Page 60 of Code of Heart

Financial reports.

Charitable endowments.

She had not realized the full weight of what he meant when he said he was a CEO. And now, the truth stared back at her from a glowing screen—her husband was Levi Lockwood, one of the most powerful men and eligible bachelor, in Joia City…possibly the continent.

And he was currently asleep bare-assed in her bed.

Aurelia didn’t know how to interpret any of it, so she zeroed in on what she could control, which wasn’t burning breakfast.

With food almost on the table, Aurelia was so deep in her thoughts, she didn’t hear Levi’s approach.

When she spun around, proudly holding a fresh stack of pancakes, she let out a startled cry…and the plate pitched, sending the pancakes soaring.

One hit Levi right in the face. The rest scattered on the floor. Time stood still.

Aurelia became a statue, afraid to move or even breath as she prayed for a hole to appear in her floor and swallow her whole.

Levi then slowly peeled the pancake off his eye, holding it between two fingers and examining it like a small, flour-based crime had been committed.

“I expected this morning to be somewhat awkward after last night,” he deadpanned, “but not for this reason.”

Aurelia was mortified. Why do these things happen to me?

She cleared her throat, mouth suddenly desert-dry, and managed to say, “In some cultures, it’s tradition for a wife toslap her husband with breakfast foods after a perfectly adequate ravishing.”

Levi threw his head back in a roar of laughter, and the sound was so warm, so real, that it made her heart ache in the best way. Her eyes widened in surprise.

She didn't make jokes, not like that at least.

She certainly didn’t flirt either.

But something about Levi kept her mouth running, and for once, it didn’t feel like something she needed to apologize for.

“I’m usually up early in the morning,” she said quickly, the words tumbling out in a rush. “You looked exhausted, so I didn’t want to wake you. I figured I’d start breakfast while you slept…”

Levi gave her a lazy smile and leaned back against the counter, shirtless, with his gray sweatpants hanging low enough to make it hard to think. The tendrils of ink peeking over his shoulders were more noticeable. She swallowed back the urge to better acquaint herself with each line with more than just her eyes.

Noticing her shift in mood, he pushed off the counter and closed the space between them. They were close enough for her to see the specks of gold in his eyes. He took her hand, lifting it to his mouth and pressing a soft kiss into her palm.

Did it just get hotter in here? Aurelia couldn’t stop staring at his mouth.

“I appreciate the effort,” he said, voice low, sincere, and laced with something more dangerous. “But please don’t feel like you have to wait on me. I would have gotten my ass up to help you…even if it meant a much higher risk of a kitchen fire.”

The idea of a kitchen fire snapped her out of the trance that had overtaken her. Aurelia grinned despite herself. Estrella might be chaotic, but she knew what she was doing. Levi in the morning, rumpled and shirtless, was dangerously charming.

“I prefer my kitchen as it is…not on fire.” She pointed to a plate of surviving pancakes on the counter. A mound of crispy bacon waited beside them.

He stared at the pancakes, visibly distressed, and slowly picked one up. Levi took a bite, tried to chew and swallow it, and failed to hide a grimace as he forced it down.

She frowned. “Do they taste bad?” she asked, scanning the instructions on the box, worried she screwed them up.

“No, they came out perfectly fine,” he said, valiantly forcing down another bite.

She narrowed her eyes. “Then why do you look like you’re being subjected to cruel and unusual punishment?”

“...Because I don’t like pancakes?” He answered with one cautious eye open, clearly expecting a fight.

She stared at him in disbelief. “Who doesn’t like pancakes? Is it all breakfast sweets or just that?”