Page 9 of Reckless (Adventures in Love 3)
Chapter 4
JADE
Sitting at the counter in Maverick’s kitchen while he makes us breakfast, I watch him, completely fascinated by the dimples above his ass and the way his biceps flex as he flips pancakes or when he lifts his coffee to take a sip. I’ve been trying to keep my eyes off him, but the whole him-being-shirtless thing is making that almost impossible to do. I mean, not that I have any issue with him not wearing a shirt; he’s just a lot fully clothed, so when he’s half-naked, I feel like my brain has short-circuited.
“Jade,” he calls, and I pull my eyes off the tattoo that takes up his left shoulder and focus on his face, which is no better for me to look at, not with the way his dark hair has fallen over his forehead or the morning shadow covering his jaw making his lips look even fuller. “Did you hear me?”
“No?” My nose scrunches, and his lips tip up into a roguish grin.
“I asked if you were good with taking the snowmobile out after breakfast, since you’re stuck here at least for a few more hours.”
“Oh, sure, that sounds fun.” I pick up my cup of coffee to take a sip. “And thank you for letting me stay and for agreeing to take me up to Cybil’s when the roads clear.”
“You don’t have to keep thanking me.” He places a few pancakes on a plate, carries it over to where I’m sitting, and passes it to me. “I have maple syrup or regular.”
“Do you have honey?”
“I think so.” He walks to one of the cabinets and opens it up, and after moving a few things around, he pulls down a full bottle of honey and brings it over to me.
“Thanks.”
“No problem.” He goes back to the stove and begins making his own plate.
“So are these kinds of storms normal here?” I ask him while slathering butter on top of my stack of fluffy pancakes.
“Maybe not normal for this time of year, but the winters here can be harsh. If you really are planning on sticking around, you might want to think about getting a different car.”
“My car isn’t horrible in the snow when I have the snow tires on it; I just haven’t changed them out this year yet.” I cut into the pancakes, and my mouth waters. “And I would have made it here yesterday just fine, but I stopped at a trading post and lost track of time.”
“Got it.” He comes over and stands across from me with his plate, dumping a ridiculous amount of syrup on top of his stack of pancakes.
“Besides, a new car isn’t a priority right now; getting a job and place of my own is.”
“I thought that you were going to help Cybil out with her purse thing.” Purse thing. I have to smile at his very male description. The truth is Cybil is an artist. A few years ago she decided that she was going to make herself a vegan-leather handbag, and the first time she wore it out, people were asking where she got it, and not long after that she started selling them locally in Oregon and online. Now people all over wear her designs; even some well-known celebrities carry her bags.
“Cybil doesn’t really need my help; she just feels bad for me, so she offered me a job to help me out. And even though I appreciate it, it’s not what I want to do with the rest of my life.” I shrug, trying to ignore the tightness in my throat. “I had my dream job; being my own boss and working around books all day is what I always wanted to do. I need to find a way to get that back.”
“You’ll get there,” he says softly, and I lift my eyes to his.
“I hope so.” I take a bite of pancake and just barely avoid moaning because it’s so good. I figured when he said he was going to make pancakes that they were going to be from a box, so I was surprised to see him making them from scratch, and I’m even more surprised by how good they are.
“Good?” he asks when I take another bite, and all I can do is nod as I chew.
“They put even my mom’s pancakes to shame,” I tell him after I swallow, and he grins. “Not that I will ever admit to saying that, so I’ll deny it if you ever bring it up.”
“Your secret is safe with me,” he assures me, picking up his cup. “How is your mom doing?”
“She’s good,” I say, knowing he’s asking because my mom had a heart attack a while back, around the time that Cybil and Tanner got together. “Her doctor says that as long as she keeps doing what she’s doing, she should be okay. I really think that Cybil insisting that she go to a mostly plant-based diet has really helped a lot.”
