Free Rising from the Ashes by Jessica Prince

managed to doze off around four in the morning.
    The lingering smell of bacon woke me up way too early for my liking the next morning. Groggy and still half asleep, I kicked the covers off my bed and padded my way down the hall. If I’d been awake all the way, I might have been bothered by the fact that it appeared someone had broken into my house in order to make breakfast.
    When I turned the corner, the first thing my eyes feasted on was Jeremy’s back as he stood at my stove in a tight gray T-shirt and worn jeans that fit his ass to perfection. The second thing was the delicious meal of bacon, eggs, and pancakes that was set up on my kitchen island. Everything looked as wonderful as it smelled. He must have been here for a while.
    “Uh…what’s going on here?”
    He turned and hit me with that hot-as-sin smile, throwing my sleep-muddled brain off even more. “Well, good morning to you too, sleepyhead.”
    “Good morning. What’s going on here?” I repeated, still unable to wrap my brain around it.
    He grinned and then turned back to flip another pancake. “What does it look like? I’m making you breakfast.”
    I pulled out a bar stool and planted myself at the island. Then, I started to pour syrup on a couple of pancakes before digging in with gusto. “How did you even get in here?” I asked around a mouthful of food.” Classy was my middle name.
    Jeremy turned off the gas burner and slid the pan into the sink to rinse. Then, he turned to face me and pulled a key out of his pocket. “Got a key, remember?”
    I rolled my eyes at that. “I have got to stop giving out keys.”
    I’d made the mistake of giving a key to my house to all of my friends. They had a tendency to act like my house was open for them whenever the hell they wanted to come over, no matter how inconvenient it was for me. Between Luke, Trevor, Jeremy, Brett, and Gavin, I had to restock my pantry and fridge way too often.
    Jeremy leaned back against the counter and crossed his arms. “You know, for someone acting all pissy, you sure are shoveling that food in pretty damn fast.”
    I glanced up and glowered at him, not even bothering to inhale between bites. The food tasted divine. I hadn’t even realized how hungry I was. “Whatever,” I grumbled between bites while he stood there all cocky and full of himself.
    We stayed in companionable silence while I ate until I had absolutely no room left in my stomach. When I finally finished, I dropped my fork, leaned back on the stool, and let out a content sigh.
    “Good?” Jeremy asked with a laugh.
    “Oh, yeah,” I said happily as I rubbed my full belly. “So good.”
    He leaned his elbows on the island across from me and studied my expression. “When was the last time you had a decent home-cooked meal?”
    I shot my eyes to the ceiling and scrunched my face in thought. “What’s today?” I asked.
    “Tuesday.”
    “Three years ago?” I guesstimated.
    He shook his head. “That’s just sad.”
    I crossed my arms and leaned against the counter, mimicking his stance. “No more avoidance, Jer. What’s all of this about?” I asked, waving my hand around the kitchen to indicate his cooking.
    He stared right in my eyes while responding, “This is me showing you what you’re getting by being with me.”
    My heart started to speed up at the same time my stomach dropped while I looked down at my lap. The whirlwind emotions I was experiencing were driving me insane. The majority of me wanted nothing more than to be with Jeremy. But that little voice in my head was still reminding me that I didn’t deserve him, that I’d screwed up, and if he ever found out, he would hate me forever.
    I took a fortifying breath and looked back up at his beautiful face. “Jeremy, we aren’t together.”
    “Keep telling yourself that, sugar.” He rounded the island and came to stand right beside me, ignoring my personal space. “Did you forget what I said last night? We’re doing this my way. If you