“Have a seat. I’m not much of a cook, but there are a few things I can do: toast, bacon, and eggs. You okay with that?”
She walked to the cupboard where she’d found a glass the night before and took out a smaller one for juice. “I’ll have a piece of bacon.”
He turned to look at her, his classic sneer spread over his face, making him look strangely hot. Something Kory needed to realize was that this guy was beginning to be it for her, and so it didn’t matter what expression or clothes he wore, what things he said, what he was doing. He was incredibly attractive no matter what he did. He said, “A piece of bacon? That’s it?”
She shrugged, trying not to give away the thoughts in her head that had nothing to do with breakfast. “Maybe some toast too.”
“Maybe? You’re crazy.”
“I don’t eat a lot in the morning. If I eat too much, I get sleepy in class.”
“Really?” He pulled the last few slices of bacon out of the skillet and placed them on the plate lined with paper towels. There were already several slices on it, next to four buttered slices of toast. He brought the plate to the table and then walked back to the stove. There were four eggs and he cracked them in the skillet one at a time and then whisked the fork he’d used on the bacon through them with lightning speed. “Not even an egg?” he asked, keeping his eye on the skillet.
“I guess I’ll have a little…since you’re going to so much trouble.”
He turned around and looked at her, grinning. “That a girl.”
She rolled her eyes as he turned around and finished up the eggs. He reached into a cabinet just a little to the left and pulled out two plates, and then he scooped the eggs onto them—a little on one and a lot on the other.
He moved the skillet off the burner and walked to the table, setting one plate in front of Kory. “Sorry they’re a little greasy. I like to fry them in bacon grease, because they taste better.” Before sitting down, he pulled a couple of forks out of a drawer, handing one to Kory.
She looked at her plate and the grease made them look unappealing. She was going to eat them, though, because he’d made them for her. She took a half slice of toast and a piece of bacon and put them on her plate. She drank some juice before picking up the fork. “You know this shit’s bad for your heart, right?”
He laughed, scooping up a fork full of eggs. “Yeah, but you only live once.”
“That might be, but it’s a shame you’re cutting yours short.”
They chuckled together and enjoyed the rest of the breakfast. The food might not have been great, but Kory didn’t know a time when she’d enjoyed herself so much—bright sunlight streaming in the windows with a view of blue skies and pine trees, a sweet dog sitting next to the table begging for scraps, and the nicest, hottest guy she’d ever fallen for smiling and joking with her about nothing. It made Stone feel like home.
Chapter Thirteen
KORY LOOKED AT her reflection in the mirror—really looked. What the hell did Stone see in her? Sure, she’d found the supreme confidence to ask him on a date the first time, but after her freak out last night and the way she looked this morning, she had no clue why he even bothered. After her shower, she looked like a drowned rat.
But she needed to get a move on. Once home, she wanted to put on clean clothes and she needed to get her books for classes. Stone said he wanted to get her a coffee at some point too, so she needed to just hurry up and get ready.
She’d already brushed her teeth with a spare toothbrush Stone had found in a drawer, so all she had to do now was comb out her hair and throw last night’s clothes back on.
The bathroom convinced her once again that Stone had a shitload of money. She’d bathed in the most elaborate shower she’d ever been in. It was huge, surrounded in glass from floor to ceiling, but what impressed her the most was that there were two showerheads on opposite sides, so if she’d felt like turning them both on, she wouldn’t have had one chilly spot on her body. And the shampoo and conditioner—she’d never heard of the brand, but her hair had never felt so pampered and silky. There was also a humongous tub in that large room, but the bathing facilities were separate from where she stood now, which was a smaller bathroom with a toilet and large sink, counter, and medicine chest. She wrapped the towel around herself and tucked in a loose corner to keep it hugged around her body while she combed out her hair in the quiet space.
She heard Stone in the bedroom. “Kory?” He tapped on the door.
“Yeah?”
“Everything okay in there?”