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enough.”
    Her sincerity nearly undid him. Cord stood, needing to get out of there. “Just doing my job.”
    That was far from the truth, but he wasn’t ready to tell her how much she meant to him. Maybe soon.
    *     *     *
    Piper had intended the quick kiss to be a thank you, but the moment their lips touched, every cell in her body shot to life. For those few seconds, she’d almost forgotten about the intruder until Cord pulled away, acting as if she was demanding a commitment. Only she hadn’t been.
    She’d never met a man so skittish around her, but perhaps he didn’t find humans attractive.
    No. She didn’t believe that—or else she didn’t want to. Between the tender way he’d softened his lips and the sound of his low throaty growl when they’d kissed, he hadn’t been immune. Even if she’d imagined his response, Piper would always be grateful that he’d fixed the window and been willing to protect her.
    As soon as he closed the door, she shut off her light, though she doubted she’d sleep, not with the memory of that intimate contact. If he left tomorrow and she never saw her wonder cop again, their kiss would keep her content for quite some time.
    With those good thoughts floating in her head, she relaxed enough to sleep. It wasn’t until the clanking of metal startled her awake. As soon as she remembered Cord was still there, she relaxed, but a glance at the clock forced out a groan. It was only seven in the morning, and she slapped a forearm across her face. Saturdays were one of the few days she could sleep in, but apparently, today would be an exception.
    Since he was up, Cord was probably hungry. Not wanting him to starve, Piper slipped out of bed. It was probably for the best that she not sleep in since Chandler’s garage opened at eight, and she wanted to call first thing and speak with Brody. She could only hope he’d cooperate and give Cord the names of his attackers. Then he could track them down and see if any of them had broken her window and left her that threatening message.
    Piper slipped on a pair of jeans, one of her favorite body-hugging long T-shirts, and some cute boots. Wanting to impress him, she washed up, and then applied light makeup. Satisfied she was able to conceal the dark circles under her eyes, she headed out to the kitchen.
    Whoa. Cord was at the stove with his back to her—wearing an apron no less. She was confident he’d heard her come in, but he stirred what smelled like eggs then dumped them on a plate without turning around.
    “Morning,” he said. He set down the spatula and faced her.
    She failed to suppress a giggle. Cord was wearing the apron with a pink pig on the front that Emmaline had given her to encourage her to learn to cook. “You look better in that than I do.” She was serious.
    He struck a pose and smiled, and her heart zinged and pinged. The heavy shadow of morning scruff around his jaw gave him a more intriguing air, but that wasn’t the only reason why he looked good. Cord was willing to do what was needed to get the job done. He could fix a window, and apparently, now he could cook.
    “I hope you don’t mind that I used some of your food. I thought it better if we didn’t go out this morning. I don’t want to give those jerks another opportunity to come back.”
    His cheeks slightly dimpled, implying he really didn’t believe they’d return, or at least, not this soon.
    “Not at all. I’m glad you’re at the helm. My culinary skills aren’t the best.” Had he been clean-shaven, she bet she would have detected a slight blush. She couldn’t remember the last time anyone cooked for her. “I’ll make us some coffee.”
    Hoping the caffeine would help clear her head, she hurried to fill the pot. She realized a man his size would need more than a few scrambled eggs. “How about I make some bacon and toast?”
    “Perfect.” He unhooked the apron and set in on the counter. “Guess you’ll need this.”
    “Thanks.”