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him again for a long moment, then snapped to attention when he raised his eyebrows at her.
    “I promised Jo I’d sit with Frankie for a little while today.” She glanced at the clock hanging above the sink. It was already close to noon. “And I’m supposed to be at her house in an hour.”
    “But you have time to eat?” he asked, pouring batter on the hot skillet.
    “Yes.” Even if she had to risk a speeding ticket by racing the three miles to Jo’s house, she wasn’t missing a breakfast of pancakes and bacon, her absolute favorites, made for her by Jamie Rodriguez. “Just give me a minute to get dressed.”
    “Only if you have to,” he called after her as she disappeared down the hall.
    A bra wasn’t an option with her side as tender as it was. She applied the barest amount of ointment to her side and layered two tank tops under a t-shirt to put a couple of extra layers of fabric between her piercings and the general public’s eye. Thank goodness for small breasts, she thought, not for the first time in her life. She didn’t have to worry about bobbing about when she walked down the street, drawing unnecessary attention to herself. She pushed her chest out, making sure no one would be able to see the piercings, and when she was satisfied, found her favorite denim capris.
    She knew she should wait until after breakfast to brush her teeth, but she did it anyway. It was the least she could do to lose the dragon breath just in case he kissed her again before she finished eating. She combed the last of the tangles out of her hair, clenched and unclenched her fingers a couple of times to try to stop them from shaking and gave herself a stern look in the mirror.
    “You can do this,” she told herself, only slightly convinced she was right. “Even if he’s only being nice because he got in your pants last night, just fucking relax and enjoy it while it lasts.”
    He’d made two plates and the door to the balcony was open by the time she joined him in the kitchen again. She could see he’d already set the little outdoor bistro table with silverware, napkins, glasses of ice water already starting to sweat in the midsummer warmth, the butter dish from her refrigerator and all five bottles of syrup.
    “I thought we could eat outside since it’s not too hot yet,” he said, kissing her again as he handed her the glasses of orange juice he’d poured. “What do you think?”
    “I think I feel a little spoiled,” she answered.
    Her heart rattled out a dangerous, erratic beat at the smile that earned her.
    “Good,” he said, and kissed her again before handing her the glasses of orange juice he’d poured for them.
    “What were you reading while you waited,” she asked, following him outside.
    “Anansi Boys.” He put the plates on the table and sat across from her. “I read it years ago, but I couldn’t resist picking it up again when I saw it on your shelf. You’re going to need a library of your own for all the books you have.”
    “I’d love a house with a big formal library.” She bit into a piece of bacon and her eyes rolled shut. She didn’t realize exactly how ravenous she was until that moment.
    “In one of those huge Victorians in the Old West End,” he added.
    Her eyes popped open. Despite it being smack in the middle of some of the worst crime areas, she loved Toledo’s Old West End. It was the cultural art center of the city, home to artists of all types, musicians, writers. It was close to the museum, some of the city’s best dining and nightclubs, the Mudhen’s stadium and her job at the library’s historical main branch.
    “You’d raise kids there?”
    He shrugged one gorgeous, naked shoulder. “Sure. I was raised there. Not every kid that comes out of a tough neighborhood turns out to be a thug. And it’s not like I’m not free to work my schedule around school drop-off and pickup, homework, ball games, whatever.”
    For a moment she couldn’t breathe, and then she was