The smell of bacon pulls me awake. I stretch my arms above my head and roll toward the other side of my bed. The sheets are still warm from Trevor’s body, and I press my face into the pillow he used and close my eyes as I remember all of the delicious things he did to me last night. My muscles are sore, along with the other parts of my body, and for the first time in as long as I can remember, I’m not looking forward to going to work. I’d like to stay here with Trevor and his magic fingers and his tongue and his mouth and his hard body, and everything. I just want everything.

Smiling like a goofball, I scoot to the side of the bed and sit up. I need to get my lazy ass into the shower, but my bones feel like jelly, and the smell of breakfast cooking in the other room is too enticing. I pick up Trevor’s shirt and slip it over my head. Shoving my feet into a pair of slippers, I trudge into the bathroom and brush my teeth. Then I run a comb through my hair in a poor attempt to tame my wild locks, because the last thing I want to do is scare Trevor after our first night together.

I’m rounding the corner of the hallway when I hear him talking.

“Do you like bacon? Here, try a piece.”

I freeze, wondering who in the world he could be talking to. Peeking my head around the corner, I smile at the sight in front of me. Trevor is standing in front of the stove in nothing but his boxer briefs with Milo perched in one arm.

Dear Lord, he looks sexy holding my dog. He looks even sexier cooking in my kitchen. Add the two together and ovary explosion. Propping my hip against the wall, I cross one leg over the other and watch him move. Every few minutes, he feeds Milo a bite, and she’s more than happy to take whatever he’s offering.

Trevor shifts Milo higher onto his chest. Her little chin rests on his shoulder, and if I didn’t know she was blind, I’d swear she was looking at me and saying, Back off, he’s mine.

“Are you going to stand there and watch or what?”

Smiling, I step into the kitchen. “How did you know I was watching you?”

Trevor turns around and puts Milo on the floor. She jumps around at his feet, trying to get him to pick her back up, and I don’t feel at all sorry when I nudge her out of the way so I can step into his arms.

“I’ve always been able to tell when you walk into a room.”

“Oh yeah?”

Trevor lowers his mouth to my neck and places a soft kiss below my ear. “Call it lover’s intuition.”

I tilt my head to the side, making room for him. “We haven’t always been lovers.”

I feel Trevor smile against my skin. “Tell my dick that.”

Laughing, I push him away and walk toward the stove. “What’s for breakfast?”

“Bacon and eggs. I hope you don’t mind scrambled.”

“Not at all. It smells amazing.” I grab some plates and put them on the table. Trevor’s already got two cups of steaming coffee waiting for us. “I didn’t know you could cook.”

He puts a generous helping of eggs and bacon on each plate and pulls a chair out for me. He doesn’t sit until I sit, and I find myself smiling because my dad used to do that for my mom.

“I love to cook.”

“Did your mom teach you?” I ask, shoving a bite into my mouth.

“Nope.” He bites off a chunk of bacon. “I learned at the firehouse. We take turns cooking meals. I’m usually in charge of dinner, but I can whip up just about anything. How about you? Do you cook?”

I snort. “If by cook you mean heat up a frozen meal or park myself at my mom’s dinner table, then yes, I cook all the time.”

Trevor laughs, but doesn’t seem concerned about my lack of culinary skills. “So you pretty much survive on frozen dinners and leftovers.”

“That sounds about right. And every once in a while Coop will feel sorry for me and bring over food.”

Trevor’s hand stills midair, and then he slowly puts the bite into his mouth.

“What was that?” I ask.

“What was what?”

“You just got a funny look on your face.”

He swallows his bite and shakes his head. “It was nothing.”

I set my fork down and reach for his hand. “Tell me. If we’re going to make this work, we have to be able to talk to each other.”

“It’s silly.” He links his fingers with mine, and when I just stare at him he sighs. “Fine. I was just thinking that my brothers know you better than I do, and that bothers me.”

Warmth seeps through my veins, making my toes tingle. I push up from my chair. Trevor scoots his back, allowing me to settle in his lap.

“Your brothers know all the surface stuff. They know I can’t cook. They know I’ve never ridden a horse, that I hate hot dogs, and that appletinis are my favorite drink. They don’t know that bacon and eggs are my favorite breakfast—”

“You’re just saying that,” he interjects.

