glance into the other bedroom showed it was smaller with little furniture. Double bed, dresser, and a small desk. In the hall, she glanced up the stairs leading to a third-floor bonus room. Her rowhouse did not have anything higher than the second floor but, refusing to give in to curiosity, she decided to wait and let him give her the royal tour later.
Tiptoeing back into the bedroom, she felt like a creeper but could not help staring for a moment at Kyle still sleeping. His muscular, tattooed chest was on display as the covers had dropped to his trim waist. One arm was thrown over his head, resting on his pillow, and the other hand was splayed on his stomach. She wanted to kiss each delectable inch, discovering the meanings of all his tattoos, but hesitated. They had been up late, and she wanted him to sleep as much as possible.
Her stomach growled and the idea of fixing breakfast for him called to her. Resisting the urge to crawl back into bed, she slipped down the stairs, glancing toward the living room before heading into the kitchen.
When she had been looking for a place to rent, she’d spent hours online searching the rowhouses in Hope City, discovering them to be almost identical in basic layout while uniquely refurbished.
His house was wider than hers, and taller considering there was the as-yet unexplored third floor and basement. Bob had finished her basement with a small bedroom, den, and bathroom. She wondered how Kyle’s basement was finished but again decided to not explore on her own, leaving that for the tour later.
Entering the kitchen, she was delighted. Tile backsplash that complemented the tiled floor, granite countertops, new appliances. His kitchen was wide enough to allow a table that would seat four, but he didn’t have a separate laundry room. Instead, the washer and dryer were behind doors in the corner of the kitchen. His windowed back door opened onto his fenced patio similar to hers. Since his unit was on the end, he had windows along the side, including one over the sink, allowing light to flood the room.
Turning to the refrigerator, she was grateful he had eggs and a package of breakfast sausage. A glance toward a basket sitting on the counter gave evidence of a full loaf of bread. Pulling the ingredients together, she decided to wait until he was awake before scrambling the eggs. Placing the sausage into a frying pan on low, the kitchen was soon filled with the scent of sizzling pork. Opening a few more cabinets she found his coffee and filters, and soon the roasted brew was tantalizing her nostrils as well.
The sound of a creaking floorboard and running water through the pipes met her ears, giving evidence that Kyle was out of bed. She had set the table for two and nervously wondered if he would mind that she’d made herself at home preparing breakfast.
A sound at the back door caught her attention and she whipped around, gasping at the sight of a woman’s face pressed to the window. Screaming Kyle’s name, she whirled and flew out of the kitchen toward the stairs. As she rounded the corner, she slammed into his body, his arms immediately wrapping around her.
“Someone’s at your back door! Someone’s peeking in!”
His lips thinned and his jaw hardened as he gently moved her to the side and stalked around the corner into the kitchen.
“Yoohoo! Kyle? Are you home?”
Her heart was still pounding, but hearing the woman call his name had her following him. He had stopped in the middle of the kitchen, planting his fists on his hips. Unable to see around his broad back, she leaned slightly to the side to see the woman’s face pressed against the glass, her hands cupped around her eyes.
“Jesus, Christ!” He stalked forward and reached for the door, flipping the lock and throwing it open. “Mom! What time is it?”
“I told you I was coming by to get that bag of jumble for the church bazaar. You were supposed to leave the deadbolt off so I could—oh!”
Kimberly froze, unable to decide what was the most appropriate course of action: flee back up the stairs, stand and act like there was nothing wrong with her standing in Kyle’s shirt and her panties in the kitchen, or say a quick prayer that the floor would open up and she could disappear.
The latter did not happen and, before she had a choice between the other two,