* * *
The next morning, instinct decided to take a vacation and Linda woke up at nearly eight in the morning. Her first thought was that the world had gone… fluffy. She was warm, and naked, and both totally relaxed and sore in a way that brought back all the memories of the night before.
"So it hadn't been a dream," Linda murmured as she rolled over. She was in a super king-sized bed, the mattress made out of some space-age material that was as supportive as memory foam but more breathable. It was like she was at her perfect temperature, perfect support, and she knew that if she slept on a mattress like this every night she'd have no aches and pains in the morning ever.
Still, she was worried as she got out of bed and padded to the palatial bathroom, squatting on the toilet to relieve her full bladder. What was last night? Why didn't Brutus wake up in bed next to her? Was this just an amazing date and a one night stand? Had she let her fandom of football and her animal attraction to him lead to a crush-fuck?
Going back into the bedroom, she saw a Bluecats t-shirt she hadn't noticed before folded at the foot of the bed. Pulling it on, she was amused to find that it went almost halfway to her thighs, and as she walked down the hallway she heard some very welcome sounds… kitchen sounds.
She found Brutus in his kitchen, looking like a vision in nothing but a pair of boxers from behind as he stood at the stove, whistling to himself. She couldn't see anything that was cooking, but the smell and sounds told her that pork was on the menu.
"Careful." She leaned against the doorway. "Pork fat and bare skin don't mix."
Brutus looked over his shoulder, and his smile relieved any remaining fears. He was happy to see her, and had only left her in bed alone to come out here and prepare some food for them to enjoy.
"You wear that shirt a lot better than I do, I should just give it to you. And I'm wearing an apron, see?"
He half turned, showing off a modest white apron that covered him from the nipples to his knees, and looked sexy as hell on him with his lean muscles poking out everywhere else. He'd brushed his hair and washed his face, and while he had some morning stubble on his cheeks, he looked absolutely dreamy with a spatula in one hand and tongs in the other.
"Wow… let me get my camera, you could be every woman's dream looking like that," she teased.
Brutus blushed.
"So what's on the menu?"
"I didn't know what you really would like that I can make, so I hit up the basics," Brutus said. "Waffles are in the toaster, I've got breakfast sausages on right now, and if you give me a few minutes I'll have a plate of scrambled eggs for you. I haven't really learned to make a ton of food myself, but I do a pretty decent scrambled egg. The secret's using a dash of heavy cream."
"Can you do three for me?" Linda asked, and Brutus nodded. "I'll get the drinks."
A few minutes later, they sat down to a delicious looking breakfast, with a mountain of fluffy scrambled eggs, ten waffles stacked on a plate, and a dozen sausage links. Brutus brought over sliced peaches, laying them on her plate.
"Always have some fruit with breakfast," he said as he put the same amount on his and sat down. "It's something my nutritionist always says. Says it's better than supplements and vitamin pills. Me? I just think it cuts the monotony."
Linda laughed, and picked up a slice. "Your nutritionist and my mama. We'd have fruit almost every day, sometimes from the local mercado, sometimes just picked off the trees that mama knew she could get away with. Guava, papaya, mangos… and lots and lots of limes. We had limonada almost every day."
"Lemonade?"
"Limeade," Linda corrected him softly, smiling. "Don't ask me why you English speakers call a limon a lime."
"Ah."
"So where's this domestic side of you come from?" she asked teasingly. "Big tough guy, cool. Stubborn as hell intern with the Army, totally understand. Amazing lover who did shit to my body that I never even thought possible last night? Oh hell yeah. Domestic Daddy who would have cooked me breakfast in bed if I'd slept in any longer? Unexpected… but I really like it."
Brutus chuckled, and took her hand. "You give me the courage to express more of myself, even if it's on our first date or whatever you want to call this. I get to show this side of myself to you, and if you like it, I'm glad. I liked making breakfast this morning. And yes, it would have been served in bed if you'd slept in any longer."
"And you have a breakfast in bed tray?"
"No," Brutus admitted. "I would have fed you with my own hands if necessary."
The idea of Brutus holding out morsels of food for her to enjoy sent a ripple of desire through her body, and she shivered at the thought.
"Maybe another time. For now, let's dig in, this smells great."
The eggs were so fluffy and rich, they tasted like sunshine on a winter morning, which more than made up for the frozen waffles that were… well, basic frozen waffles. Linda was starving, and found herself sneaking a sausage from Brutus's plate as she sipped her big glass of unsweetened iced tea. He noticed, and his smile told her he definitely didn't mind.
"So." She set her glass down, "I guess we should talk."
"Yeah… I mean, I'd like to just keep going on instinct and feel. That probably won't work much longer," Brutus said. "So what would you like to start with?"
