“What do you want to do today?” Toby asks. “Since I’ve been anointed as your chief bodyguard, chauffeur, and short-order cook,” he says. He winks at me and my insides do a flip-flop.

He’s standing at the kitchen counter measuring out coffee beans for the grinder, wearing nothing but a pair of black sweatpants. I lean against the refrigerator with a contented smile on my face, happy to do nothing but watch him. It’s not every day a hot guy like Toby makes coffee for me.

“Are you still ticked off at me about that?” I ask. “You weren’t pleased last night when Flint asked you to take me in. Just so you know, I’m still half-mad at you for making me believe you had a girlfriend living here named Sadie.”

“Were you jealous?” he asks.

“No,” I reply. “Not really. Uncomfortable with the thought of staying here with you and your girlfriend? Yes. Jealous? No.”

He’s not buying my lie.

“Liar,” he says. “You were a little bit jealous. I could tell.”

“Is that so? How?”

“I’m a master at reading body language, and I’m not giving away my secrets. I might need to use them on you later. Just admit it and we’ll move past this topic of conversation. You were jealous.”

I roll my eyes. “Okay, maybe a bit. Only because you had already kissed me, and I couldn’t understand why if you had a live-in girlfriend.”

“You said you wanted to thank me,” he reminds me. “And a kiss was the best way I could think of. Okay, maybe not the absolute best way because we both know what that would be after last night. You can do things with those luscious lips of yours that a man would never forget. I know I won’t.”

He leans over and plants a long, lingering kiss on my lips before turning back around and hitting the brew button.

I’m liking the happy, carefree Toby. This is a side to him I didn’t know existed.

“Take a deep breath and smell those coffee beans,” he says. “I love the aroma of freshly ground coffee in the morning. Don’t you? One of life’s many pleasures.”

I slip up behind him and place my hands on his shoulders. With the tips of my fingers, I trace the wings of the eagle tattoo on his back and down across his shoulders. Resisting the urge to touch him is impossible. I feel like a kid in a toy store to be able to touch him as much as I want, anywhere I want.

“I’m loving everything this morning,” I reply. “Especially the muscles in your back and this amazing eagle tattoo.”

I would love to know when and why he got it. I’m sure it has something to do with his time in the military. I’m afraid to mention the Marines in fear of spoiling our light mood, so I don’t. There will be plenty of time for questions later.

“Are you hinting for another round of hot sex?” he jokes. He glances over his shoulder at me. “Or do you want a cup of coffee first? I should warn you. I’m an all-American male and always ready to go. All you have to do is say the word, sweetheart. Or give me a signal. Any kind of signal. And I’m there in a heartbeat.”

I nuzzle into his warm neck and inhale his scent. “What kind of signal?” I ask.

“Similar to what you’re doing right now,” he says.

“I’m sorry, I really need coffee,” I reply regretfully. I bury my face once last time between his shoulder blades and place a light kiss there before stepping away. “Besides, we can’t stay in bed all day.” I look at him and know what he’s getting ready to say. “Or in the shower or on the kitchen table.”

“The floor?”

“No, not that either,” I say.

“Well, that’s a terrible shame,” he says. “Would you be willing to hand out a raincheck for later?”

“For you? Absolutely.”

“Alright,” he says with a sigh. “We might as well cook a big breakfast then. I’m starving after the workout you gave me last night. Hand me the bacon and eggs out of the refrigerator. There’s some canned biscuits in there, too. I prefer homemade biscuits made from scratch but in a pinch, the canned ones aren’t too bad.”

Fifteen minutes later and we’re sitting down to a huge breakfast. Normally the smell of bacon frying makes me almost gag. I don’t have a big appetite in the mornings, and it’s all I can do to eat a small cup of blueberry yogurt before noon. Today, the bacon and eggs smell delicious to me. It must be the fresh air, the country setting, or the handsome man across from me. I eat as much as I can and then get up to put my dishes away in the dishwasher.

“Would you like more coffee?” I ask.

“Sure, since you’re already up.”

I grab the coffee pot and return to the table. Toby holds his chipped ceramic mug up for me, and I refill it carefully as if it’s something I’ve done a thousand times before.

The action feels familiar and comfortable.

“Thank you, darling.” Toby glances up at me with those bright blue eyes and smiles.

My breath hitches in my throat.

He’s getting to me.

I sit back down and enjoy my second cup of coffee while watching Toby eat. He easily finishes off a half pound of bacon by himself and three fried eggs. Considering the muscle he’s packing, the need for enormous amounts of protein doesn’t surprise me.

“How many eggs do you eat a day?” I ask curiously.

“Usually about six,” he says with a laugh. “Three for breakfast and three boiled eggs for a snack later on.”

“Seriously? That’s a lot of eggs to put away. Even for a man your size.”

“I’ve got to keep my muscle somehow. I don’t eat store-bought eggs. Only fresh ones from a farm. I have friends with chickens running around their yards. They usually bring me a few dozen eggs a week. I’ll come home some nights to find cartons of them stacked up on my doorstep. One time, Sadie found them first. There were cracked eggs and eggshells scattered all over the yard.”

Sadie hears her name and comes over to nudge Toby’s hand.

“You’re a bad girl, aren’t you?” he says to her while patting her side. “Such a little troublemaker.” He’s speaking in a low voice and she’s eating it up.

