Free Love Me Like That by Marie James Page A

oven.
    She has perfect timing as she shuffles into the kitchen just as I’m pulling the pastries from the oven. My back is to her, but I hear her walk in. “Coffee’s ready,” I tell her and set the cookie sheet on the stove top to cool. Another ten minutes and these babies will be ready for the packet of cream cheese icing that came with them.
    She didn’t bother to pull her hair back before coming down this morning, and it’s all over the place and down her back. Just a few shades darker than honey, it hits her in the middle of her back, which is facing me as she makes her coffee.
    She’s still wearing the soft pink tank she had on last night, but her legs and luscious ass are now covered in a pair of thin cotton pajama pants with pastel stripes. She turns with her coffee cup in her hand, cradled under her chin, blowing on it to cool it faster.
    I stand across from her leaning on the opposite counter. I watch her eyes rake over my body. I’m shameless this morning and came down with no shirt on, my broad chest bare and loving the attention it’s getting from her eyes. I can’t keep my eyes off of her nipples which are practically visible in her thin shirt.
    Perfect fucking tits .
    I clear my throat, and she snaps her eyes up to mine. “How’d you sleep?” Do you know I was in the bed with you?
    She grins at me. “Like a baby. Didn’t wake up once.”
    “I made cinnamon rolls.” Thank heavens she doesn’t realize my level of crazy.
    “They smell delicious,” she says with a grin. She sets her coffee down on the counter behind her and takes a few steps closer to me.
    I grip the edge of the counter to keep from reaching out to her. She brushes my arm as she reaches beside me into the cabinet for a few plates. “Want me to pour you a glass of milk?” she offers in a husky voice near my ear that makes me wish she was asking if I want something else.
    “I’d love one,” I return in a voice just as husky.
    She moves toward the fridge, and I turn to add the icing to the cinnamon rolls. I put one on each of the plates she left near the stove and carry them to the table, making sure to put them perpendicular to one another rather than across the table from each other like last night.
    She smiles at me as she carries in the glasses of milk but frowns when she looks down at the plates. I immediately think she’s not happy with the proximity of our plates. “Let me guess? You plan on eating that with your hand?” She laughs and shakes her head, turning toward the kitchen to grab forks.
    She hands one over to me, and I make sure my fingers brush hers as I take it. She doesn’t jerk away this time and her hand actually lingers near mine.
    I clear my throat again. I seem to do that a lot around her.
    “The snow has stopped, for now,” I say as I cut into the soft pastry and take a bite.
    She lowers her head and nods, clearly not happy with the news, a huge change from her reaction to being snowed in yesterday. Interesting.
    My fingers tingle with the urge to reach out and tilt her chin up so she can’t hide her eyes. “What’s that look for?” I ask trying to sound as nonchalant as possible and pop a bite in my mouth before I say something, even more, ridiculous.
    She fiddles with her breakfast but doesn’t take a bite. She gives a sad laugh and raises her eyes to mine. “You sure you want an invite to my pity party?”
    I grin back at her. “I don’t mind listening if you want to talk or work through some shit.” I shrug my shoulders and take another bite. Just don’t expect me to share.
    “Remember you asked for it.” She smiles.
    I love her smile and how it makes her eyes close slightly.
    “I told you last night I found my ex with my best friend.” I nod. “I just went home and packed all of my things and left. I haven’t even spoken to them since.”
    I narrow my eyes at her. “You didn’t confront them?”
    “Not really my style. There was nothing to say. No way to confuse what I saw,