Page 105 of All I Feel

I spun around, aware that the only thing covering my backside was the strap around my neck and the simple bow at my waist where I’d tied the apron. No underwear. No bra. I’d gotten dinner prepared and in the oven before putting this on, but I liked Ace having the thought of me mostly naked in his kitchen while cooking for him.

When I turned around again, I noticed the muscle in his jaw working. I closed the distance between us, pressed a palm to his chest, and whispered, “Dinner’s in the oven, handsome. It needs another twenty minutes.”

He wrapped one arm around my waist and lifted. As soon as my ankles were hooked behind his back, he said, “Perfect. You’re joining me in the shower.”

“Don’t you want to know what we’re having?”

“I’ll eat anything you made, Tessa. And I’m going to love every single bite, especially after I have a taste of you first.”

I grinned. “Appetizersfirst, right?”

“Always.”

With that, Ace carried me all the way to the bathroom. And after getting his meal starter in, we returned to the kitchen just in time for me to pull the baked ziti out of the oven.

In the end, I decided making dinner for Ace was much more fun than breakfast.

TWENTY-SEVEN

TESSA

I never sawthe heartbreak coming.

Maybe that made me a love-struck fool. Perhaps I was just being naïve.

It was Friday. And when I’d woken early this morning, I slipped out of bed, intent on finally making Ace that breakfast I’d been promising him.

There was a slight chill in the air—the temperature had been hitting the mid-sixties during the day, but the nights dipped into the thirties—so I pulled on a sweatshirt over my nightie and made my way to the kitchen.

A thrill of excitement moved through me as I whisked the eggs in the bowl. I couldn’t wait to surprise Ace with breakfast. If I was lucky, maybe I’d be able to bring it to him in bed.

I worked as quickly as I could, eager to carry out my plan, and when I was getting the food put on the plate, I heard Ace’s approaching footsteps.

Damn.

As he entered the kitchen, I twisted my neck and looked over my shoulder at him. His eyes were on my bare legs, a hint of a lazy smile on his handsome face.

“Good morning,” I said softly.

Ace lifted his gaze to meet mine. “Morning, Princess.”

He walked up behind me, slid his arms around my waist, and kissed me before I said, “I wanted to surprise you with breakfast in bed.”

Hugging me tightly, Ace whispered in my ear. “You could’ve done that without needing to get out of it, Tessa.”

I rolled my eyes. “I’m being serious.”

“Me, too!”

Ace didn’t release me as I finished plating breakfast. But once I did, I spun around in his hold, pressed the front of my body tight to his, and threw my arms over his shoulders. “You’ve had that enough every morning this week.”

“And I was perfectly happy with it,” he said, brushing his lips lightly against mine.

“Well, I think it’s nice to have a little variety from time to time.” I didn’t give him a chance to argue with me because I gave him a proper morning kiss. “Eat breakfast with me while it’s still hot, handsome.”

Ace’s lazy smile returned, and I stepped away. Picking up the plates, I carried them to the table, set them down, and was about to go grab the utensils when Ace said, “What the fuck, Tessa?”

I blinked at the sudden harshness in his tone and the angry look on his face. “Excuse me?”