“Take a shower in here. I’ll move your things, then we’ll cook breakfast together.”
“Thanks, I guess?” I reply as he takes a step back.
“You need to cool off, and so do I. Don’t get me wrong, I love the look you have in your eyes right now, the way you feel when I’m between your legs. But first, I want us on the same page before I take what you’re offering.” Slade kisses me on the lips then leaves me standing in the middle of the bathroom, stunned speechless. I mumble to myself before turning around and doing like he said, getting in the shower, because let’s face it, Slade Chavez is not wrong. I need to cool myself down with a cold ass shower.
Nine
Slade
I hated like hell leaving Taylor in the bathroom, but I knew it was the right thing to do. If not, both of us would be naked, our bodies glistening from the shower, and I’d be on my knees, licking the wetness I felt seeping through her lace panties.
After I moved her belongings into my room, I changed into a pair of jeans and one of my old Navy shirts, then hustled down to the kitchen. There’s no way I was going to be in my bedroom when she came out of the shower with only a towel wrapped around her body. I start the coffee pot before getting the skillet ready for eggs and bacon. Taylor has a sweet tooth, something she divulged last night while we were eating dinner, so I’ll be making a run to the grocery store later on to get her favorite things.
“Maybe she’ll go with me on an evening run,” I murmur out loud while flipping the bacon.
“The answer to that would be no. I only run Monday through Friday. The weekends are meant for rest, which means no work and no cleaning, just two days of rest. I’ll run with you Monday, though.” She’s in a pair of jean shorts that are showing off her lean tan legs and white cotton shirt.
“It will have to be in the evening when we both get off or early morning.”
Her face lights up. “Evening time will be better. I haven’t run outdoors in a long time, so you’ll have to give me some leeway if I’m slow.”
“I can do that. I’m sure you know your time at the gym isn’t happening for a while. You can use the one at Nighthawk or the one in the basement here.” I want her to know she now has some kind of rules to keep her safe, not that she’d have these in place if it were under normal circumstance. But until this weird ass psycho is handled, I won’t let her out of my sight.
“You have a gym here? I probably won’t use the one at Nighthawk. Bridger would probably annoy me the entire time or tell me what I’m doing wrong.” She rolls her eyes. Taylor isn’t wrong; working out with Bridger can be quite the experience.
“That’s fine with me.” Plus, if Taylor worked out there, I’d never get any work done. My eyes would be solely focused on her and making sure none of the other boneheads would be drooling over her.
“Have you heard anything from Drake and the lab yet?” She drops the question that I don’t really want to answer. Her hands are wringing her fingers, as if she’s nervous. Fuck, I hate like hell that I’m about to answer her the only way I can.
“No, whoever sent that letter left a print on it, but it’s not in any database, which means he or she has never had a record. Or it could have been from someone else handling it. We’ll figure it out and soon. We just need to stay vigilant right now.” I drop the tongs I was using to flip the bacon and walk toward her, needing her in my arms probably more than she needs me.
“Thank you, Slade.”
I pull her into me. “Nothing to thank me for.” When our hug is over, she does something I wasn’t expecting. She holds on to me as I walk back to the stove, snuggling in as I finish the bacon.
“I’ll get the eggs out of the fridge. Also, you said we were talking once we were downstairs, so it’s time to pony up.” Taylor has no idea how fucking adorable she can be when she’s throwing her sassiness around.
“I did. I guess now isn’t the time to make you wait some more?”
I cock an eyebrow when she says, “Not happening, Mister Bossy Pants.”
“The hell?” I shake my head with a smile. If she thinks I’m bossy now, I don’t know what she’ll think once I get her underneath me in bed.
“What? Tell me you aren’t bossy. You’re probably the bossiest person I’ve ever met.” She really does have her sass in full effect today.