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He stopped the blender and looked down. The little bird was definitely ruffled today. Her messy brown hair covered her eyes which didn’t appear to even be open. Her arms stretched out in front of her, briefly touching everything. Her pajama top had slipped off her slender shoulder. Without thinking, he reached down and put it right.
His fingers brushed over her warm skin and the warmth lingered as he took them away. A tiny shiver raced over her.
She lifted her hair from her eyes and squinted at him. “Too noisy.”
He smiled. Dammit. He dropped the smile the next instant, but he couldn’t be sure if she’d seen it and would think they were friends now. Sure, he kept up with a few people, but he didn’t need to add to the list. She put her palms on the counter next to his cutting board.
“Coffee.”
He raised his eyebrow at her, but she didn’t seem to notice. It wasn’t a question, more like a demand.
She glared up at him and said, more emphatically, “Coffee.”
This was the sweet girl everyone loved? He almost laughed, but he seriously worried she would shiv him with the knife from the cutting board if he did. A pot of coffee sat on the warm setting next to him. Sophie must have made it earlier.
He reached up and grabbed a mug off the open shelf and handed it to Lacy, but she had him blocked in and pushed the cup against his side. “Coffee.”
Shaking his head in amusement, he grabbed the pot and poured some into her cup.
She lifted it to her lips and took a sip. Her lips curved into a calmer smile and she said, “Thank you.”
She retreated and went to the couch, huddling into the corner and sipping her coffee. Her bare feet tucked beneath her.
He poured his smoothie into a glass and went to sit on the other end of the couch. It wasn’t his initial intention. If she hadn’t emerged, he probably would have just drunk it in his room. He probably should have drunk it in his room anyway, but he was a little curious if the “nice girl” would reappear after enough coffee was in her. Would she be at all embarrassed about how she had behaved pre-caffeine?
The more she drank, the more she uncurled from her position until she released a heavy sigh. Her hair sat in a tangled mess on top of her head, very different from the “messy” bun last night. She had a pretty face without makeup on. Honestly, she didn’t look like she needed makeup at all.
“What?” Her brown eyes were wide open and met his. Just a hint of attitude behind that one word made him shrug at her. Still more homicidal than sweet right now.
She drank a little more, like the fierce little bird she was. She set the mug on the coffee table and gave a full body stretch. Her top inched up revealing the curve of her tiny waist and her flat stomach. His mouth went dry, and he took a drink.
He could imagine slipping his hands beneath those loose pajamas and finding ways to make her at least have a more pleasant morning. He shook that thought out of his head as she finally spoke.
“Let me guess, you are one of those people that pops out of bed looking just as hot as when they went to bed and requires no drug to make you jump out of bed and start exercising. Minimal effort.” She glared at him, but it was a little softer now, like she was actually almost awake.
His athletic shorts and his tank spoke for themselves. That and he hadn’t showered yet, he probably didn’t smell the greatest covered in dried sweat.
“Some of us require beauty sleep.” She latched onto her mug again and drank some more. “Blenders and sleep don’t mix.”
He grunted to let her know he heard her. Not that he’d change anything, but. . . . “Sophie left.”
Her hand went to her hair to try to pat it down. Failing horribly. “She does that.”
“You worried?” He finished his smoothie and set the glass on the coffee table.
She raised her eyebrows as she looked at him over the rim of her coffee cup. “Should I be?”
He shrugged. He didn’t want her to worry about him. After all, he just needed a place to sleep and that was what he had here.
She shrugged back and her pajama top slipped down her shoulder again. “I’m sure we’ll do great. You learn to get your smoothies on the way to the apartment and we won’t have to have conversations before I’ve had my first cup of coffee.”
His fingers itched to move her top back in place, which made no sense to him. Usually with women, he wanted to take clothes off, not straighten them. He shook his head. “I make my own smoothies.”
Another eyebrow raised. “Hmph.”
“Shower?” He leaned forward to get ready to stand.
“Thanks, I’m good.” She looked at him over the coffee rim with a little smug smile on her lips.
