Page 84 of Mr. February

“You didn’t wake me, or if you did, I don’t care anymore. I need coffee.”

Jenny covered her mouth as a yawn escaped, and she got the first whiff of her morning breath. Maybe it was a good thing Wade woke up before she did. He beamed at her and leaned against the door frame.

“We don’t have in-room coffee today. I woke up earlier, and I went on a hunt for the good stuff.”

Jenny giggled at his enthusiasm and sat up. The blanket fell to her waist, and she scrabbled to cover herself.

“No need to wrap up on my account,” Wade said with a teasing smirk, “but I understand some things are more comfortable at night. Why don’t I give you a couple of minutes to get dressed, and then we can have our coffee and surprise.”

Gratitude filled her as she stared at the charming guy hovering in the doorway with a mischievous expression on his face.

“What’s the surprise?” she asked.

“If I tell you, it won’t be a surprise. Now hurry up. Our coffee’s getting cold. There are two surprises now that I think about it.”

Wade closed the door behind him, and Jenny threw off the blankets. She grabbed a sweater, skinny jeans, and undergarments before she headed to the bathroom to brush her teeth and use the facilities. When she caught sight of herselfin the mirror, she grimaced and then shrugged before she got dressed.

If Wade wanted to call her gorgeous, she’d let him. She brushed her teeth and removed last night’s makeup but didn’t bother trying to tame her bed head. Instead, she wrangled her hair into a low ponytail with a twist and swiped on mascara and lip balm.

She studied herself critically in the mirror before she finished dressing. Coffee was more important than looking good right now. Besides, he’d already seen all her flaws. While he might simply be using their unplanned closeness to his advantage, he’d gone out of his way to make the morning after less awkward.

“Oh, wow, you look great,” Wade said when she entered the sitting area.

Jenny blushed and avoided eye contact. She glanced around the room for a distraction. Her eyes landed on a plate stacked high with muffins, croissants, and cinnamon rolls. Confused, she looked back at him, her nerves forgotten.

“Where did this come from?”

“The hotel planned a big Valentine’s Day brunch today, but it was canceled due to the weather. They’d already baked a lot of stuff, though, so they have a big buffet downstairs. I went looking for good coffee for you and found this.”

“It’s amazing. Cinnamon rolls are my favorite. I love how they start out delicious but somehow get better with every bite until you finally reach the soft, gooey, perfectly sweet and spicy center.”

“Kind of like you,” Wade said in a low voice.

Jenny’s face flamed, and he chuckled. Just like that, her embarrassment was back in full force. Unlike her past relationships, though, she liked it even though she didn’t trust it yet.

“Take a seat,” he said. “Oh, they had mimosas and coffee. I only had one set of hands, though, so I prioritized the coffee. I hope that was the right call.”

Jenny had already grabbed one of the cups on the table to hide her embarrassment. After a big whiff, she took a cautious sip before she turned to Wade with a huge smile.

“Coffee was definitely the right choice.”

“Okay, good. There were a bunch of women hanging out around the mimosa station, so I worried I picked wrong.”

“Mimosas are fun, don’t get me wrong, but coffee is life.”

Wade chuckled again while Jenny took another sip.

“That’s what I thought you’d say. Do you need any cream and sugar? I wasn’t quite sure since sometimes it seems like you use it, and sometimes you don’t.”

Jenny’s heart swelled. He’d already paid more attention to her habits in a few short days than Chad had in the year they dated.

“I prefer it black when it’s good quality coffee like this. If it’s bad or mediocre, though, it needs a little assistance to be palatable.” Jenny laughed and added, “But I would probably have drunk this black even if it was vending machine coffee to contrast with the sweetness of the cinnamon roll.”

“I wondered if you were going to eat any. You keep looking at them, but I noticed you haven’t chosen one yet.”

“I don’t usually eat that much sugar on an empty stomach, but they look so good, I might have to make an exception.”

“Oh, that reminds me! I got bacon, too. I forgot that plate in the kitchenette.”

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