Bargaining with the Bride (Honeybrook Love, Inc. 1)

But last night she'd been more than a little naked. And so had Garret. And it had most definitely not been a dream.

She rolled over, but found the space beside her empty. He was gone. Probably already off to work, jotting down her REM cycles for his next study.

Which was fine. That's what she'd agreed to. Being studied and tested. Hell, she'd even have been okay with a little prodding, but this...

She pulled a pillow from beside her and shoved it on top of her face. Maybe if she squeezed hard enough, she wouldn't have to deal with the ramifications of what they'd done.

And, as far as she could tell, the consequences were limitless. What would they do about work? And what if he didn't want to do it again?

And why did his not wanting to do it again seem like a fate worse than death?

She hucked the pillow across the room and was surprised when it hit a now-indignant-looking Tesla. Apparently the pug had taken a liking to the chair in the corner of the room.

Which, she supposed, was fitting. Why not have an audience for her personal suffering?

"I'm an idiot." She said the words to the dog slowly, but when he simply panted at her in response, she leaned her head back against the headboard and sighed.

There was only one thing to do now. If Garret was at work, which he most definitely was, she'd just have to spend the day devising a new set of rules. Some stipulations for their, um, additional experiments.

If he wanted to continue them.

God, let him want to continue them...

She picked his shirt off the floor and buttoned into loosely before trotting down the steps two at a time. After some coffee, it was going to be go time—

"Ah!" She must have leapt two feet in the air, but Garret didn't seem to notice.

Hell, he didn't even turn around. He just kept flipping whatever it was he had on the stove, shaking his head all the while.

"You know, I could understand your surprise the first time, but don't you think a second time is a bit much?" He shot her a grin just as Tesla swept by her leg.

The bristles of her fur almost made her want to jump again, but she steadied herself. One step at a time.

"What are doing here?" She asked.

"I live here."

"No. You don't. But that aside, I meant what are you doing here right now? You should be in the office."

"There are certain benefits to being the boss." He sat an plate with a warm bagel in front of her and she glanced from it to him before reaching a reluctant hand out for the cream cheese.

>

"Okay. I'll bite." She smeared the spread on the bagel, and then met his gaze again. "What's your plan?"

"I wanted to have a meeting with you. To make sure you were okay."

She worried her bottom lip. He was going to tell her it couldn't happen again. She could just tell. It was something about the way he spoke. Like he was in a meeting with a very important but very moody client.

"I'm fine." She crunched into her breakfast, and then watched as Tesla circled her feet for crumbs like a pudgy vulture.

"Good."

"How are you?" she countered.

He smiled. "I'm quite well."

"Good, good." She nodded, and then swallowed hard.