Page 28 of Sergeant O'
“Um, coffee and water?”
“Coming right up!”
She flitted to the cupboard and pulled out a mug and a glass. After pouring the coffee, she asked, “Cream or sugar?”
“Just creamer if you have it.”
She reached into the refrigerator for the creamer and I couldn’t help but add, “I hate that you’re waiting on me like I’m an incapable child.”
Setting the coffee and creamer in front of me with a scowl, she replied, “First of all, you’re my guest.”
“That you didn’t invite—”
She moved to the refrigerator and started filling the glass with ice from the door dispenser, as if to drown out my words, then switched to water and continued like I hadn’t said anything. “Secondly, you wereshotthree days ago—saving my sister. Serving you breakfast and letting you stay is the least I can do.” She glanced at my thigh as she set the water down in front of me. “Speaking of getting shot. We need to change your bandage after breakfast.”
I wasn’t convinced I could have her that close to my dick without it getting hard, so I blurted out, “I’ll just go see Brady in his office.”
One of her eyebrows shot up, and she put her hand on her hip.
“Oh, for fuck’s sake, Brian. We’ll make sure your cock is completely covered with a towelanda blanket, and I promise I won’t try to rip them off and ravish you.”
My head almost exploded right there on the spot.
She saidcock, and I found that sexy as hell. Then she added the part about promising not to ravish me, but my Neanderthal brain only heard “ravish you,” and suddenly I wanted to swipe the table of all its contents so I could bend Jade Beaumont over it and ravishher.
Fortunately, my injury kept me in check.
But the idea of her hands on me was too tempting to turn down, so I grumbled, “Fine,” before dumping way too much creamer into my coffee.
****
Jade
Okay, so making Brian a hearty breakfast obviously hadn’t made him see me any differently.
I guess the bigger question was, why did I even care? There’s no way I’d go on a date with him even if he did.
I chalked it up to my bruised ego needing validation that I was attractive. Worthy of a handsome,age-appropriateman’s attention. The eighty-year-old men that came in from the assisted-living facility and proposed marriage didn’t count.
If a player like Brian wasn’t even interested in me, what were the odds another, more eligible man would be?
I knew the answer: not great.
And even though I wanted to pretend like it didn’t matter, deep down, I knew it did. I wanted to get married someday and have children. Granted, my biological clock wasn’t banging likea gong yet at the ripe old age of twenty-seven, I understood how quickly time was starting to fly by.
Thirty would be here before I knew it. Then thirty-five, and if I wasn’t careful, I’d be lumped in the high-risk pregnancy category before I realized it.
Dramatic much, Jade?
Okay, so I had some time. But still. And why did my conscience sound like Sophie?
Brian finished the last of his breakfast and leaned back in his chair.
“That was excellent. Thank you.” His expression turned serious, and he pinned me in place with his stare. “For everything. I really appreciate it; more than I can express. You’ll definitely have to let me return the favor once I’m back on my feet.”
The intensity of his gaze made me self-conscious, so I tucked a phantom stray hair behind my ear to break eye contact and flippantly replied, “If I ever find myself in a situation where I can’t go home because the media is camped outside my house, you’ll be the first person I call to spend the night.”
“It doesn’t have to be that spectacular. Who knows, maybe you’ll want to sleep over sometime just because.”
