Treating Mr. Billionaire

~ 57 ~

The smell of waffles invaded her nostrils, causing her to sniff slightly, trying to decipher the familiar scent amidst the darkness behind her closed eyes.

She shifted slightly, rolling onto her back, and the cold sheets wrapped around her body became almost useless when a feverish warmth rushed through her body as soon as memories of the previous night resurfaced like a tsunami.

A smile stretched lazily on her lips, she moved to bury her face deeper into the pillows, as the remnants of the events swam through her mind; the way the sound of his name repeatedly fell from her lips as she surrendered herself to his possession.

The continuous thought of him had her reaching a hand out blindly, searching for the closest sign of his presence, and her fingertips were greeted by nothing but the emptiness and coolness of the sheet.

Her eyes squinted open at that realization and darted toward where her palm rested on the mattress. And just like her fingers had predicted, there was no sign of him anywhere in the room.

The aroma lingering in the air attracted her focus, and she couldn't be more suspicious of the possible guess that stirred inside her head.

With a quick roll of her hips, Maria brought down her legs from the bed, placing them lightly on the ground, and her hands found the nightgown he had tossed carelessly away in the process of removing every barrier between his fingertips and her heated skin.

The silk fabric slid easily along her slender frame and settled comfortably against the curve of her hip, and with a quick styling of her blonde strands, she stood from the bed with the laziest yawn.

Her bare feet padded silently on the wooden floors as she made her way out of the bedroom, following the smell of waffle batter that had grown stronger as she walked down the stairs.

She stopped slowly at the bottom of the stairs the moment her gaze caught the tall figure standing by the kitchen counter, his back turned toward her as he poured maple syrup on a stack of freshly made waffles with all seriousness and purpose.

The sight of him working so casually in her kitchen surprised her as though he had been living with her for a long time. She wasn't sure if she had even ever seen any kitchen utensils in his hands before, and yet there he was, pouring syrup into his creations in a way that seemed almost careless.

Her eyes stuck on him, unable to look away, unable to get distracted from the apron hanging across his shirtless chest that was accentuated by the slight muscular flex of his arms as they manipulated the glass jar with dexterous ease.

It occurred to her how his presence seemed to enhance her whole apartment with a glow akin to sunshine, and that might be a usual occurrence if you were worth more than a billion dollars.

"I know you are here," Jayden muttered without turning to acknowledge her, his teasing voice breaking through her trance, and it took her a moment to gather her thoughts. "So, you can stop staring now." He turned around with a plate balanced precariously in his left hand, and his brown eyes moved in time to meet the pink tinting her cheeks.

Maria smiled softly, not showing any effort to argue the fact she was truly spying on him so blatantly before approaching his stance slowly. "Well, I didn't know you could cook, it caught me off guard," she admitted, eyeing the crispy-looking pieces of cake perched on top of each other with amusement.

"Only the classics." he returned with a relaxed shrug, his eyes following every movement of her body as she lowered to sit on the stool opposite him, and her elbows reached out to rest on the island between them.

"I see," She nodded with a chuckle that bubbled up within her, and he set a plate of food down in front of her with a satisfied smug.

"Consider yourself lucky because you are the first person to try my cooking," he informed, leaning against the counter with a smug look of pride, obviously pleased with what he had accomplished in the few short hours that had passed since sunrise.