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Then I remembered myself, lifting my chin, daring him to say a word about me appreciating his body. A smile tugged the corner of his mouth up.
“You were two seconds away from me coming in to get you.” He flicked his chin at my feet. “Nice shoes.”
Goddamn he was sexy. He thought me wearing the ballet slippers was the green light to get me in bed, but he’d learn soon enough he was sorely mistaken.
“Thank you. I hope you’ve come up with something better to do than just stand here all day,” I said haughtily, though I figured we could make that entertaining enough if we wanted.
“If that’s your way of asking where we’re going, I’m not telling you, Princess.”
“That’s your name.” The prospect of doing this all day long excited me.
“Hmm. I believe I called you that first, so technically it’syours.”
He was right, but I shrugged indifferently. “It suits you better.” I pointed with my head behind me. “Want to come in? M made coffee.”
His brow furrowed as he peered past me. His eyes softened. “Good morning, Muriella.”
“I brought your breakfast over here.” She grinned mischievously.
“You two are up to no good.” His steps faltered as he pushed his way into my apartment. At the look on his face, I wanted to die. He was stricken, a deep line creasing his forehead as he scrutinized my tiny space.
I squared my shoulders and leveled him with a look. “Want a muffin? M made them out of eggs instead of flour. And what else?”
“Lots of stuff he likes,” she said saucily as she moved toward the little space that constituted my kitchen.
He seemed to snap out of wherever he’d gone, his eyes sparkling when Muriella slapped at my hand as I bit off a chunk of the egg muffins before she could officially offer them to us.
I sagged against the counter as I chewed. “God, you’re spoiling me. So bad.”
Muriella made the sign of the cross over her chest and said something unintelligible toward the heavens.
“Taking the Lord’s name in vain really bothers you, doesn’t it?” She’d corrected me several times since we’d met, but I never thought much of it. “I’m sorry. I’ll try to be more cognizant.”
She looked at me over her shoulder and smiled. “Thank you.”
“What made you so religious?” I asked casually, genuinely curious about what drove people to their faith. Daniel tensed, and a look passed between them. “I grew up in the church, so I always believed in God. I prayed for a miracle, and He gave me one. I’m not a zealot, and I won’t be trying to convert you.”
“Believe it or not, I used to go to church before I went to college,” I said.
“You are welcome to come with me any time you’d like.”
“Sure,” I said, popping another bite of muffin in my mouth. “What was the miracle?”
Daniel’s expression turned wary, but M’s turned brave. She sent a reassuring smile in his direction. “Daniel.”
My brows rose. I looked over at him, and he was studying the cabinets above my head. “How?” This was personal for both of them. I didn’t want to push, but that one-word answer had my curiosity in overdrive.
She pressed her lips into a thin line as if considering how much she wanted to reveal. Daniel gripped the edge of the counter, refusing to look at us.
“When I was fourteen, my brother put me in a container on a cargo ship. I don’t know how many days I was in the darkness—”
“Twelve,” Daniel grated out. Muriella and I stared at him. He didn’t meet our eyes, but added, “I looked into it.”
She looked at him with love. “You never told me that.” He stared back without responding. “For twelve days I was in darkness. The time came when I’d eaten the last handful of nuts I had left. There was no more water. I didn’t know when or if would get out of there. I prayed for God to save me. It was either that or drive myself mad with fear.”
I had to sit down, but there was nowhere to go, so I let the counter prop me up. What little she’d described was unimaginable. A child. Alone. In the dark. Having to ration her food. My eyes stung, but when Muriella straightened her shoulders, I couldn’t let any tears fall. The last thing she wanted from me was pity.
“I still hear the sound of the door handle. The way it protested when someone tried to open it.”
