“What?” he asked, the bewilderment plainly displayed on his face.
“I mean, I stand up straight and I don’t think so but then I slouch over and there’s this roll that goes over the top of my pants.” It wasn’t lost on me how strange this interaction was. Even after being with Vince for nearly a year, I would have never brought up my weight or size to him. With all my previous relationships, actually, I never felt comfortable enough in my skin to openly point out a flaw of mine. The only person I ever talked about those things with was Gabby but she’s my best friend—so it was a given. Yet, I wasn’t concerned about having this conversation with Corey, a man I barely knew.
Corey smirked at me. “How often do you stand like that?” With his arms crossed over his chest, he moved closer to me.
“Not often—answer the question.” I held my breath—waiting for the worst.
“You’re not in the least bit chubby. Who the hell told you that?”
“Just this guy, but I don’t think he was saying it to be mean. He just mentioned that I looked better now that I put on some weight.”
“You’re right, that’s not mean—that’s an absolute douche-bag thing to say. What’s this guy’s name, Dani?”
Corey’s tone made me turn to face him. I was surprised to see he was dead serious and pissed as hell. “Why do you need to know?”
“From the first night you met me, you were able to get a glimpse of the way I feel about men disrespecting women. I’m like that about every woman I see, but if it’s one of the women in my life—it’s a completely different story.” Wait…what?
“Are you saying I’m one of the women in your life?” My hands went to my hips and a smirk spread on my face. Corey closed the distance between us placing one hand on my waist.
“Answer my question, then I’ll answer yours.”
“Oliver, I used to be close to him growing up,” I answered, not bothering to mention how close Oliver and I actually had become.
“Well, Oliver better hope I don’t run into him anywhere.”
“Corey, you’re not going to do anything to him.”
He placed a soft chaste kiss on my lips. “Watch me.” His hands released me and reached down to pat my butt. “Now hurry your cute ass up or your breakfast is going to get cold.”
Corey left the room and I stared after him. “Breakfast?”
That was intriguing enough to get me to hurry along the getting ready process. I yanked on my beige top and black ¾ length suit jacket and ran out to the kitchen. The breakfast bar displayed a ton of delicious looking food; a stack of fluffy pancakes, a plate of bacon and a bowl of fresh cut strawberries.
My jaw dropped to the floor as I watched him take a seat, tapping the back of the one next to him for me.
“You did all this?”
Corey shrugged with a smile, biting down onto a slice of the most appetizing looking bacon ever. “This smells amazing!” My legs guided me over to the bar stool, as he placed a cup of coffee in front of me.
“Tastes pretty damn good too,” he said, scooping a section of a pancake into his mouth. Before I could even dive into the most tempting meal I’ve ever seen, I placed a kiss to his cheek. His blue eyes cut to mine, a coy smile on his lips.
“Thank you, Corey, this is incredible.”
“It’s just breakfast, Sweets.” My head shook from side to side, as a lump rose up in my throat.
“It’s been a long time since someone has done something so nice for me.” A saddened look crossed his face, as he turned his body more towards mine.
“No one back home made you breakfast—just because?” My eyes cast a glance downwards; the sight of our legs pressed together lightened my heart in a bizarre way. Why was it suddenly comforting to see us so close together?
“Now and then my best friend Gabriella did.” The thought of Gabby brought a smile to my face—I missed her . Corey’s fingers took hold of my chin and tilted my face up to meet his captivating expression. There were no words exchanged, but honestly, the way he looked at me did more for me than any words could have. It was as if those piercing blue eyes looked straight into my soul; seeing the struggles of my past, the hardships of my