I shake my head. “I most certainly am not. They also don’t know that I despise my feet.”

“Or that you snore.”

“I don’t snore.”

“You do. And it’s cute,” Trevor says, kissing the tip of my nose.

“My point is that they only know the basic stuff. They don’t know the deeper stuff, the things I keep hidden from the rest of the world.”

“I want to know those things.”

I run my fingers down the side of his face. “I feel the same way about you.”

Trevor kisses me long and deep, and by the time we part, the bacon is cold and Milo has managed to find her way onto my lap, trying desperately to get to Trevor’s face. I pick her up and set her back on the floor. She whines for a second and then prances away.

“I really want to tell you I love you again,” I say, looking at Trevor.

“So why don’t you?”

“Last night was emotional for both of us, and I wasn’t sure if you said it because we were in the heat of the moment, or if you meant it, and then I was wondering if it’s too soon—”

Trevor puts a finger to my lips. “You think too much.”

“I’ve been told.”

“Yes, last night was emotional, and yes, I said those things in the heat of the moment, but it doesn’t make my words any less true. I told you I love you because I do. I’ve known you my entire life. There are pictures of you in our family albums, Claire. My love for you started out organically, and it has grown over the years into something much deeper. It is rooted in these spectacular memories I have of you, and it’s growing by the second.”

He runs his fingers through my hair and continues. “When I say I love you, it’s not to get you into bed. It’s because I mean it. I love your smile and the way your eyes light up when you laugh. I love your fiery red hair and how you’ve always got a strand of it wrapped around your finger. I love the way you scrunch your nose when you’re thinking and how you talk with your hands. I love how loyal you are to your friends and how you talk to Milo like she’s a human being. But most of all, I love how you make me feel. You make me want to be a better man, Claire.”

“Trevor—”

He cuts off my words with a deep kiss. “I don’t want you to say anything. You don’t need to return the sentiment. I just want you to know that when I tell you I love you, I mean it, and if you love me, then please, tell me, and if you’re not ready to say those words again, that’s okay too. I’m in this for the long haul.”

The long haul.

Thoughts of Trevor’s occupation leak into my head, and I remember all the nights my mom sat up waiting for Dad to get home from a fire call. It would be easy to let my insecurities get the best of me. I could withdraw and push Trevor away and tell myself I’m better off without him, but I already know that’s not true. Instead of letting my fears get the best of me, I choose to bask in the beautiful feelings Trevor brings out in me.

“I love you, too, Trevor.”

He kisses me again. His fingers slide under my shirt and up my back as he holds me to him, and then he shocks the hell out of me when he grips me by the hips and lifts me from his lap.

“Hey,” I whine. “I wasn’t done with you.” I try to climb back into his lap, but he stands up.

“No.” He takes a step back. “If I keep touching you, I won’t be able to stop, and you have to get ready for work.”

“What are you going to do today?”

“Dad is working with a new bull rider, so I’ve got ranch duty.”

“I didn’t know your dad trained bull riders.”

“Who do you think taught Rhett?”

“I knew he taught Rhett, but I didn’t know he still worked with newbies.”

Trevor shrugs. “He doesn’t do it often. Usually just if it’s someone he knows or a family member. It’s not something he advertises.”

“Will I see you when you get done?” I ask, sauntering toward him. Trevor eyes me but doesn’t try to get away when I reach for him.

“You have tutoring tonight, right?” he asks.

I nod. “Yes, but I’ll be done early and home by six.”

“Then I’ll pick you up at six thirty.”

I tilt my head and grin. “Pick me up? For what?”

“For our first official date.”

“Where are we going?”

“It’s a surprise.”

“I don’t like surprises. I’m more of an instant gratification kind of girl.”

Trevor laughs and pushes my roaming hands away. “Sorry, sweetheart. I love surprises, so get used to it.”

“Can you give me a hint?” I ask.

He thinks about it for a second and then says, “No.”

“What should I wear?”

“Something casual.”

“Casual like jeans and a T-shirt or casual like stretchy eating pants?”

Trevor laughs. “You could wear a garbage bag and I’d still find you insanely attractive. Wear whatever you’re most comfortable in. Now, go get ready for work.”