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“Good morning,” he echoed, moving toward the stove. He pulled a plate from where he’d left it to warm in the oven and set it on the table for me, kissing the top of my head before turning to get his own. Immediate tingles cascaded through me. My mouth dried while my gaze stayed glued to him, watching him move with the grace of a feline predator. I couldn’t rip away my stare even to look at the food he’d made.
“I poured your coffee when I heard you head into the bathroom,” he said as if I weren’t practically gaping at him. Thank goodness I’d taken a second to get halfway presentable.
“Thank you,” I whispered, still bemused by how sweet he was being. Didn’t he remember the vitriol I spewed at him last night?
I nodded toward his clothes. “Are you going to work out after breakfast?”
He shook his head and sat down, kitty corner to me like yesterday. His hand curled over mine, squeezing for just a moment before he let go and left me in a confused twist from the tiny touch.
“Already went,” he told me. “Since I can’t afford to miss a day, I usually hit the gym about four or five in the morning to get it taken care of. Thankfully, Cherish Cove has a twenty-four hour place now.”
“I didn’t know that.” My workouts usually consisted of running around the library and going up and down the stairs in that old building. And in this one, too, since my place was on the third floor. Of course, when there wasn’t snow on the ground and it wasn’t too cold, I ran outside. I did enjoy running.
But the gym? No.
“You can’t afford to miss a day?” That seemed like a good not-too-personal place to land.
“I used to stay in good shape before—”
“Yeah, you were in the gym every day,” I agreed. “How you said it seems different, though.”
“It is. It’s a different game now. The G-forces on the body, the constant tension you hold while you’re racing inches from another guy, the heat from track—I have to wear heat shields under my heels now to keep from getting singed. There are people who say driving isn’t a sport, but it is. The strain it puts on the body is at least as great as for any endurance athlete. So I have to stay in the best condition possible. It’s crazy I didn’t realize how much before—back then it was just adrenaline and fun.”
“A lot of things were different before.” Honestly, seeing him move to the next level, hearing about it, impressed the heck out of me.
“Yeah.”
And this was moving too close to dangerous territory. I wasn’t ready to tread through the minefield just yet. Not without a full cup of coffee in me.
“So you’ve already been to the gym,andyou made breakfast? That couch must be pretty uncomfortable,” I teased.
“I’ve slept in more comfortable places.”
“Yeah, sorry that—”
He held up a hand to stop me. “It’s all good, Bristol. I’m an unwelcome guest. You letting me stay on the couch is a win.”
I kinda hadn’t thought I had a choice. Now that I thought of it, he could have stayed with his parents, and he would have if I’d insisted. Which I hadn’t. I didn’t even realize it had been a possibility—until that very moment. Apparently, subconsciously, my masochist side had wanted him here.
“Well, I’m…sorry I was so…meanlast night.”
Axel enveloped my hand in his warm fingers again. “You weren’t mean.”
“I was.”
“We both know I had it coming. But I’m going to make it up to you. “
I shook my head, mystified by how calm he was being. I’d told him I hated him. I’d had a fit on the dance floor and walked out on him in front of our closest friends.
His fingers brushed my cheek, and he grimaced a self-deprecating smile. “There are things you don’t know. Things that happened before. Iwilltell you. I promise. But for now, just… Let’s finish breakfast. Just know I’m so fucking sorry, and I’ll tell you the rest later.”
“So…breakfast and a mystery,” I commented.
“Trust me…” He lifted his coffee cup. “It’s too much to digest without being fully caffeinated.”
I stared at him.
“I know how you think,” he explained. “Coffee before drama. Promise I’ll tell you, too. Today.”
