Sydney
I woke to the smell of freshly-brewed coffee, which didn’t make sense, because I was sure that we’d lost power. Maybe I’d dreamt that.
Rolling over, I didn’t feel Kyler or his warmth. Maybe I’d dreamt everything from last night. My eyes flew open as my stomach twisted. Flames were going strong in the fireplace and tucked under the covers, I was pretty toasty.
I was also very much alone on the makeshift bed.
My heart sank faster than the Titanic. I squeezed my eyes shut. The likelihood of last night being a dream was highly unlikely, because I was naked under the blankets, which meant Kyler had probably woken up this morning and been close to chewing his arm off to get away.
He regretted it.
I knew it.
Regretted what we’d done, and we hadn’t even had sex.
“You can stop pretending to be asleep,” Kyler’s deep voice drifted over to me. Amusement colored his tone. “I know you’re awake.”
I pried an eye open. “I’m not pretending.”
“Uh huh.”
Fighting the urge to pull the blanket over my head and pretend I wasn’t here, I took a deep breath and rolled onto my back. Kyler was sitting at the foot of the recliner, holding a Thermos in his hands.
One side of his lips tipped up. He put the Thermos on the floor and reached down on his other side, picking up a cup. “I know how you need your caffeine, so I found some instant coffee and boiled water over the fire. Got some sugar for you, too.”
I sat up, holding the blanket to my chest. Our eyes met and I felt my breath stall. They were so dark, nearly black. I couldn’t gain a lick of anything from his expression. I searched my brain for something to say. “You boiled water over the fire?”
His smile spread, revealing those deep dimples that always got to me, as he unscrewed the lid with a twist of his wrist and poured the coffee. “You sound so surprised.”
I just couldn’t picture him doing it. Casting my gaze down, I didn’t know what to do or how to act. What he had done last night had only ever existed in my fantasies and never in my reality. I couldn’t reconcile the two. Just because he made me coffee and slaved over a fire to do so didn’t mean he was about to pronounce his undying love for me or jump my bones.
“Syd?”
Forcing my gaze up, heat swept across my cheeks. I scooted over the bed of blankets and reached for the cup. “Thank you.”
His brows rose as he pulled the cup back. “No. Not yet.”
Cocking my head to the side, I frowned. “Why?”
“You’ll see.” Placing the coffee down, he stood and came to the edge of our makeshift bed. He knelt in front of me. Slowly, as if he was afraid he’d startle me, he cupped my cheek in his palm. “Good morning.”
Lost in the simple feel of his hand on my cheek, I stared at him a moment. “Good morning?”
He came down on his knees and leaned in, pressing his forehead against mine. “I think we can do better than that.”
My heart tripped up. His closeness was a good sign, right? I tried not to wonder if I had morning breath as I swallowed. “We can?”
He nodded and his nose brushed over mine. My grip on the blanket tightened as my stomach hollowed. “Very easily,” he said. “Want to see?”
“Yes.” That word came out as a whisper.
Tilting his head to the side, he kissed one corner of my lips, and then the other. A tremble coursed through me as his thumb smoothed over my cheekbone, and then he deepened the pressure on my lips, kissing me for real.
“How about that?” he asked, dropping another kiss on my lips, a quick one. “Was that a better good morning?”
No longer able to speak, I nodded.
Kyler chuckled as he leaned back and picked up the cup. Handing it over, he settled down beside me where I’d turned into girlie mush in a split second.
The first gulp of coffee went a long way toward finding the ability to speak. “How long have you been awake?”
One shoulder shrugged. “A couple of hours. The fire was dying, so I had to put more logs in.”
I took another sip. Instant coffee wasn’t bad. “I slept through all of that?”
“Yep. Well, you were talking a little in your sleep.”
“My mouth dropped open. “Oh no. Was I? What did I say? Oh, my—”