14. Sam

Inuzzle the smooth skin under my cheek. Spicy oak fills my senses, and I groan in appreciation. My arms tighten around Carter, and it’s then I realize I’m wrapped around him like a vine. The upper half of my body is almost on top of him while my legs are tangled with his.

Carter’s hand slides up and down my back. It’s soothing enough that I could probably go back to sleep if I wanted to.

Instead, I roll over onto my back for a full-body stretch. “Good morning. What time is it?”

“Dunno.” Carter moves over to lie on my chest this time. I press a kiss to the top of his head. His sleepy murmurs are the cutest fucking thing I’ve heard.

“What time do you normally start your workday?” I ask, remembering it’s the middle of the week.

“Around eight.”

I cringe when I look at my phone. “Uh, you might want to get up soon, sweetheart.”

Carter tightens his arms around my waist. “Don’t wanna.”

I laugh. “It’s eight-thirty.”

He shoots up with a curse. “I have a meeting right now. Why the hell didn’t my alarm wake me up?”

“I’ll go make us some coffee.” I search the floor for some clothes when I remember they’re all in the living room. The memory of Nolan walking in on us brings a smile to my face. I can’t wait to watch Carter blush when he remembers, too.

After slipping on my boxers, I find Carter’s coffee maker and sigh when I see it’s one with the pods. I get a mug started for him, and when it’s finished brewing, I start one for myself while I deliver Carter’s to the bedroom.

He’s slipping into some khakis and a polo with jerky movements. His hair is still a mess from sleep, and he looks adorably rumpled. I hand him the coffee, and he smiles at me in thanks.

“My meeting should only be half an hour, so don’t go anywhere, please?”

“I’ll work on some breakfast for us if that’s all right?” I raise an eyebrow.

His grin makes my belly swoop. “Just try not to burn down my house in the process.”

“Jerk.” I cross my arms with a pout.

He smacks a kiss against my lips and then heads down the hallway to his office. I make my way back to the kitchen to see what I can scrounge up for breakfast.

I come to a quick conclusion that Carter only has ingredients and not premade food. This could pose a problem for me.

I can handle some eggs easily. But would that be enough for us? It’s not enough for me. I’d usually want some pancakes or something to go with it. Except, I only ever use the box mix. Maybe I could try to make the batter myself. I grimace. This could end in disaster, but my pride wants me to try.

I grab my phone to google a recipe. First up, let’s see if Carter has all the stuff. I dig through every cabinet and the pantry to pull out each item.

“Okay, starting off strong,” I whisper to myself. I go to follow the first instruction when my phone dies.

“Dammit.” I brought an overnight bag with me just in case, but it’s in my truck. I throw my jeans on, not bothering with a shirt, and step outside. There’s a manila envelope on Carter’s front step. Huh. Does mail normally come this early? And why wouldn’t it be in the mailbox? I dash to my truck to get my bag and then I pick up the envelope when I get back to the house.

I drop his mail on the counter and then focus back on my pancakes once my phone has enough of a charge.

Using a whisk, I do my best to mix the batter until it’s smooth. It looks the same as when I make it from a box, so hopefully, that’s a good sign.

As my pan heats up, I get the eggs scrambled. Those will be ready to go as soon as the pancakes are finished. There’s no way I could try to cook both simultaneously. That would be a recipe for disaster.

All of my pancakes turn out perfectly as long as I ignore the one in the trash can. Isn’t there a rule about the first pancake? I’ll just say it was my practice one. I had to make sure my pan was at the right temperature.

I’m about done cooking the eggs when Carter comes into the kitchen.

“It smells great in here.” He presses a kiss to my cheek before brewing himself another cup of coffee. “Thank you for making breakfast.”

“Don’t get too excited yet. I made the pancakes from scratch.”

Carter’s eyebrows wing up. “And nothing was burned. Nicely done, Smoky.”

“Shut up.” I laugh.

We both load up our plates. I’ve got several pancakes on my plate while Carter has a modest three. We sit at his breakfast bar, that same easiness settling between us that’s always there. Carter takes a bite of his pancakes and freezes. He chews quickly and then audibly swallows.

