Wrapped Up in You (Heartbreaker Bay, #8)(41)

“And sexy women who don’t even realize they’re sexy.”

Shaking her head—and ignoring a serious tummy flutter—she plated three breakfast tacos and handed them over.

Kel looked down at the plate in surprise. “What’s this?”

“Maybe I’m trying to be nice to you too.”

His dark eyes warmed. “I didn’t ask.”

“I know. But I also know you love my food.” Which she took great pride in. She was also a sucker for anyone who appreciated her, so she gestured to the stool in the corner. “Sit. If I know Caleb, it’ll be the only time you sit all day.”

He did and immediately dug in, letting out a rough, heartfelt groan, the sound of pleasure pulling at spots inside her she’d forgotten about. She wondered if he made that same sound when he was in bed with a woman.

Not that she was ever going to find out.

Unless . . . that was what he chose as his spoils from last night’s bet. Because it would be rude to back out on a bet, right? Rolling her eyes at herself, she turned back to her prep work.

“Tell me about the condo.”

“You’ve been to the building. You work in that building,” she said. “You probably know more than I do.”

“I like the light in your eyes when you talk about it.”

More tummy squishing. “It’s a great location. It’s got a great view. And the kitchen . . .” She couldn’t hold back a grin. “Once I get in there and start cooking, you’ll have to come over—” She broke off as she realized he’d be gone.

His smile faded. “I would’ve liked to see you in it.”

Their gazes met and held. She shrugged off the unmistakable sense of longing and kept working.

When he finished eating, he cleaned up after himself and then removed the knife from her hand before pulling her into him. Then he kissed her. It was a pretty great kiss, and when their tongues touched, she moaned.

Pulling back, eyes on fire, he took a deep breath, like it’d been hard to stop kissing her. “If you have any problems,” he said. “Any at all, I want you to call me and let me help you take care of it.”

“Always the cop.”

He smiled against her mouth, taking her bottom lip between his teeth and giving it a naughty little tug that caused a secondary reaction deep inside. “Not always.”

She had to bite back another moan. “Okay,” she managed breathlessly. “So when you’re not a cop or cowboy, you’re . . . what? A Boy Scout?”

Cupping the back of her head, he held her still and kissed her again, taking his sweet-ass time as he took her completely apart, and she had her answer.

He was no Boy Scout.

“Thanks for breakfast,” he said, and stuffed some cash into her tip jar before leaving.

When he was gone, she let out a long shaky breath and turned to eye the money. He’d left her twice as much as what she would’ve charged for the food he’d eaten.



Kel worked through lunch. There was a lot to do to get Caleb’s security systems in place and up and running, and eight days of the two weeks he had here were already gone.

Caleb had given him an office to use when he wasn’t onsite at any of the ten different projects he had going in the city. Kel was there now, neck deep in architecture and engineering plans, when a shadow fell across his desk.

Lifting his head, he found his sister.

Remy was bundled up and wearing one of those baby sling thingies, with Harper strapped onto the front of her, facing out. When she caught sight of Kel, she smiled a big gummy smile that allowed a long line of drool to escape as she began to bounce in excitement.

Heart. Melted.

“Hey, cutie,” he said, rising to his feet as she squirmed and wriggled. Coming around his desk, he bent to press a kiss to the top of her head.

“And what about me?” Remy asked, taking a seat with a sigh of relief.

He pressed a kiss to the top of her head as well, making her laugh.

“What are you doing here?” he asked, leaning back against his desk. She, Ethan, and Harper had come over to Caleb and Sadie’s every night he’d been there—except for last night when he hadn’t been home—so they’d had lots of time together. “Everything okay?”

She stroked a hand over Harper’s soft peach fuzz and smiled. “Everything’s great for me. I’m here about you.”

“Why?”

She sighed. “There’s no easy way to say this, so I’m just going to say it. I know about Mom.”

Kel took a beat. “What?”

“I know that you ran into her at the diner where she’s working these days. She took the night shift there because it pays extra and they’re trying to save up to move a little closer to their only granddaughter.”

He blew out a breath. “I didn’t know that.”

“Of course you didn’t. Because you didn’t want to know. You know, she thinks you blame her for everything that’s ever gone wrong in our family.”

“What? Why would she even know to think that?”

“Because I was there when I told her.”

Kel scrubbed a hand over his face and then slid his hands into his pockets. It was that, or kill his sister.

“Look,” Remy said. “Mom wasn’t perfect.”