“She’s a lucky girl to have found you.”

“The other way around,” he says. “She saved me. I didn’t know how much I needed Sadie until the day I found her. Sometimes life is like that. You’re sputtering along, thinking you’re doing just fine. And then bam! Something happens to make you realize what you were missing the whole time.”

He drains the rest of his coffee and stands up. “Did you decide what you want to do today? I’ll take you anywhere you want to go.”

“I would love to know more about you,” I say. “What your normal days are like in the Steel Infidels or what you do on a lazy Sunday morning. Show me what makes Toby tick.”

“Okay, that’s easy enough. It might be boring though. Do you mind if Sadie comes with us? She can ride in the back seat of the truck. I’ll take you to see my fishing spot first. One of my favorite places in the whole world. You’ll like it too. We’ll figure out the rest of the day from there.”

“Give me ten minutes to get ready,” I say.

* * *

Toby opens the back door of the truck and Sadie eagerly jumps in. When I reach to open the door of the passenger side, he grabs my arm to stop me.

“Wait a second,” he says. “Give me time to put a blanket over the seat. Sadie sheds like crazy and I don’t want you covered in dog hair.”

I wait while he spreads a clean blanket out on the seat of the truck for me. I’m wearing black jeans and a black turtleneck sweater. I was glad I packed the sweater. It covers up the purple bruises on my neck that I’m trying to hide from Toby.

If he sees them, he’ll be so wracked by guilt that he’ll shut down emotionally again. Today is about getting to know him, and I don’t want anything to interfere with that. Hopefully the bruises will fade by tomorrow.

Toby pats the blanket. “Okay, now you can get in,” he says.

Sadie shakes in the back seat and hair flies everywhere.

There’s no way I won’t be covered in yellow fur by the end of the day. I’m not worried. A little dog hair never killed anyone.

“Thanks,” I say, climbing in.

Toby slides into the driver’s seat and looks over at me. “Why are you sitting so far over there on your side? Slide over this way, darling. Where I can keep my hands on you.” He pats the vinyl seat between us. “That’s the best thing about this old truck. There aren’t any bucket seats with a console in the middle. Just one big, long front seat.”

Really?

He wants me to sit right beside him as if we’re high school sweethearts? I resist the impulse to giggle and unbuckle my seatbelt.

Okay, no argument from me.

When I slide closer, he takes his right hand off the steering wheel and places it comfortably on my leg.

“Much better,” he says. “And don’t worry. I can drive just fine with my left hand. Even a straight shift if I have to.”

I snuggle closer and run a hand down his forearm.

Yes, much better.

Fifteen minutes later, after several twists and turns on a one-lane dirt road, we arrive at the lake. Toby stops the truck and goes around to let Sadie out. She takes off chasing a squirrel and disappears out of sight.

“Sadie!” I yell after her. She ignores me and keeps running.

“Let her go,” he says. “She’s okay.”

“Aren’t you afraid she’ll run off?”

Toby laughs. “Are you kidding? She’ll be back in five minutes to check on me, then she’ll take off again. She’s too insecure about her Daddy leaving her to be gone for long. Don’t worry. She’ll be fine.” He waves a hand at the lake in front of us. “What do you think about my fishing hole?”

Except for a few crows flying overhead, there isn’t a sound to be heard. The clear lake water is still without a single ripple. Tall trees stripped bare of their leaves line the banks on all sides. There are no signs of human activity anywhere.

“The lake is beautiful and peaceful. I can see why you like it here.”

“Most days it’s so quiet I can hear my own heartbeat,” Toby says. He takes my hand. “Come on. I’ll show you the dock. If I’m only here for an hour or so, I’ll fish straight from the bank. Otherwise I’ll pack a cooler with lunch and walk out to the end of the dock. Sadie and I like to sit on the edge. She’s a strong swimmer, so it’s a good place to bring her for exercise in the summer.”

“What kind of fish do you catch? Do you keep them or throw them back?”

“Most of the time I throw them back. I only keep the ones I’m planning to fry or grill for dinner. They’re never wasted. Striped Bass is my favorite. The sweetest, cleanest fish you’ve ever tasted. Do you eat fish?”

If I didn’t, I sure wouldn’t tell him.

“I love fish,” I say. “Every kind except swordfish. I can do without that one. And I’m glad to hear you have a few healthy foods in your diet. Something besides eggs and bacon.”

We walk around a curve in the riverbank and he points to a long, wooden dock that jets out into the lake. “There’s my sweet spot. You’re the first person I’ve ever brought here. It’s my secret place.”

I’m pleased that he felt comfortable enough with me to share his special spot. The wooden dock is long, going several yards way out into the lake. It’s narrow without railings on either side.

He looks down at me in concern. “You can swim, right?” he asks. “I didn’t bring a life jacket, and the water is deep at the end of the dock.”

“I was on the swim team in high school.”

“Just wanted to make sure in case you fall in. Some people get dizzy walking on boat docks and fall off the edge. If that happens, I need to know if I should jump in after you or wait and see if you can get out on your own.”

“I hope you would jump in to save me either way,” I say wryly.

He laughs. “I’m just messing with you. I would always protect my queen. No matter what.”

His queen.

I love the sound of those words.