assuming that my car is somewhere in the parking garage below now?”
He grunted. She assumed that was a yes. “Did you have a good time snooping?”
He grinned at her over his shoulder and winked. “Uh-huh. Don’t get too excited about your computer though. I don’t have wi-fi. ”
Damn it. She should have known he would’ve considered that.
Mark scooped up the omelet with a spatula and put it on a plate. He turned and carried the cream-colored plate to the table and sat it in front of her. “Eat up, runt. You need good protein and vitamins in your diet, else you’re going to end up stooped over like Quasimodo.”
“Wow, I’m impressed. The Hunchback of Notre-Dame. You read it?” she asked.
Something flickered in his eyes, a fleeting shadow. Then it was gone and he smiled. “Nope. Watched the movie. We jocks try to avoid reading when at all possible.”
Wow, what was that? Lorelei sensed she’d touched a nerve, but why? Though he’d smiled at her, it was strained. “Did I say something wrong?”
He pushed a fork into her hand and ignored her question. “Take a bite. There’s things in there called vegetables. You might like them.”
She eyed the omelet. “Are there any Brussels sprouts hidden in this?”
He just grinned and motioned her to take a bite. Oh, what the hell. She’d live dangerously. Cutting off a bite with her fork, she asked casually, “Did I upset you with my question? You know I was just asking, right? Some people don’t like to read.”
A frown pulled at his brow and he moved his gaze to stare over her shoulder. “Just eat your food, Lorelei.”
“I want to know what I said wrong.”
His gaze snapped back to her, his eyes hard. “I said, drop it.”
She had seriously said something wrong somewhere. But Mark stared her down with cold, challenging eyes so she shoved the bite of omelet in her mouth and kept quiet. Her eyebrows shot up at the burst of delicious flavor that greeted her taste buds. Mark Cutter could definitely cook.
“Mmm, this is great. What’s in it?”
“Brussels sprouts.”
She almost choked. “You’re not serious, are you?”
His gaze leveled on her. “Eat.” That’s all he said. Then he turned and strode out of the kitchen.
“What about you? Aren’t you going to eat one?”
His voice sounded irritated. “I already did, Lorelei. Some people get up at a decent hour of the morning, instead of sleeping half the day away.”
She glanced at the clock on the stove. It was barely eight o’clock. What was he talking about? It was still early.
Wait a minute, didn’t he have practice? He’d better not even think about locking her in again. No way was she going for that a second time.
Grabbing the plate and fork, Lorelei hurried out of the kitchen and headed down the hall to his bedroom. She found Mark in his closet reaching for a black leather jacket.
Oh no, he wasn’t. He wasn’t locking her in a second time. “I’m going with you. I refuse to be left here again.”
He shrugged. “Fine, but I’m not going anywhere.”
She looked at the coat he was holding, pointed at it with her fork. “Sure looks like you are to me.”
Mark let out a long-suffering sigh and looked at her. “I was just getting it out for later.”
“Well, wherever you’re going later I’m coming, too.”
Walking over to her, he stopped and said near her ear, “I’m not sure my girlfriend would enjoy me bringing another woman along, you know? I don’t think she’s into that.”
Something hot and hard slammed into the pit of her stomach, almost doubling her over from the force of it. It shouldn’t matter. It didn’t matter.
Taking a deep breath, Lorelei walked over to the dresser and set her plate down. She forced her muscles to relax and said, “Your girlfriend? I wasn’t aware that you had one at the moment.”
Gazing at her with watchful eyes, Mark replied, “Oh, there’s always one or two. I like a little variety in my diet.”
Her voice dripped sarcasm. “A redhead on Tuesday, a blond on Friday, twins on Saturday night. Is that it?”
With a shrug of his broad shoulders, he advanced on her. “It’s the spice of life, sweetheart.”
She felt like kicking him in the shin. And if he came any closer she was going to. “Your life must be well seasoned then, huh? Women waiting for you in every city you play in, cleat chasers ready to flop onto their backs with one word from you.”
Body heat radiated off Mark