Beneath This Man(82)

'No.' He accepts my hold and squeezes me tight to him.

'Because you drank.'

'No, Ava. I'm not an alcoholic.'

'I didn't say you were.' I hold him tightly, feeling a little sad for him, but quietly pleased that he's opened up. He is so strong and self-assured, but these little cracks are becoming more obvious. Am I making these cracks?

'Can I make you a well-balanced breakfast now?' He pulls out from my clinch.

'Yes, please.'

'What do you want?'

I shrug. 'Toast.'

'Toast?' he asks questioningly. I nod. It's six thirty in the morning. My stomach hasn't woken up yet. 'It's hardly well-balanced.' he mutters.

'It's too early to eat.'

'No, it's not. You'll eat. You're too thin.' He releases me and goes to put some bread in the toaster.

I lower myself down from the island and take a seat on a stool to admire him as he faffs around the kitchen. I'm touched. He openly admits he's crap at cooking so the fact he has offered to make me breakfast is quite pleasing. Resting my elbows on the worktop, I sit my chin in my palms and study him. He had a bad dream. Or nightmare. Either or, though, he told me, and that must have been hard. He's a big, strapping man who was reduced to a cowering mess by a bad dream. I hope they are not frequent because it was horrible seeing him like that - scared and vulnerable. I didn't like it

I sigh to myself. He looks as handsome as ever this morning. He's not shaved, and I love the one day stubble on him. He's hasn't got a full suit on, just charcoal grey trousers and a black shirt. I might change my mind about lunch so he is forced to give me a reminder f*ck.

I watch him gather the butter, knives and plates and place everything in front of me on the island. Then he goes back to the fridge, returning to sit next to me with a jar of peanut butter. I look at him in disbelief as he unscrews the lid and dunks his finger in.

He wraps his lips around his coated finger and looks at me with it half hanging out of his luscious mouth. 'What?' he mumbles.

'You're giving me a hard time about a well-balanced breakfast?' I flick my gaze to the jar in his hand.

He swallows. 'Nuts are very healthy. And anyway, you're more important than me.'

I shake my head and start spreading butter on my toast as he watches me. 'You're important to me.' I grumble to my toast. I look up at him as I wrap my teeth around the corner.

He smiles. 'I'm glad. So, what's in your diary today?' he asks nonchalantly as he dips his finger again.

I choke on my toast and he frowns. Is he serious? I'm not telling him!

'What's so shocking about wanting to know what you're going to be doing?' he pouts.

I swallow my toast. 'Oh, nothing,' I chew a bit more, 'if I thought you were genuinely interested and not planning a trampling mission.' My voice is dripping with sarcasm.

'I am genuinely interested.' He looks hurt.

I'm not falling for it. 'I'll meet you at Baroque at one. I've still got to ring Kate and advise her that you're gatecrashing our ladies' lunch.'

'She won't mind. She loves me.' he says confidently.

'That is because you bought her Margo Junior.' I remind him.

'No, it is because she told me so.' He's so smug.

'When?'

'When we were out,' He pushes my hair from my face. 'The night I showed you how to dance. The night you got completely k-lined.'

'K-lined?' I ask around my toast.

'Drunk.' he mouths.

I scoff. 'Kate must have been drunk too.' She wasn't as drunk as me, but that would be difficult. She was well on her way, though - not that it would matter. Kate wouldn't tell anyone she liked them if she didn't, and she certainly wouldn't say she loves them, even if it is a term of endearment.

'Not just then.' He scoops his finger in the jar and thrusts it under my nose. I screw my face up and he smirks before licking it off himself.

'When then?' I ask casually, taking another bite of my toast. He's doing this on purpose.

'At The Manor.' He tosses it in the air like it's the most natural thing in the world for Kate to be at The Manor.

My jaw hits the marble counter. I remember Kate went to The Manor on Saturday night and I remember Jesse being called away late Saturday night. It must have been then. She didn't go into details when I asked her. Fun is what she had said and she didn't elaborate further. I definitely wasn't going to push it after her contemptuous reaction to my questioning.