Page 26 of Unexpected Company
It’s not the good kind of heat, not the result of rolling around in bed with the sexiest man I’ve ever met.
“Ugh, fuck’s sake,” I groan, stretching my limbs and rolling onto the empty side of the bed. I bury my face in the pillow, breathing in the delicious scent of my sexy writer.
Not mine.
But still.
Climbing out of bed, I tighten Garrett’s shirt around my torso, trying to ignore the scratch in my throat and the goosebumps that break out over my body when the air hits my naked legs. Nothing a cup of camomile tea won’t fix.
I find Garrett in the kitchen, two golden omelets on plates next to the stove, where he is frying tomatoes. He’s singing along to a Christmas song, his hips swaying to the music. I lean against the door frame and watch him, a smile spreading on my facedespite the grogginess in my head. When he spins, flourishing the spatula in the air, he spots me and a wide grin settles on his face.
He is such a morning person. It would be sickening if he wasn’t so damn sexy while also being unbearably adorable.
“Morning,” he says. “English Breakfast tea freshly brewed.” He points to the kitchen island where he’s made tea in a teapot. Oh my stars, he is perfect. Tea always tastes better coming from a pot.
“Thank you,” I reply, my voice straining. I cough to clear it, then pour the warm liquid into a cup. I pull out a stool and slide into it.
“You okay?” he asks, placing a full plate of food in front of me.
“Yeah, I’m fine. Throat’s a little scratchy and it’s seriously cold in here.”
Frown lines appear on his forehead before he crosses the room to rest a hand over the heater.
“Heating is on. And the fire is going in the lounge. Are you sure you’re okay?”
He comes closer and in a move I don’t expect, Garrett places the back of his hand over my forehead.
“You’re very warm.”
“I’m fineDaddy,” I joke. His cheeks darken and his nostrils flare.
Oh…okay…that’s…something.
Garrett pulls out the stool next to me and digs into his breakfast. We don’t talk about last night, or about how I slept all night on top of him. It’s as though in the light of day, it never happened.
“Shall we head into the village after this?” he asks, waving his fork at his plate.
My stomach twists. I guess this is it. Last night was fun, but he’s ready to get rid of me. Figures. Nothing I’m not used to.
“Yeah, okay.”
Garrett bumps his shoulder against mine.
“We need milk. I’ve never gone through so much of the stuff so quickly.”
“I like milky tea.”
He chuckles. “So I’ve noticed.”
We’re silent through the rest of breakfast. My body aches and I’m floating between being too hot and too cold. I change into clean clothes, missing the softness of his shirt as I pull on one of my cardigans. I eye the bed, wanting so badly to climb back in. But I promised I’d leave, and it’s clear when he knocks on the door, asking if I’m ready, that he’s keen to get this over with.
“You sure you’re up for this?” Garrett asks once we’re outside. His brows furrow as he assesses me.
Swallowing around the sandpaper in my throat, I nod, pulling my beanie lower on my head.
The ground is mushy beneath our feet, the air thick with the scent of damp soil.
My head is too heavy on my neck, and the glare of the sun through the clouds hurts my eyes, but I ignore it all and aim for casual when I say, “I’ll get a cab to come collect my stuff once I’ve found another place.”
