1
Penny
The potatoes roasting in the oven made the whole cottage smell of thyme and rosemary. I’d hoped the aromas would rouse Kit from sleep because I’d been waiting for over an hour and had run out of ways to occupy my time. I’d started a fire in the hearth, brewed coffee, fried eggs, and peeked into our bedroom on four separate occasions only to find Kit nestled under the blankets so warm and peaceful I couldn’t bear to disturb him.
He rarely slept in, and I rarely woke early for reasons that were painfully clear now. The house was lonely, not to mention boring, and I had little tolerance for either of those things.
Sitting at the kitchen table, I heaved a sigh for the sole excuse of breaking the silence. The breakfast tray before me was set with the plate and flatware and a tin mug of coffee, but it looked a bit lonely without a sprig of flowers or a small bud in a vase. Unfortunately, nothing sprouted from the frozen ground of Ashpoint this time of year.
I’d long grown weary of winter with its drab gray skies and perpetual chill. The sunny months ahead promised new color and life and a long-awaited return to Eastcliff. To my farmand my mother and sister. This journey home would be all the sweeter because Kit would be on my arm as my beau. My darling.
The potatoes grew more aromatic until I could stand it no longer.
I went to the stove to dish up a hearty serving of eggs and potatoes. I still had my apron on when I ferried the tray down the hall toward the bedroom. Bumping the door open with my hip, I stepped into the dark room and padded over to the bedside where Kit’s head poked out of a pile of blankets.
The kittens had slept in as well and were tangled in a ball at the foot of the bed. I expected Nutmeg to be underfoot anytime I was in the kitchen, but Ember went wherever Kit did, a fuzzy black shadow dogging his steps or perching on his shoulder. It was a miracle she hadn’t managed to stow away in his cloak on one of our trips out of the house by now.
I set the tray on the bedside table, then bent over and kissed Kit’s stubbled cheek.
“Morning, darling,” I murmured.
He grunted and stirred, dark eyes opening to slits. His mumbled response was more sound than words, and I snickered.
As he came to awareness, his gaze panned over the meal raising curls of steam into the chilly air. “You cooked,” he said. He pushed the covers down to his waist and worked his way to sitting.
“Ialwayscook,” I replied.
Kit snorted. “Dinner, not breakfast.”
He looked toward the window on the far wall where golden sunlight streamed in. Dawn had broken not long before, and he was due in the forge soon. If not for that, I might have crawled into bed and dozed with him till the afternoon.
“What time is it?” he asked.
“Early enough.” I brushed mussed curls back from his temple, and he leaned into the touch, wide awake now with his eyes sharp and his full lips curving a smile.
He reached out and hooked his hand around my side, bare above the waistband of my linen pants. The apron covered only the center of my chest, leaving plenty of exposed skin for Kit to trail his fingers over. When he snagged the string cinched above my hips and gave a tug, warmth pooled in my groin.
“Early enough,” I repeated slowly while untying the apron and tugging it over my head, “that we could enjoy ourselves for a bit.”
Kit gave me a teasingly scornful look as I pulled the blankets back and slid in beside him, reaching straight between his legs and the hardness I expected to find there.
Working my way on top of him, I cupped him through his pants while I kissed his exposed neck and shoulders. He hummed a soft sound, followed by a chuckle.
“And here I thought I might get to eat my food while it’s warm for a change.”
“Mmm,” I murmured. “Oven’s still hot. I’ll put it back in when we’re done.”
He kept his grip on my side, fingertips pressing in between my ribs in a way that made me sigh. His other hand traveled lower, then around to squeeze my backside.
“Is this what it takes to get you up before the sun, farm boy?” he asked.
Blush burned my cheeks as I dipped down again, kissing and sucking at the tender spots on his throat until he moaned.
I kicked the rumpled sheets aside, sending the kittens bounding off the bed with a skitter of claws.
I watched them go with a smirk. “That’s a relief. Didn’t want to take you with the kids watching.”
Kit laughed and cradled the back of my neck so he could draw me into a lingering kiss. When we pulled apart, I was flushed and breathless, made even more so by the flash of desire in Kit’s dark eyes.