“They’re horrible, aren’t they?” I take a bite out of my stack and immediately spit them back out. “Oh, Jesus. What did I do?”

I have to take a big gulp of coffee to try and wash the taste out of my mouth. “Why are they so bitter?”

“Do you mind if I look at your recipe?” Carter asks.

I hand over my phone to him, and he reads through it. He frowns as if he’s not sure what could’ve caused it. Then he studies the pancakes themselves. “How much baking powder did you put in?”

I think back. “Three tablespoons, I think? That’s what the recipe said.”

“Oh, Smoky,” Carter laughs. He hands me back my phone and prompts me to look at it again.

I read through the ingredients list again. “Oh… Oops.” I bite my lip when I look at him. I was only supposed to be three teaspoons in. Not three tablespoons. “In my defense, I had to put a tablespoon of sugar and two tablespoons of oil in. I just sorta assumed I was supposed to keep the tablespoon theme going.”

Carter throws his head back in laughter. It makes me grin at him, even though he’s laughing at me.

“Come here.” He puts his hand on the back of my neck and pulls me into a kiss that sends me into a tailspin. Fuck me, I think I could love this guy with my whole being. Stop it. Now is not the time for those thoughts.

When he pulls away, his face is flushed with desire, and it takes everything in me not to jump his bones. “If you didn’t have to work today, I’d be taking you to the floor,” I rumble.

“Fuck,” he whispers. Then he shakes his head to clear it of the lust. He stands up with our plates in hand. Since our eggs were the only edible thing I made, those were already gone.

Carter puts the dishes in the sink and then pulls out a toaster from a cabinet. He pops in bread for both of us to toast. I’m mesmerized by his confidence in the kitchen.

“One day, I will make you a meal that will blow your mind,” I say with determination.

“Yes, you will, and I can’t wait.” He smiles at me with such softness I know he genuinely believes me. “I’ll have to think of some recipes to make together. It could be fun to see what we’re able to create.”

I grin. “I like that idea.”

Carter finds the manila envelope on his counter. “What’s this?”

“Oh, yeah. I had to run out to my truck to get my overnight bag and found that on your front porch.”

“Hmm. That’s odd.” He opens the flap and frowns at the contents. “Do you know what this means?” He hands me the sheet of paper.

Back off now or you’re going to regret it.

“Back off of what?” I ask.

Carter shrugs. “I have no clue. Do you think it’s just a prank or something?”

“Could be. Do you want me to call Cooper Jackson and get his opinion?” I know Carter went to school with Cooper, and with him being Sonoma’s police chief, there aren’t many other people I’d trust with something like this.

“No. I’ll hold on to it just in case, but I’m betting it’s just some prank or something.”

“Okay. Let me clean up from breakfast, and then I’ll let you get back to your day.” I start on the dishes with Carter’s help. I didn’t make too big of a mess with my pancake attempt, so we’re able to get them cleaned up quickly. Then suddenly I’ve got my stuff gathered and no desire to leave.

Carter lingers next to me with his hands in his pockets. He seems just as hesitant about me leaving as I am. “What are you up to today?”

“Not much. I’ve got a shift in the morning, so I’ll probably just go to bed early.”

“Oh, sure. Well, you know… You could just hang out here if you wanted. It would probably be boring since I have to work, so maybe not. That was stupid. Never mind.”

My smile stretches across my face. I grab Carter around the waist. “I’d love to stay here and hang out. Even if I only get a small glimpse of you, it would be better than being home alone.”

Carter’s lopsided smile makes my day. “Okay, then. I have to go back to work, but maybe I’ll take a break for lunch?”

“That sounds perfect. I promise not to cook anything this time.”

Carter laughs. “That’s probably a good idea.” He leans in to kiss me, but then groans as he pulls away. “You’re distracting. Maybe this was a bad idea.”

I chuckle. “I swear I won’t bother you. I’ll just sit out here and watch TV or something.”

“This is ridiculous, isn’t it?”

“Absolutely. But I’m not leaving now, so you’re stuck with me.” I wink.

“I’m okay with that.”