Resonance of Stars (Greenstone Security #5) - Anne Malcom Page 0,85

the mountains and live in this present moment. Who knew how much longer I’d have it for?

Duke had said a lot of things last night, however three important words were missing. He was not a man to say them out of a sense of duty or politeness. If he felt them, he would’ve said them. It was that simple. And it hurt. It really hurt, no matter how selfish that was in the midst of grieving my only friend. But it wasn’t going to force me back into my shell, as my first instincts urged me to.

I was going to lean in. More than that, I was going to jump in. I wasn’t going to hold back, wasn’t going to pretend that I didn’t feel the way I did just to protect myself from hurt. I was already hurting. It wasn’t going to change, so I’d hold on to this for as long as it was in my grasp.

After brushing my teeth, performing my skincare routine, and throwing on a robe over my nightie—as liberal as Duke’s parents were, I didn’t think they’d appreciate seeing my nipples while drinking coffee—I tentatively walked down the hallway to the kitchen.

Harriet sat at the breakfast bar, leaning on her elbows and talking to Duke as he manned the stove.

This gave me pause.

Even in my zombie, grief-ridden state, it hit me—that man at the stove.

I’d never really thought of cooking as something that could be sexy. Duke showed me that it definitely could be. He was already dressed, wearing jeans and a long Henley. It was tight enough so I could see his muscles move fluidly under the fabric.

My mouth watered, and it had nothing to do with the bacon he was frying.

Harriet saw me first, a knowing grin on her face. “They say a woman should be barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen,” she said. “But I think it should be the other way around. Although, if men had the ability to get pregnant, get periods, the human race would’ve died out long ago.” Her voice was easy. Warm. It wasn’t practiced, wasn’t hesitant, trying to probe around my grief. She was acting like it was any other morning.

I loved her for that—and the fact she made me smile. I hadn’t thought such a thing would be possible this close to yesterday’s events.

As always, Harriet proved me wrong.

Duke turned with his grandmother’s words, eyes finding me immediately. He fiddled with the stove, put down his spatula, and moved.

His hands rested on my hips and he landed a gentle but purposeful kiss on my lips. My body melted into him ever so slightly.

He lifted his hand to stroke my jaw, eyes glittering with a thousand things that were impossible to decipher without coffee.

“Mornin’, baby,” he murmured, lips close to mine.

“Good morning.”

“Hungry?”

“Ravenous.”

His eyes flared with my response and the hand that was still at my hip tightened. Then he caught himself, most likely remembering his grandmother was at the breakfast bar, shamelessly watching the exchange. He stepped back and pointed to the seat beside Harriet.

“Sit,” he ordered.

Any other morning, I would’ve stayed exactly where I was and shot something sarcastic to him for ordering me around.

This was not any other morning.

So I sat.

Harriet’s hand landed on my thigh and squeezed for a second, then it was gone. A show of support. Comfort, but not pity.

My eyes watered as they met hers.

“Coffee.”

Duke held out the mug, and I was so thankful for the caffeine and the interruption. The last thing I needed to do was sob all over this moment.

I took the mug and my fingers brushed Duke’s. Sparks spread from my hand all the way to my toes. It was insane to still have this reaction to a man I knew so intimately. Or maybe it wasn’t.

Conversation flowed easily throughout breakfast, and no one mentioned the elephant in the room. We weren’t ignoring it, per se, just maneuvering carefully.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to stay?” Duke asked after the food was finished. His hands were at my neck and eyes searched mine. He was probing for weakness, for the sign that I was apt to break down and do something crazy like run off into the wild and get eaten by a bear or something.

“I’m sure,” I said, hopefully with no crazy in my eyes.

He frowned, inspecting me. It was as if he didn’t want to leave, not just because of the obvious, but because of last night. Maybe it was as life-shattering