A Muse Her

Chapter 6

Mateo smiled to himself as he molded a few beef patties and slapped them on the skillet. He looked over the stove to Maia sitting in the living room tapping away on her laptop.

He still couldn't believe she agreed to do this excursion with him. He thought it would be a long shot that she'd ever want to go ice climbing, but she surprised him. Then again, he was starting to learn that Maia was up for anything if it was going to help her write her novel.

And he was happy to help her do it – as long as he kept his shirt on. He bit his cheeks to stop from laughing at the memory of the flustered look on her face. It was wholly inappropriate of him to come out of his room like that, but she sounded panicked and he honestly didn't think he'd have that kind of effect on her.

In the month they'd been working together, Maia kept everything professional when they had their sessions and she hadn't caught on to the fact that most of his insights about Donny's inner thoughts and feelings about his crush on Tati were about her.

That wasn't a bad thing, it was for the best that she hadn't caught on and even if she did, Maia didn't seem that interested in him. She may have gotten flustered over his bare chest, but that was it. He knew he was firmly planted in her friend zone and she had a wall around her thicker than the ice they'd climbed.

Mateo sighed as he flipped the burgers and took out the seasoned chunky fries Maia liked from the oven. She didn't want to know him more than what he could offer for her book and he couldn't be upset about that. He couldn't let her into his life beyond the fake persona he'd built as the lonely Coloradan rancher or the Hottie on the Hill as the locals referred to him.

It was only a matter of time before he'd have to go back to his old life. His family wouldn't let him hide forever. Not with his brother being crowned and his sister planning to marry, something she was forced to delay because of the mess he made. The coronation and the wedding would be his reintroduction to his societal duties and he wouldn't want to put anyone in a position with that kind of scrutiny.

He barely wanted anything to do with that life anymore and he wished they'd let him give it up.

Mateo plated the burgers, fries and salad before he carried them into the living room. "Break time. You need to eat something," he said, placing Maia's plate on the table beside the couch.

"Oo, thank you. This looks so good," Maia said, pushing her cat ear headphones from her head as she sat her laptop to the side. "And you seasoned the fries just how I like them too!"

"Of course," Mateo said as he took a seat in the chair opposite the couch. "You won't eat unless I season your food properly."

"Ha! Damn straight," she said, taking a bite of the burger and his groin twitched at the way she moaned in satisfaction. "So good. Honestly, I don't think I pay you enough for these meals you chef up."

"You pay me enough." Not that he needed her money. "I'm just glad you like it and you're fueling all that writing."

"About that, I promise to tear this food up," she said, sitting her plate to the side. "But I'm in the middle of a really good scene and I have to get it out before I lose this train of thought."

"I'm not the food police, Maia," he said, propping his legs up on the ottoman in front of his chair. "I know you'll eat it when you're ready."

A warm smile graced her lips as she popped her headphones over her ears. "Thanks," she said before she was back in her little world tapping away at her keyboard.

Mateo picked up his book sitting on the table beside him before he dug into his food. He glanced over the top of his book to watch Maia and a sense of calm washed over him.