Chapter 8. Rare Moment

Chloe POV

The sound from downstairs woke me. I looked around and realized that I had fallen asleep while Easton was treating my injured hip bone after I slipped down from the bathroom.

The clock on the wall showed I had slept for two hours and wouldn't be able to make it to the office any longer. It occurred to me that my boss had felt hungry and was now looking for something to eat in my kitchen because of the noises downstairs.

I groaned as I pushed myself up, feeling a tiny discomfort in my hipbone as I did so. It wasn't quite as painful as it had been earlier, when I couldn't even get to my feet and walk. The sheets that had been covering me began to slip away from my body, and I realized I was still completely naked.

I suddenly felt self-conscious, but at the same time, I admired my boss even more for not taking advantage of my situation. I made the right decision in putting my faith in him.

I bit my lower lip as I slid my feet to the ground, gripping the white sheets to cover my body, and walked to my closet to find something to wear.

I pulled out a white house dress with spaghetti straps that stopped just above my knee. I brushed my tangled hair before I finally walked out of my room.

I followed the sounds and smelled the fantastic aroma, which made me groan with delight. I was led toward the kitchen, and I was right. As my boss stood there in all his glory, preparing something, my kitchen seemed much smaller, and the sight of him made me gasp and stop dead in my tracks.

He stood in front of the stove, his back exposed, wearing only his dress pants. With broad shoulders and muscular arms, I could clearly see how well-toned his body was.

How could Rosie possibly leave someone as perfect as him?

Heat traveled my cheeks as I leaned my shoulder against the wall, watching him toss the pancake into the air and catch it with the pan. Besides being attractive, my boss was also skilled in the kitchen. I think I could get used to waking up to this every morning.

What? How could I think something like that to my boss?

I brushed that away from my thoughts and clapped my hands together to get my boss' attention. He was startled and turned to face me, which I found amusing. ''Sir, you're amazing—''

I couldn't continue what I was about to say because my gaze was drawn down over his exposed chest, to his six-pack abs, and all the way down to his V-line. I swallowed hard, feeling humiliated and ashamed because when I raised my eyes, Easton was smirking at me.

''Take a picture, Miss Bell…It'll last longer.'' I blushed at his statement.

''I wasn't staring, Mr. Gonzalez...'' I replied softly.

''Then wipe away the drool from your face…'' he said, and I quickly wiped away the side of my lips, only to find out that there was none.

Easton burst out laughing. ''I'm just kidding. How's your hip, Miss Bell?'' he asked as he turned around and went back to cooking. ''I'm sorry for invading your kitchen. I believe you might want to eat something when you wake up. But I couldn't find anything in your fridge except for eggs and cartons of expired juice.''

''There is still discomfort, but the pain is not nearly as severe. Thanks to my nurse boss…'' I said as I took a seat on the chair at the dining table. ''I'm sorry... but I haven't gotten around to going to the grocery store yet. I have no stock of food, except for those.''

''It's okay…I love pancakes.'' He stated and I smiled.

''Didn't you go into the office?'' I asked, resting my chin on my palm as I watched him move around.

''I've already contacted Mrs. Travis and asked her to cancel all of my appointments for today,'' he explained as he placed a plate of pancakes on the dining table. ''I gave her the password to your computer to check on my appointments.''

''I'm sorry…because of my clumsiness, we both had to leave work for the day…'' I said, picking up the fork and lazily stabbing the stack of pancakes and cutting through it.

''It's all right, Miss Bell...And It's not your fault. It was an accident...'' he said softly as he took a seat across from me. ''Right now, you're more important than any of the work that needs to be done at the office.''

As I glanced at him, the pancake hung in the air, and my lips parted in disbelief. ''Do you think I'm more important than the company? You've got to be kidding me, Sir...'' I laughed softly.

''I'm not...'' he said before joining me to eat. ''How does it taste, hmm?'' he inquired, shifting the conversation to a new topic.

''It's really good...'' I moaned, and it was then that I realized Easton was blushing as he stared at me, and that's when I remembered all over again that he still had no shirt on. I automatically tore my gaze away from him.

***

Easton refused to let me wash the dishes after we finished eating the pancakes he prepared. In the end, we were having a lot of fun playing with the dishwashing soap, spraying water on each other, and running around the kitchen.

While resting my back against the single couch in the living room and staring at Easton, who was lying down on the long couch with his eyes closed, I sighed a little more. He might've gotten tired from doing the chores since he ended up mopping the damp floor when he lost at rock, paper, and scissors with me. This was one of the rare moments I had my boss in my little apartment doing chores for me.

''I've already told you, take a picture; it'll last longer…'' he remarked, grinning, as he opened his eyes and caught that I was staring at him for the second time in the day. ''I'm sorry if It's too late to ask you this question, Miss Bell. Do you have a boyfriend?''