“You men have such fragile egos.”
He kissed the top of her head. “Yes, we do. But I’ll deny that I ever admitted it.”
“I’d better go clean up the crime scene.”
“Jill?”
She stopped at her bedroom door. “Yes?”
“We can get you help. Knox said—”
“I’ve got this.” She chuckled. “I know what you saw didn’t look like progress, but had I not let him stay, he would have left unscathed.”
“He’s not without his own set of skills and issues. He could have hurt you.”
“You wouldn’t have let that happen.”
“No, I wouldn’t have, but I’m not always going to be in the next room when you’re with him.”
She sighed. “I’ve got this.”
“I hope so.”
*
There wasn’t a Hallmark card that expressed the appropriate sorry-I-broke-your-nose-yesterday apology. Instead, Jillian opted for brunch. She made a complete mess of the kitchen then packed everything in a bag to take next door.
“Lucky for you he probably can’t smell anything today.” Jackson tossed back a Red Bull.
“You act like I have zero cooking skills.” She set the bag by the front door and shoved her feet into her red boots.
“I’m not acting. You do have zero cooking skills.”
“I bet AJ and Cage like what I made.”
“Are you wearing a bra today?”
“No.”
“Then they’ll gut it down with a smile. Well … Cage will. AJ has seen you naked; it’s going to take more than a thin shirt and nipples to make him blow smoke up your ass today.”
“Thanks for the tiara and fairy dust.”
“Anytime, princess.”
Jillian prayed Cage would answer the door. She needed an ally before facing AJ, in case the brunch and nipples weren’t enough.
No such luck.
Jillian grimaced. “Hi. Uh, I made brunch for you and Cage.”
“He’s not here,” AJ replied in a flat tone.
“Okay, then I made brunch for you.”
“I’m not hungry.”
She opened the screen door and set the bag by his feet. “I’m sorry. I know it doesn’t change the way your face looks or feels today, but I am.”
Jillian couldn’t read his expression, probably due to the redness and swelling in his face. Regardless, he looked angry and unforgiving, and the moment bled awkwardness.
“So…” she shrugged “…I guess I’ll go now.”
AJ remained stoic.
Jillian stepped outside and took two steps before turning around and throwing open the screen door. “No. You know what? I’m not leaving. Be pissed at me, fine! Be a jerk about it, fine! But do something! Yell at me, cuss me out, hit me for God’s sake, break my nose, but don’t just stand here like you don’t give a shit about me. I don’t want to be that person—the one who broke your nose. But that’s who I am right now.”
AJ blinked several times like he was contemplating her words. She watched his hands clench and relax several times. He was going to hit her, she just knew it. AJ moved his arm and she flinched, closing her eyes to ready herself for the impact.
She sucked in a quick breath when his knuckles feathered across her cheekbone.
“What’s in the bag?”
She opened her eyes and smiled as a wave of relief soothed her nerves. She covered his hand on her cheek and turned her head, pressing her lips to his palm. “Frittata, blueberry muffins, and orange juice.”
He bent down and kissed her slowly. Jillian felt tears sting her eyes. A punch would have hurt less.
“You forgive me?” she whispered against his lips.
“Yes.” AJ trapped her bottom lip between his teeth. Jillian’s eyes widened. His lips curled into a grin as he released her, then he carried the bag to the kitchen.
“Where’s young buck?”
AJ handed her a plate and sat down at the table. “He went for a jog.”
“What did he say about your nose?” Jillian poured the juice into their glasses.
“He hasn’t seen me yet. He left a note.”
“What are you going to say?”
AJ held his juice glass up to the light. “I don’t know what I’m going to tell him.” He shook his head. “What is this?”
“Orange juice.”
“It’s barely orange.”
Jillian took a sip of hers. It tasted like shit, but she swallowed and smiled. “I thought Cage would be here too and I only had a third of a jug left so I just filled it to the top with water.”
AJ set it back down without taking a sip. Then he took a bite of the blueberry muffin after inspecting it for a few moments with apprehension in his eyes. His face wrinkled. When he took a swig of the orange juice to swallow it down, she knew he wasn’t impressed.
“What did you put in these?”
She pinched off a piece of hers and dropped it in her mouth. It was shit too. “Multigrain raisin bread, almond milk, eggs, sugar, olive oil.”
“Bread? Why did you use bread to make blueberry muffins and where are the blueberries?”
She shrugged. “I didn’t have any flour so I used bread, which is made from flour, and I didn’t have any blueberries so that’s why I used the raisin bread.”