in near the tops of her breasts to keep it on so she could rummage around the drawers of the bathroom counter. There had to be a hairdryer in here somewhere. She hadn’t thought to pack one since Layla had said she could borrow one, but it wasn’t as though she could go parading past Jared in nothing but a towel to find Layla’s hairdryer.
“What do you need?”
Jared’s deep voice made her freeze as she bent over the drawer, her bottom in the air.
“I can help you find whatever you need…although I do love this angle, if you want to keep looking for whatever it is.”
“Oh!” She whirled around, hands clutching her towel so it wouldn’t drop.
When she raised her gaze, she found him standing in the open bathroom door, wearing only pajama pants. He leaned one shoulder against the doorjamb. His body was lightly tan, the muscles lean but impressive now that she could see them at a better angle. His pants hung on his narrow hips, and she gulped at the visible V-shaped line of muscles at his hips that seemed to point farther south to places hidden from her eyes. A perfect six-pack. How did a guy get those? They looked too good to be true. She certainly didn’t look like she lived in the gym. Her fingers went white-knuckled on the towel. The last thing she wanted was for him to see her fuller figure. No matter how many diets she tried or how much she exercised, she could never get down to anything below a size twelve.
“What are you looking for?” he asked again. His gaze lazily drifted from her face down the length of her body. Was that approval in his eyes? Why did she suddenly want him to approve of her?
“I…uh…hairdryer, please?” She was usually more articulate. The man had the ability to destroy her control over her own mouth.
He pointed to below the sink. “Should be there.”
“Thanks.”
“Coffee or tea?” he asked.
“Tea,” she replied without thinking.
“I’ll make some in the kitchen. Come out when you’re done.” He didn’t give her a chance to protest. The bathroom door closed, and he was gone.
Felicity scrambled through her morning routine, and in fifteen minutes she was dressed in jeans and a comfortable navy-blue sweater with a gray anchor on it. Sitting back on Jared’s bed, she tugged on her worn pair of leather ankle boots. The bedroom was empty, so she headed to the kitchen. A few lone plastic cups lay on surfaces around the apartment, the only remnants of the wild party from the night before. Other than that, the place was surprisingly clean. Out of habit, she collected the few cups and walked into the kitchen to throw them away.
“Over here, sailor.” Jared was at the other end of the kitchen, where the table was set for two.
He looked more delicious than the breakfast he’d prepared. He stood there in his pajama pants and shirtless, making her mouth water. His feet were bare, and for some reason that made her smile. She tried not to look at his chest, but it was pretty hard not to admire its muscled perfection. It reminded her of the times she and Layla would spend a night eating pizza and drooling over the gorgeous hunks in Men’s Health magazine. Jared could have been posing for an article on six-pack abs.
Even though he was the one half-dressed, it made her feel strangely naked. The half-smile that hovered around his lips told her he knew she was uncomfortable and a little flushed.
Waffles, scrambled eggs, and bacon were already on the plates, and two cups of tea were waiting, steam coiling up in the air in milky tendrils. Her mind blanked. He was feeding her, too? What sort of man did that? Take care of a woman? Definitely none she knew. He fed her, clothed her…without threats, without demanding she accept what he offered. Something about that made her chest ache. She needed to regain control of her emotions.
“Sailor?” she asked.
“Your sweater.” His lips twitched as he sat down at the table.
She glanced down at the anchor. “Oh, right.” What was with him and the nicknames? Kid, princess, sailor…
She dropped into the seat across from him and reached for her cup of tea. The porcelain cup burned her fingers—not quite to the point of pain, but enough to make the rest of her warm. She loved that about tea, the way even holding it in her hands could erase a bone-deep