woman in bed.

“Good morning.”

“Shit!” I damn near knocked the pan off the gas flame when my hand jerked at the sound of her voice.

“Oh, I’m sorry!” Evelyn winced as she leaned on her cane, wearing nothing but a black satin robe that matched the nightgown I had seen her wear after her surgery.

The woman was like catnip. My hands twitched, wanting to touch her lush body the second I caught sight of its curves. “Here, let me help you,” I offered instead, holding them out as I approached.

“No, no. I can handle it.” Rather than take a seat on one of the stools at the marble island, she lowered herself into a chair at the dining table near the window. The stunning view beyond the glass was nothing compared to her tousled beauty. Another cliché, but so true. She didn’t have to try to be beautiful. Somehow, that in itself made her breathtaking.

“Well, I guess you know I’m cooking breakfast.”

“Thank you so much. You really don’t have to go to all this trouble.”

“It’s no trouble at all.” Though it would be if I didn’t get the pan off the heat. There wasn’t much I hated more than overdone eggs. Thankfully, I caught them in time. That, plus toast, made for a pretty simple meal I was suddenly embarrassed by.

Since when did I feel embarrassed about anything?

Since I found a woman worth impressing with more than my cock. I had already done that, anyway. More than once.

“I hope it’s not too terrible.” I carried the plates to the table along with silverware, setting one of them in front of her. “I’ll get you some coffee too.”

“Even if it tastes terrible, it’d be worth it to see you cooking while you look like that.”

I glanced down at my gym pants, the only thing I pulled on before coming to the kitchen. “I didn’t think cooking naked sounded like a great idea.”

“I don’t know. Maybe it’s something you could look into.”

Oh, I liked this version of her. It was fun when she busted my balls—at least when I got to fire back. But the version of Evelyn I seemed to have unlocked over the past twenty-four hours was someone I wanted to get to know better.

“So long as you don’t expect me to fry bacon that way. I’ve heard horror stories.”

She winced as I took my seat with fresh coffee between us. “Okay, yes. Maybe there are limits to the idea.”

“How are you feeling today?”

“Not terrible. I slept like the dead.” She lifted a fork full of egg to her mouth, and I realized I was holding my breath. Her brows lifted before the corners of her mouth tugged upward. “Very good. Really.”

“I’ll try not to let it go to my head.” She rolled her eyes and snorted before eating more like she was trying to prove something.

“What else can I do for you?” I looked up from my coffee to find her giving me the strangest look. “What?”

“It’s hard enough for me to believe you’re still here, but for you to take care of me like this?”

I lifted a shoulder. “I mean, I want to. I want to make sure you’re okay and you have everything you need.”

“I know, and it’s just… more than I expected.” Her cheeks colored as she looked down at her plate.

“Are you talking about the food or about something else?”

“No comment.” It was obvious she was trying to hide a grin as she lifted the coffee to her pouty lips.

It was clear I had a serious problem. I couldn’t watch the woman doing the most basic things without wanting to devour her.

“You seem to be getting around all right. Are you sure you’re not overdoing it?”

“I can handle it. All I did was walk from one room to another.”

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