No, he didn’t need to dash off to work. The firm’s office hours were nominally nine to five, so he had some time. Who was he trying to impress anyway, getting to work every day before 8:00 a.m.?
He put on his jeans and shirt and followed the scent of bacon. Halfway down the hall, a pair of identical gray and white kittens greeted him. He checked his pockets. Sure enough, Courtney had stolen his keys.
That took him aback for a moment. Had she violated his privacy or crossed any of his unstated boundaries? Probably. But on the other hand, Ghul seemed happy to be reunited with Doom. And since Matt usually fed Ghul before 6:00 a.m. every morning, Courtney had saved the kitten from going hungry and being lonely. She’d also allowed him to sleep in. How could he fault her for any of that?
He entered the apartment’s main room, with its open kitchen and dining area, and found Courtney wearing a short, flowery robe that barely covered her ass. She’d piled her hair on top of her head in a messy bun, and she bustled in the kitchen with her back toward him. Oh man, she looked like a sweet morning morsel. His mouth watered, and his groin tightened.
If it weren’t for the hour and the smell of bacon, he might have snatched her up and carried her back to the bedroom.
Instead he cleared his throat. “Morning.”
She turned, her blue eyes sparkling in the sunlight, her cheeks slightly pink either with a blush or beard burn. Either way, the effect was devastating. Delight filled him to overflowing. Last night, she’d been sad and lonely. Now look at her. Radiant, happy, and deliciously well-used.
“Hi,” she said, her plump lips curving a little like Mona Lisa’s. His mind flashed on those lips and the pleasure they had given him. “I made eggs and bacon. And I hope you don’t mind. I borrowed your keys and brought Porthos over to play with Aramis. I fed both of them. Your keys are on the counter.” She pointed.
“I don’t mind.” He sat down at the breakfast bar. Her apartment had a different layout than his. It was more up to date, and her furniture had more style and character. He liked the bold orange and yellow of her throw pillows, and the artwork on the walls. He should ask her for pointers. His walls were barren, and he hadn’t even thought about buying pillows for his couch.
“It’s okay if you don’t have time to eat breakfast. I understand,” Courtney said in a rush as she placed a plate in front of him containing two sunny-side-up eggs, toast, and several strips of bacon. How the hell did she know he liked his eggs sunny-side up?
“I have time,” he lied. He didn’t have time, but he would make time this morning.
Her smile was so wide that it lit up the room more than the sunshine. “You want coffee?”
He nodded. “Black, please.”
She placed a mug in front of him and then leaned against the countertop. “About last night…” she began, a little frown folding up the skin of her forehead.
He put up his hand to stop her. “No need to explain. We’ve all overindulged at one time or another.”
“I’m officially giving up Manhattans,” she said. “And I’m seriously thinking about giving up the Jaybird. None of my girlfriends go down there anymore. Not even Arwen. Drinking alone isn’t healthy anytime, but drinking alone with Ryan Pierce is pathetic.”
A mysterious and heretofore unknown muscle deep in his chest twisted tight, stealing his breath. What the hell? He still didn’t fully understand Courtney’s relationship with Ryan. And he suddenly wanted to know.
Damn. He’d never cared about that sort of thing before. The women he’d hooked up with had been temporary. If they had other relationships, it didn’t matter.
He didn’t like this tight feeling in his chest. Not one bit. And Ryan Pierce was an idiot if he’d been stringing Courtney along. He took a bite of bacon and chewed for a long, thoughtful moment. No wonder she’d had a crying jag last night.
“There’s nothing to be sorry about,” he finally said, once he’d swallowed the bacon.
“Yes, there is. I didn’t need to drag you into my pity party. With all my girlfriends married and Sid moving away, I don’t know, I felt as if life was leaving me behind.”
“So you know that the Dogwood Estates tenants have gotten eviction notices.”
She nodded, biting her lip. “Yeah. I’ve been trying to get Sid to move in with me, but he and Leslie seem to have something going. They were talking about moving to Arizona, where it’s warmer and cheaper.” She gave him a watery smile and continued. “Can I ask you a favor?”
He nodded. “Sure.”
“Would you ask Arwen to call me? I mean, she’s been avoiding me or something. She never wants to go down to the Jaybird anymore. You know, she’s probably like Sid. She’s probably found someone or something.”
“Um, I don’t think so.” He shook his head.
“No?”
“She’s been putting in a lot of extra hours at the office. And I’m probably the reason for that. We’ve been working on something.”
Courtney cocked her head. “On what?”
He shrugged. “It’s not that important. I thought I could figure out a way to stop the county from abusing its power and throwing people off their land and out of their homes, but yesterday David made me see the truth.”
“Abusing its power how?”
He looked up from his eggs into her curious face. And it struck him right then that Courtney could be so much more than a bed buddy, although God alone knew sex with her was nothing short of incredible. Maybe the sex was so good because there was more to Courtney than a curvy body and a pair of killer blue eyes. She had heart. She had soul. She was smart and accomplished, and sometimes she had
