Page 125 of Crushing Clover

“Yes, Saint.” Impulsively, I kissed the glass between us at his groin level as I got off the toilet and was surprised to see a flicker of interest in his gaze.

I washed my hands quickly and took off out the door before he could drag me in there to hold me accountable for my impulsive flirtation.

“Is Rush making bread?” Lucky asked groggily.

“Either that or we’ve woken up in heaven.”

“If you were still right here, it would be.” He patted the spot right in front of his chest where I’d been lying moments before.

“Go back to sleep. I’ll wake you up when the food is ready.” I crawled onto the bed and kissed his forehead.

He settled back into his pillow, smiling sleepily to himself. “Love you.”

“What?” I froze in place, waiting for him to repeat or deny what he’d said. Unfortunately, the only response I got was a snore.

He’d probably been mostly asleep and had said it automatically, but even so, the warmth that bloomed through me lightened my steps as I made my way down the hall to thekitchen. Rush looked immaculate, as though he’d showered and shaved before starting breakfast.

“You’re up early,” I said cheerily.

“Breakfast isn’t going to make itself.”

I thought of making a joke about Pop-Tarts, but the last thing I wanted to do was dissuade this man from making bread for me first thing in the morning—not that it was for me, necessarily, but I got to enjoy it, too. My mouth watered simply thinking about it, and I inhaled appreciatively, wishing I could roll around in the scent.

“Can you do me a favor?”

“Anything,” I said honestly. There wasn’t much I wouldn’t do for any of them at this point.

“Do you know where the convenience store is down the street?”

My heart lurched into my throat, and I swallowed, but nodded. “Yes, sir.”

“Can you please go get some butter? I didn’t realize we were running so low.”

“Yes, sir.” I hurried back to the bedroom, stripped off my tank top, and threw on a pretty dress.

He was letting me go alone. The idea was both exhilarating and terrifying. What if Annika’s people were watching? We hadn’t seen or heard from them, that I knew of, but that didn’t mean they weren’t keeping an eye on things.

What if the guys got in trouble for letting me do this?

I came out of the bedroom with my sandals already on, and my hair a mess of tangled curls. I ran my fingers through it, hoping for the best, but I didn’t want to delay breakfast. The horror of the bread cooling off before we had a chance to enjoy it hurried my steps.

“Grab money from my wallet.” He gestured toward the entryway and the bowl where they kept their keys and wallets.

“Yes, sir.”

I practically skipped over to it, feeling light and excited at the thought of taking a walk down the street all by myself, as though I were a kid running an errand for my dad for the first time. I dug Rush’s wallet out of the bowl and opened it, surprised to find it completely stuffed with cash. It barely closed. What was he doing with so much cash on hand? They usually paid for everything with phone apps.

Hesitantly, I grabbed a twenty and tucked it in my dress’s pocket, not sure how much real butter would cost at a convenience store. I let myself out, closing the door quietly behind me.

It was a little disorienting when I got to the street, and I felt conspicuous walking down the sidewalk. Cars passed, their drivers seeming oblivious to me. The walk only took about ten minutes, but my paranoia made it feel much longer.

As I entered the store, I realized I’d forgotten to ask what kind of butter to get. I stared into the cooler, trying to remember the label on the one that was in the fridge a few days ago. Eventually, I chose one with salt and one without, not sure which he’d want. It wasn’t like it would go bad in a house where someone was always cooking.

The man at the counter smiled at me more broadly than he had at the man who’d been in front of me in line.

“That’s a lot of butter,” he remarked. His eyes came back to me again as he took the money from my hand, and it didn’t seem like an accident when his fingers brushed against mine.

I gave a tight smile. “My husband is baking this morning. I wasn’t sure which kind to get.”

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