Page 74 of Healing the Heart

He brought a hand to her face, gently cradling it as his thumb whisked away the single droplet that had escaped onto her cheek. “What’s wrong?”

“I spoiled your surprise.”

“No, you didn’t. It’s surprise enough that I cooked. I think there’s more to these tears you’re not telling me.”

“Oh, Noah. It’s just that... Breakfast in bed is so sweet. And pink is my favorite color rose. How did you know?”

“You’ve mentioned pink roses before.”

“Not that. My birthday. I never said...” Then she remembered. Her Rossi file, and she had one at the club. He would have access to both. It was an intrusion of the nasty business plaguing her world that she didn’t want to think about this morning.

“I know a lot about you, pet, but not nearly enough.” Whisper-soft, he brushed his lips over hers. “I’d better check the waffles before they burn.”

“You made waffles?”

Back at the stove, he asked, “Blueberry walnut. Your favorite, right?”

Her heart turned over at his thoughtfulness. But surely that little tidbit wasn’t in an investigative or BDSM folder.

“Right,” she whispered.

She would have pinched herself but was afraid to wake up and discover this was all a dream.

Since she was up, they ate at the table—waffles, bacon, juice, and coffee. It was delicious, and her discovery about Noah for the day was that he could cook, he just chose not to very often. Which made the breakfast he prepared for her even more special.

Unfortunately, she had to work, so they couldn’t linger over coffee. And her ploy with the buttons worked. Dessert was the mini-session she’d hoped for. The clock wasn’t her friend,however. It left them rushing out the door with Fiona putting on her makeup in the car—never an easy task.

Noah got her there with two minutes to spare. Kai, who was on duty today and waiting for her at the drop-off point, gave her flushed cheeks a discerning look, but didn’t say a word as he accompanied her inside and up to the clinic.

Her birthday surprises weren’t over. Her co-workers had gone in on a cake and embarrassed her by singing. And when Noah let her into the condo after work, he gave her the rundown on how the rest of her evening would go.

“We have reservations for dinner at seven,” he informed her, talking over the jingling of keys and the soft thud of his wallet and business card holder as he emptied his pockets onto the console table by the door. He unsnapped his weapon, holster and all, which he wore on his belt at the small of his back and placed it carefully next to the box. The gun was always present on his person unless locked inside his home with her. Even then, it was always close by.

“Is something wrong?” he asked.

Her gaze shifted from his 9 mm, which was how he referred to it, to his face. The look of concern was a reminder, like the gun, the bodyguard, and all the other uncommon instances throughout the day, that this might be her “new normal,” but it wasn’t her life. They’d never discussed what would happen when Jordan was behind bars and her need for Noah’s protection went away.

“Fiona?”

“Hmm?” she responded vaguely, still bothered by her train of thought.

“You zoned out on me. Are you feeling all right? If not, I can change plans—”

“Oh no. Please, don’t. I just needed to change gears from work to play.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. I’m looking forward to dinner and an evening at the club with you.” That could very well go away, too. They hadn’t discussed commitment of any kind. And the four-letter L word only popped up in her head, never once in conversation.

“If you’re certain. There’s a gift on the bench in the closet. Put on everything in the bag and nothing else.”

That snapped her out of her dismal headspace—thank goodness. Why ruin the evening with what-ifs that may or may not come to pass? Besides, the only one who’d ever gotten her a birthday gift was Lexie.

Excited, she hurried toward the hall, but he caught her arm and spun her to face him. “How about a thank-you kiss in advance?”

Fiona slid her hands up his chest and rose on her toes. “Breakfast and a rose this morning, now a gift, dinner out, and a night at the club. You’re spoiling me.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and, before she laid a hot one on him, whispered, “Thank you, Noah.”

It wasn’t often that she gave, and he received. He let it go on for thirty seconds, at most, before she found her back to the door, her hands pinned on either side of her head, and he’d taken over.

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