“What time did you make the chef come in for all this?” When we pulled up to the house last night, the size of the house surprised me. I expected twenty bedrooms and its own zip code for how famous he is. What he carried me into was not that at all. Yes, there’s a pool and a three-car garage, but it’s almost modest for Los Angeles. It’s still five times bigger than my place, but it’s kind of cute.
“He’s been here all night.” He bows with a flourish. “Chef Cooper, at your service.”
“You did this? Seriously?” Everything sits on the plate like he’s serving this in a five-star restaurant, not on his giant, comfortable bed that I never want to leave.
“Yeah. I, uhm, I cook. I picked it up a few years ago. It helps with anxiety.” He pops a piece of bacon in his mouth and leans in to kiss me. It’s gentle and sweet, the way his lips linger near mine. “I’ll make you something else if this isn’t what you want.” He pulls back, shock on his face. He wipes his mouth, looking like he’s about to freak out. “Wait, are you, like, vegan or gluten-free or anything? Jewish? I should have asked that before I kissed you. Hell, before I started cooking all this?—”
I grab both sides of his face, and his eyebrows shoot up, but he stops talking. “I love bacon. I also love pancakes. But I need at least half a cup of coffee before you can start freaking out over small stuff.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he chuckles, relieved. Breaking off another piece of bacon, he holds it out and places it on my tongue.
“Holy shit. This isn’t bacon. This is heaven.”
He puffs out his chest. “It’s got a little brown sugar and…never mind, you don’t care.” He bounces into the bed. “Okay, coffee! I, uhm, wasn’t sure what you take in yours, so there’s like three different creamers, honey, sugar, and some other stuff.” He bites at his bottom lip, trying not to look at me.
I pour a cup and look at him as he watches me. When I set the pot of coffee down, he goes to reach for it and I swat his hand away. “You made me breakfast. I can at least pour you a cup of coffee. How do you like it?”
“Uhm, black. When it’s hot anyhow.”
“Gross! How do you drink that?”
“Used to it, I guess.”
“Next time, I will make the coffee. I’ll add a little cinnamon like Mama does and change your whole life.”
“Next time?”
“You’re not a dud, Chase Cooper.” I grin and hand the cup over to him and pour myself a cup. I take a sip before I set it off to the side of the tray and pick up a strawberry, holding it out to him. “We should talk about this, though.”
“About breakfast?” he jokes as he leans in to take the fruit from me. “I thought I’d feed it to you, you know..”
“Well, surprise, I like being in charge.”
“Yeah, and you’re fucking good at it, too. What do you want to talk about?”
He bites down on the strawberry and some of the juice drips down my fingers. He takes my wrist, licking lazy circles along my fingers until they’re clean. He never breaks eye contact when he turns my hand over and kisses the palm, my wrist, and works his way up to my elbow before he stops and looks at me with those sparkling blue eyes. I have the urge to cover myself in strawberry juice and let him clean off every inch of me. The devious smile on his face says he’s thinking the same thing.
“After breakfast, I can give you the grand tour. We can screw our brains out all over the house. Or we can stay here in bed.” He holds out another piece of bacon and he kisses me again after I eat it. His mouth lingers a little longer than before, and it makes my heart flutter.
“Are you going to do that after every piece I eat?” I ask in a breathy voice.
“Yeah, I am. I’ve never had bacon taste this good before, and I can’t get enough.” He moves the tray to the side and crawls over me until I’m forced to lie back on the bed. Nipping at my ear, his hand slips up my shirt. “You look so fucking good in my clothes. But you look better out of them.”
“Breakfast will get cold.” He steals my breath in a kiss as my skin catches fire against his lips. “And spill all over your fancy bed.”
He pinches my nipple while his deep laugh vibrates between us. “Ms. Silva, I’m suremybreakfast will stay sweet, hot, and soaking fucking wet for me. And I won’t let a drop of it hit the bed.” His mouth slides down my jaw and I want him inside me again. His fingers dance down my body, and he gives me a needy groan when he finds no lace to work around between my legs. He teases my entrance until the echoing clatter of dishes and hot, panting breaths interrupts us. Chase shoos the dogs off the bed, but the big pit bull wants none of that, and lays down next to me, his head on my chest as he looks up at me with big sweet eyes.
“They want bacon, too, Chase.”
“That isn’t all he wants. Hey! You cock-blocking fuckers are in so much trouble!” He can’t even keep a straight face as he tries to correct them and ends up with the little boxer running away with a pancake. “Lulu! I already fed you!”
“Aww, they’re jealous that you don’t kiss them like that after they eat bacon, huh, little guy?” I tease as I take the pit bull’s gigantic head in my hands. He licks my face and I can’t stop giggling. “You are one big ass dog!”
“Pongo, come on, man. You can’t steal my girl like that already! Here, bacon!” He tosses a piece toward the end of the bed and pulls me up as soon as Pongo jumps away. Once I’m upright again, he hands me my coffee. “I’m sorry. They get excited when new people come over. I managed to save your coffee, though.”
My girl?He’s called me that twice now. I’m worried this has already gone too far. Time to ease him into a conversation I don’t want to have.
“They’re both cute as hell. What are their names?”
