you doing this?”
She was tired but the suspicion etched into the rigid lines of her body and the doubt clouding her gaze were unmistakable. He reached out, lightly brushing wet curls off her forehead. “Don’t get too worked up—I’m not that great a cook.”
Tess shook her head and he knew she wasn’t going to make this easy. “This is not what we agreed to. This is not something you do for a fuckbu—”
Adam stopped her with his thumb pressed gently to her lips. Yeah, he’d thought the same thing just a few moments before but he didn’t want to hear it from her. He didn’t want to think too hard on why he didn’t like being shoved into a category he’d initially suggested either. Not today.
“Hey, we’ve got a friends with benefits thing going on...” He pushed off the door frame and turned to head back toward the kitchen. “Today I’m doing the friend thing. Don’t overthink it, Tess. Get dressed and come get something to eat.”
Adam searched her kitchen for something that he could prepare and not make Tess feel worse. He wasn’t a terrible cook but he did only a certain number of dishes well enough to serve to anybody else and those consisted of things you could grill and an omelet. A quick check of the fridge yielded eggs and cheese. Good. He wouldn’t have to order takeout.
Her kitchen was small but well organized and he found a skillet and all the utensils he needed. He cracked the eggs, shredded the cheese and concentrated on cooking and not on the real reason he was there in Tess’s kitchen breaking all the rules.
“Now, that’s something I never thought I’d see,” Tess said as she entered the kitchen. She walked slowly, clearly not feeling well but looking fresh and beautiful in a set of emerald green pajamas. He nodded toward one of the bar stools pulled up to the island, smiling when she didn’t argue with him.
“What’s that?”
“A billionaire in my kitchen, cooking for me.”
He chuckled, using the spatula to do the perfect flip over of the cooked eggs. “No, it’s just me. Adam.”
“Just Adam,” she said, her eyes tracking his every move. “Who is that guy?”
Tess was trying to figure him out and he hoped she was successful and then explained it all to him. He hadn’t known who he was since she’d walked into his office, since he’d found his family.
“When you figure it out, let me know.” Adam avoided her gaze, it was too piercing, too knowing. Not today. He offered up another topic to take the spotlight off of him. “Roan agreed to come out here and spend some time together.”
“That’s good, Adam. Really good.”
“He’s wrapping up a commission and then he has to go to some party in Monaco or some other place with a palace.” He smiled, remembering how his little brother acted like hanging out with celebrities was no big deal. “He’s going to come out here after that is all wrapped up.”
“And Sarina?”
He paused, gathering his thoughts as he checked underneath the egg, cheese and veggie mixture. Almost done. “I don’t know if that’s going to happen. I can’t...” Adam swallowed hard, clearing his throat and trying to relax the ball of anxiety lodged in his gut. “I can’t seem to reach her.”
“Out of the three of you, she’s been alone most of her life. She got lost in the system, fell through the cracks. She had to be there for herself because there was nobody else.” Tess tapped the countertop to get him to look at her. “She’s worth it. Trust me. She’s not rejecting you...it’s how she survives.”
And somehow Adam knew that Tess was also talking about herself. Whether she intended to or not.
“I won’t give up. I’m not built that way.” He plated the omelet and scooted it across the island toward Tess just as the doorbell rang. “I already poured some orange juice for you. That’s your meds. Eat.”
“You’re so bossy today.”
Adam hustled down the hallway and grabbed the medication from the courier, giving him a huge tip before shutting the door. He was already reading the directions on the side of the bottle when he turned the corner.
“Take this huge horse pill every eight hours for the next five days and you’ll be back to kicking my ass before you know it.” He placed one in front of her on the counter, pleased to see that she’d eaten most of the omelet. “And then it’s back