My eyes were wide awake now. They flew up to his like a speeding bullet. “Pardon?”
Clearly stifling his laughter, he nodded down at the stove. “It’s cold now, but it can all be warmed up.”
I took in the skillets and pans littering the stovetop. Were those eggs? And sausage? And…danishes? “You made breakfast?”
Red tinged his cheeks as he glanced away. “Yeah, well, I was hungry. Didn’t eat much for dinner last night. Figured I might as well make extra. If I had known you were that late of a sleeper, I wouldn’t have bothered.”
I attempted to smooth my hair behind my ears, even though I knew it was a lost cause. “I’m usually not. I haven’t dealt with jet lag that bad in a long time.” I waved at him. “You obviously recover much quicker than I do.”
His expression turned pensive as his gaze moved back to me. “I’ve gotten used to it. After this many years, it hardly affects me anymore.”
When his eyes flicked down to my chest, I felt stripped bare. Until that moment, I had forgotten just how revealing my silk jammies were. I wasn’t wearing a bra, which was painfully obvious when my nipples puckered beneath the camisole as he stared intently at them. My matching silk shorts were so tiny that my arse cheeks hung out the bottom.
When I attempted to discreetly pull them down, Nico’s jaw hardened, looking displeased with the action. In fact, his jaw muscle didn’t stop ticking until I removed my hand, leaving the shorts right where they were.
Then I swear, he responded with the smallest, barely discernable nod.
As if saying good girl.
“Are you not going to work today?” I blushed when my voice came out far too husky.
Finally, he removed his gaze from my body, his hand clenching around his water bottle. “I had my morning schedule cleared in case there were any delays with our trip. Thought I’d get a quick workout in before I have to go to my afternoon meetings.”
Oh, don’t picture that.
Do not picture his muscles bulging as he pushed weights over his head. Or his abdominals tightening as he did sit-ups. Or his arse clenching as he went into a squat. Don’t do it or—
Yep, there went my nipples again.
And there went his eyes again, zoning in on them, burning off my clothes with those twin amber fires.
“You have a gym here?” I croaked, unwittingly cluing him in to my arousal.
His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed. “Yeah. It’s downstairs to the right. Feel free to use it whenever.”
“Thanks. I already made use of the pool last night.”
His pupils dilated. “You went swimming after I left?”
He’d told me I could, hadn’t he?
I nodded. “I’d take swimming over a treadmill or weights any day.”
“Good to know,” he murmured, more to himself than to me.
Wait, why is that good?
He shook his head, clearing his throat. “So, uh, breakfast is there if you want it. Be forewarned, it’s all American fare.”
Warmth spread through my chest. He was actually being considerate. Nice. “Thank you. You didn’t have to do that.”
He shrugged. “The eggs were about to expire anyway. Don’t expect breakfast every morning.”
Why did he always have to counter a kind gesture or compliment with a snide comment like that?
I rolled my eyes, that warmth already cooling. “Don’t worry, I won’t. I’m no longer in my spoiled, privileged world, am I? Looks like I might actually have to fend for myself.” I sighed sarcastically. “However will I survive?”
“Good question, legs. Ought to be fun to watch you figure it out.”
He turned to leave the room, then changed directions to grab something from one of the cupboards. He placed the box in front of me, but wouldn’t look me in the eyes. “It’s all I have. I’ll get more when I go to the store.”
I didn’t look inside the box until after he left the room.
It was filled with tea packets.
I hadn’t done much exploring the night before due to my excitement to try out the pool. So, after eating breakfast/lunch and going for another swim, followed by a shower, I spent the rest of the afternoon traipsing through the house.
Not Nico’s bedroom, though.
I didn’t need to see where he rested his head every night. Where he slept mostly unclothed, possibly even naked. And where he took showers where he was most definitely naked.
The second level was mostly guest bedrooms, obviously untouched. The living room, dining room, kitchen, another sitting room, sunroom, and