Page 72 of Fierce-Baker

“This is great.” She put her butt on the stool, he climbed on the one next to her, and they both dug in. “I’m not sure the last time someone cooked me breakfast other than my mother,” she said around a mouthful, her hand coming up to cover her mouth as she chewed.

“You’ve been waiting on me for weeks. It’s the least I could do.”

Her head landed on his shoulder for a second and then went right back to eating.

She was much more open with her actions and emotions than she’d been.

Sure, she’d always been fun, friendly, and flirty.

But this was different. This was... deeper.

He just wondered if she’d clue him in on any of it.

“And I appreciate it.”

“What time do you have to pick up Micah?”

“Not until this afternoon.” She kept eating, then said, “Do you have plans this weekend? Or the rest of the weekend?”

“Nothing much more than normal shit I do.”

Cleaning, laundry, watching baseball.

He’d mastered the loner life. It wasn’t so much fun anymore. Not when he had a taste of this.

Her eyes were on his face, not moving, not blinking, her mind processing something.

He held her stare, not blinking or moving either, then wiggled his eyebrows and had her laughing out loud.

“I need to up my staring game around you. I thought I was good being around the kids at school so much.”

“Just takes practice and patience. What’s on your mind? I’d like to think you’d feel comfortable enough to voice your thoughts. You had no problem doing it last night.”

Her shoulder bumped into his in a playful mood that lightened every doubt he had.

Every careless thought or worry that something was wrong. Or he wasn’t doing something right.

He’d promised himself he wouldn’t do this again and yet his brain was betraying him.

“You’re right. I didn’t have a problem saying something and normally I do with men.”

“Why’s that?”

She shrugged, took a bite of her toast, her head twitching as if the words were spinning before they could come out.

“Because most of the men in my past felt emasculated if I asked them for something they weren’t doing. As if they weren’t good enough and it made me feel high maintenance.”

“Fuck them,” he said. “I mean it. Sex is a two-way street. I want you to tell me what you like and what you want. If you can’t tell me, then show me.”

She grinned, the smile lighting her blue eyes right up. “And I want the same.”

“We don’t seem to have an issue there. But that’s not what I think you’re holding back from saying. Right?”

She sighed. “Right. I’m not sure how to bring this up. I guess I’ll just say it but preface it with there is no pressure. Nothing to get stressed or worked up about.”

“Yet you are.” He put his hand on her knee that was bouncing up and down next to him.

“Sorry. Here goes.” She squared her shoulders, then the words rushed out, “Would you be willing to meet Micah?”