Page 17

Lauren told him what app and the name of the show. He’d heard of it, but he had to admit, even though it was older, he’d never seen it. She had been right. He’d always thought of it as chick TV and had never seen even a single episode. That was about to change.

Chapter Twelve

“Come on, sweetheart. You’ll rest better in your bed. Plus, you won’t wake up hurting if you sleep in there,” Cypher’s coaxing tones woke Lauren. The fingers gently combing through her hair eased her into consciousness, or at least some state a little closer than where she had been.

“Is it over?” She blinked her eyes open and found the TV turned off.

“We listened to two episodes before you were snoring so loud, I could barely hear the TV.” He helped her up and herded her toward the bedroom.

“Do I really snore?” She frowned, turning back to look at him.

“No, I was teasing, sweetheart. But the way you were all curled up on the couch, you’ll be sore tomorrow if I let you sleep that way. Come on.” He urged her toward the bedroom. “Get ready, I’ll go make sure we’re all locked up and be back soon.” He left her to get ready and get in bed. Lauren didn’t know what all he did while he made what she’d come to think of as his evening rounds, but it never took long and it made him feel better, so she let him.

She used the facilities then climbed into bed. She’d just pulled the blankets up and snuggled into her pillow when Cypher came back, he spent a couple of minutes in the restroom, then the bed jiggled as he climbed in.

“You comfortable or you want to come over here?” he whispered.

“Come there.” She rolled over and curled against his side, lifting one leg to rest on top of his. “What did you think of the show?”

“They talk a lot and don’t do much.”

“True, but you’re only a couple of episodes in. Once you get to know everyone, it gets better.”

“If you say so.” He sounded like he didn’t believe her, but she didn’t have enough energy to convince him otherwise, not right now. Instead, she took a deep breath and relaxed against him knowing tomorrow would be another day, and Cypher wouldn’t let anything happen to her, as long as he was here.

Lauren woke to the scent of coffee. It seemed to be calling to her, beckoning her awake. She blinked her eyes open and found it was almost time for her alarm to go off anyway, so she threw back the covers and got up. After a quick visit to the restroom, she shuffled into the kitchen, hoping Cypher had started a cup for her after making his own cup.

In the kitchen, she made a b-line for the coffee pot.

“Here.” A cup filled with the dark elixir of life appeared under her nose, and from the color, he’d already added her favorite Italian sweet cream creamer to it.

Lauren accepted the cup and took a careful sip. Finding it had already cooled enough to be drinkable she took a longer drink, then propped her hip against the counter and closed her eyes as she waited for the sugar and caffeine to hit. Yeah, mentally she knew it took more than a few seconds for her body to process, but just the taste helped to wake her up. Personally she thought she’d trained her body like a Pavlovian dog to know that flavor meant what she needed was on the way. But she had nothing to support that theory. It was just what she thought.

“Do you want to sit and drink that or take it in the other room and start getting ready for the day?” Cypher asked.

She shook her head. “Breakfast is next.” She had a routine and if she didn’t stick to it, it would throw her whole day off.

“I know. I’ve got the bacon started and biscuits in the oven, I just need to know if you want your eggs fried or scrambled.”

Lauren stared at him for a moment. He was cooking for her? He’d gotten up and was making her breakfast? She didn’t think anyone had made her a breakfast she hadn’t paid for since the last time she’d been home to visit her parents. Two years before. Damn, she really needed to go visit more often. They weren’t getting any younger and eventually she wouldn’t be able to. Still, life had a habit of getting in the way.

“Drink a little more of that.” He nudged the bottom of her cup upward. “We have a few minutes for you to think about it.”

She took another drink and watched as he went back to the stove. It wasn’t until then that she noticed what he was wearing. Or maybe wasn’t wearing was a better way to put it.

He’d pulled on his jeans, but that was all. Well, maybe his underwear, but she couldn’t tell that from here. She watched muscles move and bunch under the skin and tattoos on his back as she finished her cup of coffee, then put her mug under the spout, put in a new pod and started a second cup. Then she gave into the whim and moved up behind him. She placed a chaste kiss between his shoulder blades, then carefully pulled his waistband away from that little divot in the small of his back.

Cypher tensed, then he turned his head and looked at her over his shoulder.

“Find something you like?”

“I was just checking.”

“For what?” He gave her a confused look.

“I wanted to know if you were wearing underwear.”

Cypher’s chuckle vibrated his whole body.