knowledge that the beautiful woman, who he realized was only hesitant around him because she considered him to be handsome, was in the room right next to his. It wasn’t easy to go to sleep when his cock was rock hard. The idea of jerking off ran through his mind in the middle of the night, but he refused to give in to the urge. I was a fuckin’ SEAL. I can control my body… at least, I could before Josie was around.
By the time he was dressed, the scent of bacon and coffee drew him down the hall. Turning the corner, his feet stumbled to a halt at the sight of her in tight yoga pants, bending over with her ass in the air as she pulled something out of the oven. She placed it on the stovetop and then bent again to close the door. If he thought he’d managed to get his cock under control the previous night, it stirred to life once again. He wondered if he was going to have a perpetual hard-on during the entire mission. Hoping his voice didn’t croak, he cleared his throat. “Good morning.”
She looked over her shoulder and smiled. “Good morning.”
Her thick hair was held away from her face with a wide band, her skin glowing and her lips tinged a light pink. Suddenly unable to think of anything to say, he asked, “Are you always up this early?”
Her eyes widened. “Oh, I’m so sorry if I woke you! I was trying to be quiet.”
Feeling like an ass, he shook his head, hating that her smile had dropped from her face. “No, no. You’re fine. I just wondered if you ever slept in.” Her smile returned, and it speared straight through him.
“Melon likes to be fed at the same time every day. If I’m not up, she jumps on the bed and stares at me, batting at my face. Anyway, I had decided to make biscuits for you this morning, just the way my grandmother made.”
He glanced past her and spied what she’d lifted from the oven. A cast-iron pan filled with fluffy biscuits. The bacon had already been cooked, sitting by the side of the stove. Using another pan, she cracked several eggs and quickly scrambled them, adding cheese right before dividing them onto two plates.
“I’ve already got juice on the table, but you’ll need to fix your coffee.” Her nose scrunched, and she added, “I need to see how you take it.”
“There’s no need for you to do that. I can fix my own coffee.”
She shrugged and grinned. “Yes, but if we’re going to pretend to be dating, I should probably know those kinds of things.”
He felt foolish having not thought of that himself. Being around Josie was a distraction even when he thought she didn’t like him. Ever since last evening’s revelations, he now found his mind settled firmly on the beautiful woman instead of the mission. Walking over to the counter to pour a mug of coffee, he scrubbed his hand over his face. I have got to get my fuckin’ act together!
While she finished plating the food, he thought about his fellow Keepers. Every one of them had found love while on a mission. His closest friend, Clay, had fought the idea of having to deal with drama while working, but even Christina had landed in the middle of Clay’s case. Cobb wasn’t opposed to the idea of falling for someone he was protecting, but now, he couldn’t imagine how they kept their focus.
“Are you just going to stare at that mug of coffee or are you going to come to eat breakfast?”
He jerked around to see Josie sitting at the table, a wide smile on her face. Christ, this is ridiculous! “Sorry,” he mumbled. “Guess I need to get caffeinated.”
As he sat down at the table, she leaned over and peered into his mug. “Black?”
“Black,” he confirmed. Having already looked at her cup the previous day, he inclined his head toward her mug. “Two sweeteners, heavy on the flavored cream. And from looking in your refrigerator, you’re partial to caramel, mocha, or hazelnut.”
Laughing, she nodded. “I do have a sweet tooth!”
Digging into breakfast, he moaned in delight over the fluffy biscuits coated in butter and strawberry jam. “Your grandmother taught you well.”
“Thanks, but I can only imagine the culinary delights that have come from your family.”
He chewed, enjoying every bite, then swallowed as he nodded. “More like food wars. My dad grew up with