‘Your shower gel smells amazing,’ I said, sniffing my skin after stepping out into the bathroom. “I’d love to know the brand.” He had one of those cool dispensers, so I couldn’t tell what it was.
He opened a drawer under the sink, taking out a bottle. ‘You can take it with you if you want.’
‘Really? Thanks.’
He held out a robe for me. I immediately dropped the towel that I’d used to pat myself dry and slid on the robe.
‘This is so fluffy and smells like you. Will you put one on too?’
‘No, I only have this one.’
‘You don’t have to give it to me,’ I protested, about to take it off, but he pushed it right back into place, tying the belt too.
‘No,’ he said. ‘You’ll get cold with just a towel. I want you to be comfortable.’
How was this sex god such a decent human being? The whole evening had been amazing. I kept wanting to pinch myself.
I yawned as I put the shower gel on one of the open shelves next to the mirror. “Let’s hope I don’t forget to take this when I leave.”
He leaned into me, bringing his mouth to my ear. ‘If you do, you’re more than welcome to come back and grab it. In fact, I don’t mind if you forget it on purpose. It would give you a reason to come back.’
He wants me to come back! Hell yes!
I turned to him, trying to smile, but ended up yawning again.
‘Come on, let’s go to bed,’ he urged. ‘You’re tired.’
‘Actually… I’m a bit hungry.’
‘You didn’t eat much. Didn’t you like the dinner?’
‘I did. But I was a bit nervous, and I didn’t have an appetite.’
‘Because of me?’ he asked with a wry smile.
I tapped my lips, trying not to grin. ‘Let me think. Maybe it was because of the hot waiter who kept bringing us weird drinks.’ His eyes turned cold at that. ‘Of course it was because of you.’
But he didn’t relax right away. He kept scrutinizing my face as if searching for signs that I was telling him the truth.
‘Come on, I’ll feed you,’ he said finally.
‘What’s your favorite delivery around here?’
‘I’ll find something for you in the fridge.’
My eyes widened. ‘What? You have food?’
‘Why the surprise?’
‘I don’t know. You just don’t strike me as the type who has any food at home.’
He laughed. ‘Believe it or not, I actually cook. Learned it from Dad. He said that early in his relationship with my mom, he realized that if he didn’t want to eat burned or uncooked food for the rest of his life, he’d better take over.”
‘Oh, that’s so cute,” I said. My heart was happy hearing him talk about his parents. ‘Your parents sound wonderful.’
‘They are. Dad said he never truly had the heart to tell her that she was a terrible cook, so instead he simply took the reins in the kitchen.’
‘How long ago did she pass away?’ I asked.
‘Four years.”
‘I’m sorry for your loss.’
He took my hand, walking slightly in front of me as we went to the kitchen. This felt heavenly. I was wearing his robe, he just had boxers on, and now he was leisurely taking me to the kitchen to give me food.
I almost felt uncomfortable with how easy it was. I wasn’t used to this. Things with Malcolm had never been easy. Everything had always been a negotiation or a fight. If I wanted something, I was being unreasonable every single time. Eventually, I stopped wanting things or asking for romantic dates or getaways.
Some days I was still mad at myself for staying with him for as long as I did. My dating experience afterward wasn’t anything to brag about either.
He opened the fridge and asked, ‘How hungry are you?’
‘I don’t know. I think I could wait for a bit. Why? What do you have in mind? Should we order after all?’
‘No, I was thinking about making a quiche if you like that.’
My eyes bulged, and I couldn’t form words.
He looked at me over his shoulder. ‘Reese?’
‘Sorry. I was too stunned to answer. You want to make a quiche now?’
‘Yeah, I’ve got all the stuff I need.’
‘You know how to make one?’ I double-checked.
‘You don’t?’
I shook my head. ‘Baking isn’t my thing. The most cooking I do is when the whole family gathers at my aunt and uncle’s.’
‘Why, you bring your own food?’
‘No, but there are so many of us that she assigns us specific tasks. It’s smart; otherwise, she’d have to cook for hours.’
He took out eggs and cheese and a lot of other ingredients.
‘What do you need me to do?’ I asked.
‘I’ve got this. I’m not used to delegating like your aunt, so it’s easier if I do everything myself.’
‘Suits me,’ I said. That meant I had all the time in the world to just watch him move around. Yum. Those muscles were a feast for my eyes.
‘What do your tattoos mean?” I asked, drinking in the ink on his body. The “private” tattoo he’d teased me with during the drive to the weekend event was on his lower back. It looked like a hawk in flight. It was amazing. The ink on his arms was more subtle—they looked like vines.
“That I had a rebellious streak in my twenties.”
“So you have a hawk on your back, but what’s that on your arms?”
“I intended for them to be guitar strings. I used to play in a band.”
“That’s sexy. Why did you stop?”
“Because I started Waldorf Fashion. And it took up all my time. I still enjoy music, but don’t play anymore.”
“Fair enough. By the way, I’d argue that you still have a rebellious streak. You just hide it really well with those sexy suits.”
He winked at me. “Damn right I do.”
***
Forty minutes later, he took the quiche out of the oven. The top looked brown and crispy, and he immediately cut it into slices.
