confirmed something she had already decided.
"I can't see you losing control like that."
"Are you just going to tease me with that coffee or are you going to do the decent thing and give it to me?"
"My, you are surly in the mornings. Say please."
"Please may I have that mug of coffee before I scream?" He held out his hand expectantly.
"Lucky for you I'm in a charitable mood today." She thrust the mug into his large hand and watched as he took a long, satisfying swallow. Her flippant words didn't quite hide the shadowed concern in her eyes. Jed decided he liked the sympathy he saw in her near-green gaze. He wouldn't mind wallowing in it for a while.
"Thank you," Jed murmured after the first taste of the reviving coffee. "I may survive after all." He kept himself propped on one elbow, the mug cradled in his fist, and took another swallow.
"How do you feel?" Amy asked gently.
"As I said earlier, like hell."
"Succinct and to the point. Want some breakfast?"
He eyed her with faint amusement. "You are feeling charitable today, aren't you? I get to spend the night in your bed and now you're going to feed me breakfast. This is indeed the best of all possible worlds."
Her mouth tilted at the corners. "You're an easily satisfied man."
"A simple soul with simple tastes," he agreed, and made a gallant effort to sit up on the edge of the bed.
"Ah. Success." He ignoredihe dull ache in his thigh. Across the room his gaze fell on an airy structure made of thin brass wire. Technically, it was a bird cage designed to look like a Baroque Italian villa. But Amy had filled the delicate, exotic bird house with a healthy looking plant instead of parakeets. Green leaves poked through the colonnade, thrust their way out of the dome and peeked through the elegantly vaulted windows and doorways.
Amy saw the direction of his gaze. "What do you think? I decided it made a great planter."
Jed felt an instant flare of anger. "You bought it."
"Of course I bought it. I love it."
"I told you not to buy it. I said I'd give it to you if you wanted it."
"And I explained I couldn't let you give me something that expensive," Amy reminded him patiently.
"It's a work of art."
"It's a hobby," he told her flatly.
"You must have spent hours on it."
"That's what hobbies are for. Dammit, Amy, I can't believe you paid three hundred bucks for that thing."
"The gallery owner gave me a slight discount because she knew I was a friend of the artist."
"Oh, yeah? How much of a slight discount did Connie give you?" Jed challenged.
"Ten percent. If you ask me, you're letting those cages go too cheap. That's what I told Connie, too. I think you should be charging five hundred for the small cages like this one and seven-fifty or eight hundred for the large ones. Maybe more."
Jed heaved himself to his feet. "When I decide to get an agent, I'll consult you. In the meantime, no more sneaking around behind my back buying my bird cages without my permission, understand?"
Her eyes widened innocently. "The coffee doesn't seem to be doing much for your mood. I didn't realize you have this surly side to your nature."
"There are a lot of things you don't know about my nature, aren't there?" Jed asked darkly as he made his way painfully to the bathroom.
"Probably as many things as you don't know about mine." Amy vanished from the doorway, leaving the cool jibe hanging in the air behind her.
Jed groaned, wishing he had kept his mouth shut. He was not handling his first morning in Amy's home with the finesse, tact and diplomacy a woman had a right to expect. After all, he reminded himself grimly as he planted both hands on the old cracked washbasin and leaned forward to study the rough, dark stubble on his face, he wasn't her lover. He was a politely tolerated friend she could choose to kick out at any moment.
He didn't want to be kicked out. Not just yet. He wanted to maintain the fantasy of being home a little while longer.
Jed reached over and turned on the
"I can't see you losing control like that."
"Are you just going to tease me with that coffee or are you going to do the decent thing and give it to me?"
"My, you are surly in the mornings. Say please."
"Please may I have that mug of coffee before I scream?" He held out his hand expectantly.
"Lucky for you I'm in a charitable mood today." She thrust the mug into his large hand and watched as he took a long, satisfying swallow. Her flippant words didn't quite hide the shadowed concern in her eyes. Jed decided he liked the sympathy he saw in her near-green gaze. He wouldn't mind wallowing in it for a while.
"Thank you," Jed murmured after the first taste of the reviving coffee. "I may survive after all." He kept himself propped on one elbow, the mug cradled in his fist, and took another swallow.
"How do you feel?" Amy asked gently.
"As I said earlier, like hell."
"Succinct and to the point. Want some breakfast?"
He eyed her with faint amusement. "You are feeling charitable today, aren't you? I get to spend the night in your bed and now you're going to feed me breakfast. This is indeed the best of all possible worlds."
Her mouth tilted at the corners. "You're an easily satisfied man."
"A simple soul with simple tastes," he agreed, and made a gallant effort to sit up on the edge of the bed.
"Ah. Success." He ignoredihe dull ache in his thigh. Across the room his gaze fell on an airy structure made of thin brass wire. Technically, it was a bird cage designed to look like a Baroque Italian villa. But Amy had filled the delicate, exotic bird house with a healthy looking plant instead of parakeets. Green leaves poked through the colonnade, thrust their way out of the dome and peeked through the elegantly vaulted windows and doorways.
Amy saw the direction of his gaze. "What do you think? I decided it made a great planter."
Jed felt an instant flare of anger. "You bought it."
"Of course I bought it. I love it."
"I told you not to buy it. I said I'd give it to you if you wanted it."
"And I explained I couldn't let you give me something that expensive," Amy reminded him patiently.
"It's a work of art."
"It's a hobby," he told her flatly.
"You must have spent hours on it."
"That's what hobbies are for. Dammit, Amy, I can't believe you paid three hundred bucks for that thing."
"The gallery owner gave me a slight discount because she knew I was a friend of the artist."
"Oh, yeah? How much of a slight discount did Connie give you?" Jed challenged.
"Ten percent. If you ask me, you're letting those cages go too cheap. That's what I told Connie, too. I think you should be charging five hundred for the small cages like this one and seven-fifty or eight hundred for the large ones. Maybe more."
Jed heaved himself to his feet. "When I decide to get an agent, I'll consult you. In the meantime, no more sneaking around behind my back buying my bird cages without my permission, understand?"
Her eyes widened innocently. "The coffee doesn't seem to be doing much for your mood. I didn't realize you have this surly side to your nature."
"There are a lot of things you don't know about my nature, aren't there?" Jed asked darkly as he made his way painfully to the bathroom.
"Probably as many things as you don't know about mine." Amy vanished from the doorway, leaving the cool jibe hanging in the air behind her.
Jed groaned, wishing he had kept his mouth shut. He was not handling his first morning in Amy's home with the finesse, tact and diplomacy a woman had a right to expect. After all, he reminded himself grimly as he planted both hands on the old cracked washbasin and leaned forward to study the rough, dark stubble on his face, he wasn't her lover. He was a politely tolerated friend she could choose to kick out at any moment.
He didn't want to be kicked out. Not just yet. He wanted to maintain the fantasy of being home a little while longer.
Jed reached over and turned on the
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