Chapter 10
Having remained awake all night, she knew the precise second he became aware. The muscles of his arm under her hand tensed for the briefest moment before he relaxed. When she’d managed to crawl back into the bed, Kahler had moved close and wrapped her up in the warm strength of his limbs. No part of them didn’t touch. Nose pressed against her neck, he’d made sounds of unabashed delight for a long time before true sleep silenced him.
Extracting his arm with careful precision, his hand settled on her stomach. As if in response to an unheard command, the rest of his body withdrew until an impassable space solidified between them.
Quinn continued to feign sleep.
A faint knock at the door pulled Kahler from the bed. With the swish of cloth and a sigh, she pictured him gathering the pants she had folded with reckless abandon, pulling them on as he watched her. She felt his attention blistering her skin.
She didn’t even twitch when he pulled the blanket up over her shoulder.
“Good morning, sir,” Curtis whispered, only the faint click of the tray against the table giving his position away. “There’s more waiting if she wishes it. I’m not sure who you would rather bring it up. Meghan might be a good option, she’s a mouse.”
“I’ll send for it if she wants more.” Kahler was less concerned about the volume of his voice, keeping it down to a quiet rumble.
“You will, sir?”
A grunt was his only response before he continued as if nothing was strange about his current behavior. “I’ve marked the appointments that will need to be canceled. Tell Bauer and Gartner that I’ll arrange something with them late next week.”
“Yes, of course, sir.” Curtis was beside himself, tension vibrating through his hushed tones.
“Curtis,” Kahler said after a span of quiet, calling the man back into the room. “I want the sitting room aired out and cleaned.”
“The one next to your office?”
“Is there another sitting room in this house that I’m not aware of?”
“No, of course not. I’ll see to it at once.”
Minutes ticked by after the door clicked shut. Quinn kept her breaths slow and shallow, surprising herself with how well she was managing to pretend. At least, she thought she was doing a decent job since Kahler hadn’t called her out on it yet. She could hear him moving about, imagining him getting ready for his day.
The bed dipped as his weight settled beside her. Prepared to counterfeit groggy moans when he woke her, she wasn’t expecting the feathery touch across her cheek. Tracing the line of bone up to her temple, his thumb smoothed up the bridge of her nose and over her eyebrow.
She had no idea what he was staring at her for. Her face was the same one in his mirror that had greeted her every other day of her life. Lips in a perpetual pout that were more often called sullen than sexy, eyes spaced just a little too far apart. Her forehead was too big for the rest of her features. The angles of her jaw and cheeks were less pronounced now, the padding of eating well suiting her fine, but otherwise it was just her face.
As if realizing he was fondling mediocrity, Kahler pulled away, even going so far as to stand up. His hand engulfed her shoulder, a light shake urging her awake.
Deploying the feigned groan, Quinn rolled to her stomach to hide her face in the pillow. His quiet chuff of amusement tripped down her spine just before his hand followed the same path.
Surprise widened eyes in the shadowy recesses of fabric, Quinn forced herself not to flinch. He never woke her up this way. In fact, he should be seated at the table, calling loudly for her to get up and eat already. All of it done with a hint of avid impatience that he had to waste precious time on her. He shouldn’t be rubbing her back in slow passes as if he would ease her into the waking world.
“Time to wake up now,” Kahler said in a hushed tone that was quite different from the one he had employed when speaking with Curtis. She heard him shift, the warmth of his breath washing over her arm where it hid the side of her face. His hand swept upwards, raking through the mass of tangles atop her head to scrub at her scalp.
The luxuriating moan slipped out unbidden. Strong fingers moved to her nape, massaging the delicate column of bone and muscle. With a mental tirade of curses berating her, Quinn turned her head just enough to peek over the top of her arm at the man crouched beside the bed. Bare-chested and sleep tousled, she couldn’t quite believe what she was seeing.
A not-quite smile was on his lips, a softness to his features she didn’t understand. Pushing up to her elbows, she shrugged his hand away only to have it slip down between her shoulders to settle at the small of her back.
“There’re biscuits,” Kahler said, dark brows moving in what could only be called a playful bounce. Taking her arm as he stood, he began to extract her from the nest. “Honey and butter, too.”
Dubious of this new mood, more confused than ever, Quinn allowed him to move her about like a doll. Seated on his lap at the table once again, he purred and touched her throughout the meal. As soon as the vicious monster of her hunger was sated, he led her to the bathroom.
Hovering over her, he caged her in against the vanity as he supplied her with toothbrush and toothpaste. Mumbling out her thanks, Quinn squeezed the tube and prepared herself to ask him to purr if she had to. He seemed willing. He couldn’t become agitated if she requested it.
The pungent sweetness of strawberries flooded the air. Her head snapped up, startled gaze meeting Kahler’s in the mirror. The rich evergreen was cautious, nothing near hopeful but—maybe—attentive.
Before she could make a complete idiot out of herself, she shoved the toothbrush into her mouth, trying not to wince as plastic scraped along her gums. Muttering another thanks around the handle, her gaze was kept downcast as she brushed.
Retreating to the shower as soon as she was done, her concentration was fixed on the knobs as she adjusted the water. Not surprised when he slipped into the stall behind her, she made no effort to hide that she was uncomfortable with it.
