Page 46 of Born for Starlight

And two and two finally made four. She'd wanted to wake up next to me. She'd wanted the night to decide it for her. She’d wanted to open her eyes and find me waiting for her, so the decision would be easy. She had wanted me to take things out of her hands.

I turned off the burner, came around the table, and sat down across from her.

"Look at me."

She looked. Furious. Scared underneath it. The scared part got me worse than all of that frothy yellow lace had.

"Don’t think for a second that I didn’t want to lie down next to you. Hold you. Wake up next to you. I absolutely did.”

“So why didn’t you?” Her voice was soft. No performance, a real question from the real woman.

“Because we both deserved better than that.”

Her eyes widened with understanding.

“I want us to come at this as the adults we are. I know what I want. Hell, I’ve wanted you since the first night Bruno introduced us, and the wanting has gotten deeper every time I’ve been around you. You’re one hell of a woman. I like your competence, your humor, your kindness and even your misguided bravery.”

“My bravery is not misguided.”

“So, you admit you’re brave?”

“Don’t try to confuse the issue, Matthew.”

“I want to make love with you, Angelica, but I don’t know where things stand from your point of view, and I want to.”

“You make good cinnamon French toast.”

She was flirting with me.

“That’s all you’ve got to say?”

“I like how you look in a suit.”

I waited.

“I like your taste in cars, and I like the way you rolled with things when you first met Bella, and how careful you are when you interact with Little Grandma. And I really like the way you see me as a real person, not as Angelica Drakos, the actress.”

“And?”

“And I want to make love to you, too. But.”

“But what?” I asked.

“It would have been so much easier having this discussion in bed.”

“Then you wouldn’t have had your favorite breakfast.”

She grinned. “There is that.”

I stood up slow.

"Sit back down." She pointed her fork at me. "I haven’t finished my breakfast."

I sat down.

She ate. Unhurried now, completely at peace. I sat across from her with my pulse hammering, watching her savor French toast like we had all day.

"Any other rules I should know about?" I asked.