‘Do we have to wait for it to cool?’ I asked.
‘No, you can dig in.’
I immediately snagged a spoonful, blew on it a bit, then shoved it in my mouth. I closed my eyes, sighing. ‘This is good. I have to hide you from my sister. If she finds out about your cooking skills, there will be no escaping her. She loves quiche.’
‘You already want to introduce me to your sister?’
I opened my eyes, straightening up. ‘It was a figure of speech. I didn’t… I mean…’ I bit the inside of my cheek, glancing down at the plate.
‘Reese, relax.’ He took my hand, caressing the back of it with his thumb. ‘I’d love to meet your sister anytime.’
My face exploded in a grin. ‘Really?’
‘Yeah.’
‘Okay.’ My stomach somersaulted.
‘Why does she love quiche so much?’
‘She lived in Paris for a few years and kept saying that she can’t find good quiche here, but I think she’d love yours.’ I was rambling now. I didn’t understand why I was so nervous. ‘You’re not going to eat?’ I asked when he made no move to grab a bite.
‘No, I’m not hungry. I’ll just have it for breakfast.’
I stared at him. ‘You cooked all this for me?’
‘Reese, why do you keep acting so surprised that I like to do things for you?’
‘I don’t know. I didn’t think… never mind.’
The silence stretched between us for a few seconds before he said, ‘When you’re ready to talk about it, just know you can. I’m here for you.’
‘Thanks.’
For some reason, I kept expecting this night to take a turn for the worse, for him to make a sly comment about me leaving or to only consider this night a onetime thing. I’d always been a worrier and overthinker, but even for my standards, I was extra anxious tonight.
I was gun-shy after my past relationship, always waiting for the other shoe to drop. But Dom hadn’t done anything to deserve this, and I needed to stop anticipating the worst.
‘So, you mentioned that you gather at your aunt and uncle’s. How often do you do that?’ he asked.
‘It depends. Since all my cousins and my sister have a better half, and even have kids, we don’t get together regularly. But I’m very close to everyone. My aunt and uncle are like my parents in a way.”
“How come?”
Instead of simply saying, “Because we’re close,” other words poured out of me, ones I didn’t usually share with anyone outside my family.
‘After Mom passed away, Dad couldn’t really deal, to be honest. He used work as an escape, putting all his effort into expanding the chain of bookstores. My grandmother and aunt and uncle practically raised Kimberly and me.’
“But things are okay between you now?”
‘Oh yes, of course. As I said, he lives in London, so we aren’t as close as I’d hoped we’d be, but we do talk a lot, and visit. I’ve asked him to send me pics of my half sister once a week so even though I’m not there, I can at least see her grow up.’
Dom was suspiciously silent. I eyed him carefully. ‘What?’
‘Nothing. I don’t think I’ve ever met someone who’s been through a tough spot with their parents and doesn’t hold one bit of resentment.’
I shrugged. ‘He did the best with what he had. It’s not like he woke up every morning and thought, ‘Let’s find a way to screw up my girls.’ And I think older generations weren’t as open to therapy. After my spectacular failure with the marriage, I knew I couldn’t cope on my own.’
Dom moved around the counter until he was right in front of me. ‘Let’s get one thing straight, Reese. The fact that your ex slept with your best friend is not your failure.’
‘Mm,’ I said noncommittally, putting a hand to my stomach. Talking about this was never easy.
‘There’s something to be said for decency. When you don’t want to be in a relationship anymore, you can be honest about it and break up, not cheat. There are better ways of getting out of a relationship, ones that don’t include destroying the other person.’
I wasn’t sure if he was talking about me or him. I put a hand on his chest, drawing my fingers in small circles over his torso. He was tense, but I could practically feel his muscles relax under my touch.
‘You’re right,’ I said softly.
He pressed his thumb against my cheek. ‘Don’t think that something you did led to that bastard cheating on you or your best friend betraying you. I’ve only known you for a hot minute, but I already know you’re a wonderful person, Reese. That guy was an idiot. That’s all on him.’
I dipped my head, smiling slightly. ‘Thank you for saying that.’
‘You’re welcome. Are you done eating?’
‘Yeah. It was delicious.’
He laughed and then, without warning, lifted me in his arms, one under my knees and the other around my back. I instinctively put both arms around his neck, snuggling close.
Holy shit. I feel like I’m in a movie.
‘Good. Now, we’re going to bed,’ he said.
‘We are? I’m not tired anymore.”
‘Are you sure? You were yawning before.’
‘Hmm. I could be talked into sleeping,’ I teased him, ‘though we might get other ideas once we’re in bed.’
When we reached the bedroom, the light was off. He set me right in the center of the bed before pulling back the covers.
‘Come on. Let’s get in so you don’t get cold,’ he said as I discarded the robe. I was buck naked, since I didn’t have any pajamas.
He slipped right next to me under the covers. This all felt so sinful with the lamps off, though there were plenty of sources of light outside. Chicago wasn’t sleeping yet.
I moved closer to him so our legs were intertwined, then put my hands on his torso, moving them up and down playfully.
‘You’re going to tempt me the whole night, aren’t you?’ he asked.
I grinned. ‘You can be sure of that.’
