Page 28 of Road to Redemption

She never dared to touch my skin — reluctant to wake me, I guessed — but I could feel her hands laying just at the edge of my body, suspended in the temptation but never quite giving in.

Except for this morning, when I’d woken up with something warm and heavy laying over my hip — her palm. Lying as still as I could, my eyes widened at the sight of it.

Apparently, I wasn’t the only one who was surprised. As soon as Dom’s eyes cracked open to see what she’d done, she flinched away and rushed out of the bedroom.

And now, I was down here making breakfast, while she stalked off to some corner of the property to hide.

Probably bleaching away every last trace of that touch.

I huffed as I beheaded the last strawberry and turned to throw the pile of greeny tops into the trash.

It was a shame that Dom was such a prickly bitch. In the moments when she’d just fallen asleep, the few times I’d dared to glance back at her, she looked… soft. It was a stark contrast to the scowl she wore the rest of the time.

Given how many other lines she was willing to cross with me, I wasn’t sure why that was the part she refused to let me see in waking hours.

Dropping the cutting board back off at the counter, I turned to grab eggs from the fridge. As I reached for the handle, I was greeted by a vintage Valemont postcard peeking out from beneath a novelty fridge magnet. A quick peek at the back showed that it was completely blank and had never been sent.

Did Viv ever get homesick for New York?

It was a silly question. How could she not? Her daughter was there. But so was the man who had sent her packing. The man we still needed to take down. But how?

I exhaled through pressed lips, shutting the fridge loudly behind me. But I wasn’t the only one growing antsy, it seemed. As I turned back to my workstation, Spencer was waiting for me, fingers drumming the counter’s edge behind her as she leaned easily against the counter.

“You’re up early, Bunny.”

“Thought you and Viv could use a break from cooking for once.”

“I never need a break from spoiling you. Sit down.” She nodded toward a stool tucked under the island. And while a part of me wanted to argue, the combination of last night with Dom and my early morning in the kitchen already had my shoulders aching.

“If you’re sure…” I relented, pulling out the seat. From here, I could see that she’d already started the toaster while I was rifling through the fridge.

It was probably for the best that Spencer took over for me anyway — she was much faster in the kitchen, and more confident even in an unfamiliar set up. Jogging back over to the fridge, she grabbed some chopped chives from the night before and mixed them in with the eggs, which she could crack two at a time.

“Alright, alright,” I teased. “There’s no need to show off, Gordon Ramsay.”

“Of course there is,” she smirked. “I’m trying to impress you.”

“Even now?”

“Always.” She grinned, stepping away from her station to give me a kiss before pulling my stool closer. “You’re too far away. I want to be able to kiss you whenever I want.”

If her dragging my stool across the kitchen with me on it hadn’t made me blush, her volume would have.

“Where is everyone else?” I asked, peering back over my shoulder as she poured the eggs into a hot pan.

“Leo’s with Lady, helping Viv in the garden. Dom is probably hounding the Oracle for satellite footage of her precious house. And the two of us are completely alone.”

Her tone dropped mischievously as she reached for me again, lifting my chin to plant a passionate kiss. Her tongue was soft as it teased my lips, urging me to open, to give her more.

It was a stark contrast to the harshness Dom took me with — I felt like I might melt right in Spencer’s hands. But as she set down her rubber spatula and reached to cup my face, I pulled back.

“Spencer, we can’t do this here.” I laughed.

“Why not?” She smirked, studying my face even as she picked up her spatula to stir the eggs.

“Because it’s Dom’s mother’s house!” I hissed. “It’s not respectful!”

She glanced at the burner to pull her perfectly fluffy eggs off the heat before raising an eyebrow at me. “That hasn’t stopped you yet.”