Stoking the Fire (Salus Security #1) - Teodora Kostova Page 0,14

“No. I’m fine. Just a little sore. I think I bruised my side when I fell to the ground.”

I pull him inside and close the door. “Why are you here in the middle of the day? Did he fire you?” My voice rises with every word.

Alec smiles at me, then pulls me in for a kiss. His lips are soft and gentle as he coaxes mine open, tasting me as if we have all the time in the world.

“No,” he says when he pulls back. “He gave me the rest of the day off.”

“Is he okay?”

“Yeah. A little shaken, but that’s understandable.”

The relief of having Alec here with me, in one piece, smiling and safe, is overwhelming. And so is the need to take care of him.

I push him gently away. “Go take a shower. I’ll make us something to eat, and we can chill here today.” He lifts an eyebrow at me. “If you want,” I hastily add.

He kisses me softly. “I want.”

While he’s in the shower, I unpack the bags, storing the books out of the way and putting the groceries in the fridge. I don’t usually cook, and I don’t really know how to, but I’m determined to make food for Alec instead of ordering in.

I decide I can’t fuck up pasta, so I put a pot of water to boil and take out the spaghetti from the cupboard, along with the jar of ready-made meat sauce. By the time Alec is finished in the bathroom, the pasta is boiling on the stove, and the sauce is heated and ready to go.

He comes out of the bathroom, his skin flushed from the hot water, droplets running down his chest. I know I’m staring, but I can’t look away. He’s rubbing his hair with a towel, but the rest of him is completely and deliciously naked.

“Fuck, I needed that,” he says, oblivious to my ogling. “Didn’t I leave a pair of sweats here last week?”

I snap out of my daydream and clear my throat. “Yeah. In the closet.”

He saunters to the closet, throwing me a look over his shoulder. “Like what you see?”

I pretend I’m not at least bit affected by his display. “I guess,” I say with a shrug and turn to stir the spaghetti.

Alec’s laughter is like a warm ray of sunshine after the storm.

We eat sitting across from each other at the kitchen island. Alec tells me about the incident, livid about the footage that made it to the press. I luxuriate in his warm voice, listening to him, but also just enjoying his presence.

“So, yeah, now I have to deal with this whole fucking mess. Reporters are already calling the office to ask for an interview as if I’m some sort of celebrity when I was just doing my job,” he grumbles.

“Maybe it has something to do with how good you look on camera,” I say, teasing him. “That suit is way too fitted to be strictly professional.”

Alec shakes his head with a smile, his features relaxing. I internally pump my fist in the air. I managed to make him smile after a shitty day, and that’s all that matters right now.

“How was your day?”

I stiffen, and of course, he notices. “All right.”

“What happened?”

“It’s nothing. We can talk about it some other time.” I’m desperate not to add more shit to the pile he’s already dealing with, but Alec doesn’t let it go.

He reaches across the island and places his hand on top of mine. “Tell me?”

I sigh, leaving my fork propped on my plate. “It’s not a big deal. Not compared to what happened to you.”

“I should hope so. I’m not really thrilled at the idea of you getting shot at.”

I smile and bite my lip. And then tell him about the Instagram post. Alec listens, his brows knitting deeper and deeper with every sentence. My words trip over each other as I try to explain that the pictures are old and I haven’t been with anyone else, and Patrick’s just being an asshole.

“Zach,” Alec says when I start to ramble. “We went over this, didn’t we?”

Reluctantly, I nod. His eyes are the softest brown when he looks at me, and suddenly, I feel foolish for working myself into a frenzy over this.

“What makes you think I’ll believe Patrick over you? Or anyone else for that matter?”

I shrug, my cheeks heating with embarrassment. Alec studies me, as if choosing his next words carefully.

“Why don’t you take a break from social media?” he finally