“Somehow, I had a feeling.” He cracked eggs into a bowl one-handed, and I could only stare. Easton had never lifted a finger in the kitchen. Neither had my father, for that matter. My mother had forced me and my sisters to watch her cook from the moment we could sit in the highchair, so we would eventually be able to make okra stew, kenkey, and oxtail for our husbands.

He checked the fridge. “Do you have any mushrooms?”

“Oh, no. I’m allergic. EpiPen and everything.”

He winced. “Got it. No mushrooms in your omelet then. I’ll tuck that away for future reference. Is it bad? Like do you need the hospital or anything?”

“Not if I use my EpiPen right away. I usually just need to rest for a bit.”

“That’s pretty scary, Abbie.”

I shrugged. “It’s not so bad. Mushrooms are pretty easy to avoid.”

I studied him intently and snapped another photograph.

“You keep staring at me like that, and I’m likely to forget I promised to nourish you.”

“I can’t help it. You’re beautiful.”

His skin flushed, and I snapped another photo. Was he embarrassed? “This can’t be the first time someone has pointed out how good-looking you are.”

He shook his head slowly. “No, not the first time. But it’s the only time it’s come from someone who mattered or didn’t want anything from me.”

I bit my lip. “Well, given last night, I want all kinds of things from you.”

He groaned. “Jesus, Abbie, you’re killing me. We actually have to leave the flat today, okay?”

“Why?”

He stalked toward me, then looped an arm around my waist and nearly crushed my camera between us as he kissed me. When he backed away, he ran his hands through his hair. “Because if I keep thinking about the fact that I have you here to myself, those pictures you’re taking will get a whole lot naughtier.”

“And that’s a bad thing?” What was wrong with me? I was never this open with anyone. Sexual banter wasn’t exactly something I did. With Lex, it came naturally, easily.

Alexi’s smile sobered as he leaned forward on the kitchen counter. “So what are we doing here, exactly?”

I froze. “Wasn’t that supposed to be my line?”

“When I want to know the answer to something, I ask.”

I used my camera like a shield. This was not a conversation I’d mentally prepared for. “I’m not exactly sure.”

He nodded. “Okay, then let me be blunt. I’m falling hard for you. I know it’s soon. I know you are just coming off something, but I want you to be aware. You can take your time to figure things out. I’m not going anywhere.”