When my neighbors saw someone lurking, they just called the police to chase them off. I'd only dealt with reporters once.
As it stood, she was safer here, even with the press watching our every move, and it never occurred to me that it could be the case.
I eased into the chair next to her, moving it closer as she took a bite and moaned at the flavors.
"Why not just stay with me a few weeks, you know… until this blows over?" I eyed her as she took another bite of food.
She wasn't shocked by my request, but she didn’t smile either. "It could be like a trial run. We're having a baby together, Ember. And I'm in love with you. Let me take care of you."
"My apartment, Nate… I have to take care of stuff and pay rent." Her brow furrowed and she sighed heavily as she took a heaping spoonful of mashed potatoes and groaned in pleasure again.
It was so good to see her eating a healthy meal after being sick for so long.
She'd even gained a pound back, which was a high spot for her week when the clinic doctor praised her efforts.
"I'll take care of it all. I'll even cover your rent for the next few months as we test this out and make sure it's going to be a good fit…" Now that I'd asked her, I wasn't going to let it go.
I wanted her here under my roof because I was positive we were going to work through all of this and come out the other side strong.
She looked skeptical as she continued eating slowly, but she didn't refuse. "I don't know…"
"I'm in love with you, and I'm not going to let some man who sits in some seat of 'honor' tell me how to live my life. We belong together, baby. Let me prove it to you." I took her hand and kissed it, and it pulled the first grin I'd seen since she walked in.
"You think? Nate, it feels sort of sudden…"
"Well, we've been doing this for six months and you're pregnant. So if that's too fast for you, I'm not sure how to turn back the hands of time." I lifted both of my eyebrows as she dipped her finger into the pile of mashed potatoes on her plate and stuck it up to my mouth.
Her playful grin had me sucking the potatoes off her finger, then circling it with my tongue a few times.
"Will you cook for me like this every night?" she asked, turning more to face me as I pulled her finger from my mouth.
"Depends, do I get you for dessert every night?" I wagged my eyebrows at her and she snickered.
"Dr. Bradley, you're going to make me blush."
"Good, there's more where that came from." I leaned down and kissed her, and the kiss grew heated quickly.
Seeing her be her old playful self made my heart soar.
If only I could do this for her every day.
The kiss lingered, lips parting only when Ember’s fingers tightened in my hair.
She tasted like the veal roast with a faint trace of the rosemary I’d rubbed into the meat.
I drew her tongue into my mouth, savoring the warmth before pulling back just enough to speak.
“Mmm,” I murmured against her lips. “You taste good.”
Her laugh was low, breathy, the sound vibrating through her chest into mine. “You didn't eat your dinner yet.” She nipped my lower lip, then soothed it with a slow lick.
I stood, lifting her with me, her legs wrapping instinctively around my waist.
The table groaned as I set her on the edge, plates shifting but staying upright this time.
Ember’s skirt slid higher, the bunching at her thighs.
“Careful,” she whispered, eyes flicking to the dishes. “Your mother’s bread is still warm.”
