“What’s up with the broccoli?” he asked.
There was a pause and he could picture her cute, button nose squinching up in disgust. Finally, he heard her say, “It’s good for me.”
He looked back at her, her fingers still tapping on the keys as she skimmed through information.
“I’m going to run out and get some food. There’s nothing in your house, Naya.”
She nodded her head, but he suspected that she hadn’t really heard him.
He grabbed his keys, pressed a kiss to the top of her head because he couldn’t stop himself, and walked out.
A half hour later, he had six bags of groceries and he was carrying them into the house. When he glanced through the kitchen to her desk, he realized she’d barely moved except for her fingers. And she had a stack of papers on her printer. Obviously, she was printing out site information.
Good, they could discuss what she’d found over breakfast.
He cracked eggs, grated cheese, and sliced up ham and vegetables. After sliding a pan of muffins into the oven, he whipped up the omelets, adding extra everything and then slid them onto plates when they were perfectly cooked.
At the same moment, the timer to the oven indicated that the muffins were finished. He tossed the dishtowel over his shoulder and set the table, then moved over to her computer. “Breakfast is ready,” and he pressed the button on the monitor.
“Wait!”
“Nope. Everything is hot and ready to eat.” He grabbed the papers on the printer and took her hand, leading her over to the table. “Talk to me. Tell me what you’ve found.”
Naya looked down at the table and was amazed at all the food. “This looks amazing,” she gasped. “Where did all of this come from?”
“Sit,” he commanded, not sure if he was amused or insulted that she hadn’t realized he was gone. “Eat.”
He poured her more coffee and then sat down across from her. “What do you think?” he asked after she’d taken the first bite.
“It’s amazing! You’re an incredible cook!” She took another bite and closed her eyes, savoring the garlic and cheesy eggs. “This is wonderful!
“Good. I’m glad you like it.”
“I might just have to hire you permanently.”
His eyes lit up with that dangerous fire and she stammered, trying to back track. “I mean…”
“Don’t back down now. You’re in trouble, because I’m ready to be hired.”
Naya’s mouth fell open because she could easily picture Luke here, in her house. Or somewhere, cooking for her, making her laugh and enjoying her company.
Dangerous image, she told herself and looked down at her eggs. “I found about ten different pieces of land for sale that might meet your requirements. Although, until you tell me more about what you want, I can’t narrow it down further.”
He nodded his head, wishing he could have explored her startled expression more thoroughly. But she’d shut down quickly and tightly, so he tried to respect her need to move on. “I don’t know all of my needs either. And maybe something would be what I want in my mind now, but Logan could find some reason that my house wouldn’t work on a specific property.”
She nodded her head. “He’s the architect, right?”
“Exactly. And my twin. Zeke is the oldest and Teague is right behind him. Logan and I are the babies.”
Naya looked at Luke’s enormous body, broad shoulders and all of those muscles her fingers had discovered. She knew that there was nothing baby-ish about the man. “What was it like being a twin?” she asked despite her admonition to keep things professional. She was just too curious about the man.
“It wasn’t easy,” he said and she saw the teasing look in his eyes. “Logan is a pretty serious guy. It was hard to get him to put down the slide ruler and come out and have some fun.”
Naya didn’t believe him for a moment. “Logan doesn’t look like the kind of guy who stays inside doing math problems all the time.”
Luke shrugged one of his equally muscled shoulders. “His bulk is all because of my diligence.”
She rolled her eyes. “And possibly an athletic genetic makeup?”