Gibson
I woke to the savory scent of frying bacon. For a split second I panicked, thinking I'd left something on the stove. Then I recalled I hadn't slept alone.
Throwing on my robe, I went to the kitchen. Sacha was there, cooking breakfast. I could get used to seeing her like this, being domestic. She was fully dressed and turned to look at me when I reached for a mug in the cabinet.
"Good morning. I hope you don't mind me cooking. I was starving."
I responded by leaning down to kiss her cheek. "Not at all, and no wonder. We had quite a workout last night."
Her grin spoke volumes, as did her pink cheeks. She enjoyed it. Good. I've still got it. We had made love twice, not counting the episode before dinner. She'd come each time, I was proud to admit.
"Yes, we did. It was wonderful."
Something in her tone made me stiffen, and not in a good way. "But?"
She was placing the cooked bacon on a plate covered in paper towels. She shrugged and kept working without looking at me. "We did it. It was fantastic. And now we get on with our lives."
I wanted to continue being polite, to extend the warm glow I'd felt for her earlier. Holding her while we slept had given me such peace. It was the best night's sleep I'd had in a long while. But her emotional shields were back up, and it was pissing me off.
"Sounds like a plan, Ms. Rowan. Except for one thing. Like it or not, now you are my life."
Her mouth dropped open, but she said nothing. Then she threw the tongs she'd been holding into the sink with a clang. She turned to me, her mouth now a thin line.
"Listen, Mr. Colebank. Don't think you're going to woo me into some kind of romance here. We had sex, and yes, it was hot. But it won't happen again. We scratched the itch, now we can move on. End of story."
Her words were calm, her tone business-like. But her lower lip trembled as she stood there, watching me for a response. I purposely let my robe fall open and was rewarded with her furtive glance at my junk.
Then she turned to get plates from the cabinet. Her movements were jerky, her hands trembling. But her facial expression was ice cold.
"Sacha. Look at me."
I moved next to her, placing a hand on her shoulder. She froze, staring at the wall, refusing to look at me. I didn't budge but prompted her with a light squeeze. When she turned her eyes to me, they glistened with moisture, but her face remained placid. The woman had tremendous self-control. When it suited her.
"Sacha, maybe you can pretend this is nothing, but I can't. You're carrying my child. No one in the world is more important to me right now. No one."
She pulled away, removing my hand from her shoulder as she did so. "Be honest with me, and with yourself, Gib. It's not me you want. You feel responsible, and I admire that. But don't imagine this into some domestic bliss situation. We come from different worlds, we have different goals in life, and we'll both end up disappointed."
I'd closed my robe again, suddenly feeling vulnerable. Her ability to shut herself off so soon after the searing passion we'd shared left me bewildered. Most men would have been happy to say "hasta la vista, baby" after such a night. But I just couldn't let her go, not like this, and I wasn't even sure why.
"You know, Sacha, I get it. I'm not going to push you into anything you don't want. It's your call, all the way. But I'd appreciate you including me whenever you can, and to be honest, I'm concerned you'll get busy and forget about me. Can you promise me that you won't?"
Her face softened. If she didn't agree, she'd come off looking like a bitch, which I knew she wasn't. She was a bundle full of control issues, with a tender, sweet center. Getting past her ice queen routine would be the tricky part, but I had plenty of time to learn.
"Well, of course. I just want to be clear on where this is going. Or, should I say, not going."
I moved forward again and placed my hands on her shoulders.
"How about we have some breakfast, then I'll take you to your car? We'll take the rest one day at a time. Okay?"
"Okay."
I pulled her into a hug, and she held on but didn't throw herself into it. She was still holding back. So, I set about getting breakfast on the table, pretending everything was normal.
The food smelled delicious, and tasted even better, but for some reason I had lost my appetite.
~*~