“Speaking of kissing, Kitten,” he said, paying great attention to the coffee machine. He didn’t understand why her coffee was so much better. He followed her instructions to the letter, but it just didn’t come out quite the same. “That same rule applies at night when we go to bed.”

“Oh, for heaven’s sake. What about your mouth?”

He laughed softly and toed a chair around so he could straddle it as he watched her work. “It’s only fair if the same rule applies to me. I wake up, my mouth is on yours or between your legs. Whichever works best at the time.”

She nearly choked. The blush stole up from inside the shirt to her neck. “I see,” she managed to get out.

He liked watching her cook. She enjoyed it. There was no doubt in his mind, she would be happy in his house, making it a home for them. He liked sitting in their kitchen with the smell of coffee and breakfast surrounding him. He liked having her scent in his lungs and the taste of her in his mouth. He especially liked knowing her naked body, warm and soft, was wrapped in his shirt while she worked. He felt comfortable teasing her, and watching a blush steal up her neck and into her face.

“Did you think I was going to neglect you?” he persisted.

She narrowed her eyes. “Quit trying to distract me. I’m working here.”

“I just wanted to make certain you know I’m not altogether a selfish bastard. Well, now that I say that, maybe it isn’t true. Maybe I am. I like my mouth between your legs, taking all that sweet honey from you. It’s mine, right? Belongs to me. A man ought to be able to harvest honey anytime he gets a notion if it belongs to him.”

“I’ve got a knife in my hand,” she reminded him. “And you’re trying to embarrass me.”

“Kitten,” he said softly. “I’m doing a damn good job of it.”

She laughed, and instantly the kitchen flooded with warmth. She didn’t laugh that often, not like this, not for real and the sound felt a little like music.

“You are,” she admitted. “I’m almost finished. The beignets are almost done and the omelets are perfect. I didn’t have a lot to work with. We really need groceries, Eli, and I can do so much better.”