AllFreeNovel
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“Coming for breakfast. What’s it look like?” he grumbled, taking notice of the fact she hadn’t changed out of his shirt. He shuddered as she wrapped her arm around his naked chest.
“You are not supposed to—”
“Walk unassisted. Yeah, I know. But I think the doc was overreacting. I made it just fine, didn’t I?” After reaching to steady himself on the chair, he pulled it out before taking a seat at the table.
“You are the most stubborn man I think I’ve ever met,” she snapped.
“That’s what you like about me, isn’t it?” He smirked.
She shook her head and walked over to the stove before shutting off the burner. “Well, it’s your loss. I was going to bring you breakfast in bed.”
Damn.
She opened the cupboards until apparently finding what she was looking for. The sight of her so comfortable in his home brought a tightness to his chest. He’d never wanted this before, but then again, he’d never met Belle Jones. She reached up on her tippy-toes, the oversized T-shirt rising over her bare thighs, the barest hint of the globes of her ass peeking out.
He swallowed hard. No panties, then. Fuck. He shifted in his seat.
She filled the mug she’d grabbed with coffee and brought it over to him, along with a plate filled with bacon, and an egg and spinach omelet.
“Looks delicious. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” She went back to the counter for her own plate and mug before returning to the table. “You don’t happen to have any hazelnut creamer, do you?”
He shook his head. “Sorry, Angel.”
“I figured as much.” The corner of her mouth quirked up before she tucked into her food.
Ding-ding. Ding-ding. She got up and retrieved her phone from the counter. “Hey . . . Yes. Okay. I’ll be home soon. There’s chicken and macaroni and cheese in the fridge for dinner with salad if you’re hungry . . . Okay. Love you.” She smiled before she clicked the button and rejoined him at the table.
“TJ?” he asked.
She nodded, taking another bite of her food. “Oh and try to avoid screens as much as you can for the next few days at least.”
“Yeah, alright, doctor.”
She rolled her eyes.
Damn that was cute. “I’ll call Mikel to come over when you leave.”
She smirked. “No you won’t.”
He smiled. “You’re right. I won’t.”
“You know, asking for help isn’t a sign of weakness, but of strength.”
“Where’d you get that from? A fortune cookie?” He chuckled.
She set her fork down and sipped her coffee. Her delicate throat bobbed as she swallowed. “Your X-rays showed a lot of previous injuries.”
His stomach hardened as a wave of nausea rose. Suddenly, he wasn’t feeling hungry anymore. His body tensed. His shoulders grew rigid. His fists curled as the pain from each haunting injury burned his consciousness.
Her hand rested over his, bringing him back to the moment, chasing the ghosts away, if only temporarily. “If you were to examine mine, you’d find my bones in a similar shape.”
He turned his hard gaze onto her. Anger boiling to the surface. Who’d hurt her? The fierce protectiveness clamored inside.
“Who hurt you, Belle?” If the son of a bitch was still alive, he’d . . .
Belle shrugged. “There were several people. Foster homes with over-interested daddies, some of whom liked to inflict physical pain. Then there were the countless boyfriends of our mother’s revolving door. They didn’t like when I got in the way to protect my mother. Of course, some from her too.”
