Page 19 of More Bite than Bark

“Fried if you don’t mind.”

“Not a problem.Over medium right?”

“You got it, sugar.Need anything?”

“Just a skillet.”

Hex pulled his egg skillet from the cabinet and set it on the counter.“Anything else?”

Elle shook her head.

“What do you want to do today?”he asked as he moved around the island to sit where Nathan had been.He could watch her, talk to her, without crowding her or making her feel like she wasn’t welcome.That was the last thing he wanted to do.

“I hadn’t gotten that far.I’m sure Mama is going out of her mind trying to reach me.And I’m worried about what Michael might have done to my apartment.”She used a pair of tongs to pull the last of the bacon from the skillet, then slid it off the flame before covering her face with both hands.“I’ve screwed this up so bad.”

Hex couldn’t stand seeing her like this.He slid off the stool and went around to pull her into his arms.

“I won’t say it’s not a mess.But we’ll figure it out.It likely won’t be easy and I’m sure it will get harder before it gets better, but we’ll make it work, sugar.”He held her for a moment, she let her head rest against his chest for a moment then she took a deep breath and straightened.

“I better get breakfast done.Go sit back down and let’s see if we can figure out where to start with my mess.”

Hex released her and stepped back.He watched her for a moment, making sure she was alright, then went back to his seat.By the time he sat down, she put the egg skillet on the flame and added some of the bacon grease.He watched as she cracked an egg.

“How many do you want?”

“Three please.”

She nodded and reached for another egg, not saying anything.

Hex needed to ask about the money, about her ex and so much more, but he hated to bring it up and make the nice domestic moment they were having end.But he needed to know so he could make sure she stayed safe.

“Spit it out, Kevin,” she said without glancing up at him.

“What?”He frowned.

“Whatever you’re brooding about.You’ve got something you need to say and for some reason you don’t want to say it.”She opened a drawer and pulled out a spatula, then bumped the drawer with her hip to close it.“Spit it out or I’ll have to use this on you.”She waved the spatula like it was a weapon, he saw the glint in her eye that told him she meant what she said and might even be looking forward to smacking him a couple of times.

Hex sighed.“I was trying to wait until after we ate.”He paused, then decided he might as well jump in.“I’ve got someone checking out Anderson.”

“Why would you do that?Michael’s not a bad guy, I just couldn’t marry him.”

Hex didn’t answer, nor tell her what they’d found so far, not yet.“Every man, no matter how good they may be, has a breaking point and you never know where that is.I like to be prepared for anything.What happened yesterday could drive a lot of men to violence and I don’t want anything to happen to you, Elle.”He watched her.

When she glanced up, their gazes met and he hoped she could see how he felt, how much he cared for her.

Chapter Twelve

ElizabethstaredatKevinfor several seconds.When she heard the eggs start popping she looked down, breaking the connection.Hope raced through her.Maybe she hadn’t just totally ruined her life.

Flipping the eggs, she thought about what Kevin said.Everyone had a breaking point.She couldn’t say he was wrong.Her breaking point had been those two pink lines.That had sent her into a tailspin.Not sure what else to do, and mostly numb, she’d done whatever she was told to get ready for the wedding.Thankfully, mostly she had moved from one chair to another while someone styled her hair, gave her a manicure and a pedicure, or did her makeup.People had talked around her and she’d answered on autopilot.She had no idea if anyone had assumed she was nervous about the wedding or if they’d even noticed how quiet she’d been.

The timer on the stove went off.She pulled the biscuits out of the oven.She plated Kevin’s eggs, added some bacon and a couple of the biscuits then slid the plate across the bar toward him.

“Thanks, sugar,” he said.

She didn’t bother with eggs for herself as she’d managed to cook his, but the smell of them made her stomach start to churn.She could cook them and now that they were cooked, her stomach was starting to settle but just the thought of eating eggs this morning made her want to ralph, but grabbed a couple of biscuits for herself, and a few slices of bacon.

“Do you have any honey?”