there was something warm and reassuring about sharing details about their families. They were growing closer and deepening the bond between them.
When she woke up this morning, he’d been the first thought on her mind, the memory of their kisses making her sigh and the memory of his sweet words curling her toes. I’m goin’ to fall for you, Duchess. Hard. Don’t know if it’s just for now or forever, but if it’s not okay with you, tell me now. She loved that he hadn’t pledged his undying love to her or something equally as silly. They hadn’t known one another long enough for such declarations. The care he took in how he expressed his feelings made them feel ten times more real to her and mirrored her own perfectly. They were still from very different worlds. They were still getting to know each other. But they were also crashing into each other like they were fated to be together, and that they both felt it and recognized it was exhilarating.
Today he’d arrived a few minutes before three, and she’d kissed him hello, then taken his arm to guide him to the kitchen. She liked touching him, feeling the sinew of his muscles under her hand. But she also never wanted him to feel blind around her—worried about where to go or uncertain of bumping into something. When he was with her, she wanted him to tacitly rely on her eyes—she needed him to trust her, and it meant the world to her that he did.
When they reached the kitchen, she took the bags from him, emptying the contents onto the island counter.
“You’ll, uh…you’ll have to help me, Duchess,” he’d said quietly. “I won’t be able to see…”
“Can I be your sous chef?” she interrupted. “I’d love it!”
His face had instantly brightened, and she realized that the thought of needing her help (and telling her so) had weighed heavily on his heart.
“In fact,” she said, placing raw sausage and chicken into the fridge, “since I can barely toast bread, I’m going to make it a point to memorize everything you teach me. I’ll shock the pants off my sister and brothers when it’s my night to host dinner and I actually make something instead of ordering!”
“I haven’t made t’gumbo in ages, cher.” He smiled at her. “But you won’t be disappointed. My tantsy taught me well.”
“Your…tantsy?”
“Tante means—”
“Aunt.”
He nodded. “So tantsy is like…your mother’s best friend or your father’s first cousin. And in my case, my father’s first cousin also looked after me and my sisters.”
This surprised her a little. “Like a nanny?”
“Exactly.”
“You had a nanny?”
He shrugged, looking away from her. “She was family.”
She sensed that there was more to it than that and made a mental note to look up Gard’s father on Google. He hadn’t indicated that his childhood and upbringing had been exclusive or seeped in wealth, but he’d also gone to private school and had a nanny. He’d gone to a Northern school on full scholarship, but she’d noticed that his clothes were the same high quality as most of her peers. It would be gauche to ask about his socioeconomic status, but she couldn’t deny that she was curious to learn more about him.
“Jax,” he said in a stern voice, forcing her to return to the present. “The groin.”
Standing across from him in the gym, she looked up at his serious face and tried desperately not to snicker. “I heard you the first time.”
He rolled his eyes at her. “Are you ten years old?”
“Nope. Twenty-seven.” She lowered her lashes, arched her back, and looked up at him, purring, “Can’t you tell?”
“Merde, woman. Can we just get the lesson over with so we can make out?”
Her eyes widened, and her voice was a longing whisper. “Oui.”
He took a deep breath and exhaled. “The groin is, for obvious reasons, one of the most vulnerable parts of your assailant’s body, which makes it a good target.”
“As we learned last time,” she supplied helpfully.
“Right. Thanks again for that.” He took a deep, annoyed breath. “A knee to the nuts will make the toughest man fall.”
“And did.”
“Jax!” he exclaimed, looking exasperated. “It’s hard enough—”
“Is it?”
“—to be alone with you, trying to teach you somethin’, when all I want to do is…”
“Is…?” she asked.
“Please, cher,” he groaned.
“Please what?”
“Please let me teach you a couple of things.”
“About…the groin?” she asked, unable to quit teasing him and knowing that he was just about at the end of his rope.
The thing was, she couldn’t concentrate