“You’re making me cheesesteak?” Samiah clasped a hand to her chest. “I feel honored.”
“As you should. I’ll cook Korean food for anyone who asks, but when it comes to my beloved cheesesteak? You have to be extra special to earn one of those.” He leaned over and treated her to another of those sweet, delicate kisses. “And, yes, you are extra special.”
She was floored by how quickly she’d come to expect those kisses. Whether quick pecks like the one he’d just given her or those that left her breathless and searching for her words, his kisses had become one of the most enjoyable parts of her day.
This was never supposed to happen.
She’d removed everything about finding a man from her checklist. It wasn’t a priority, at least not for the next five or so months. Over these past couple of weeks, she’d debated back and forth with herself, coming up with all the reasons she should tell Daniel that it was better if they go back to being just friends. But she could never bring herself to follow through with it.
It was just so damn easy to be with him. Prior to him, she’d always felt a compulsion to perform. The men she’d dated all seemed to have certain expectations of her. Or maybe she was the one who’d set those expectations for herself. Either way, it felt like work. She was constantly on.
Not with Daniel. For the first time in forever, Samiah felt as if she could relax and just…be. There was no pressure, no pretense. She could just exist in this undemanding, enjoyable place they’d discovered with each other.
They ate their cheesesteaks, which she had to admit were family reunion cookout–worthy, then settled in to work. She kicked her shoes off and brought her feet up next to her on the sofa. Daniel immediately captured both feet, set them in his lap, and began to massage her soles as he continued reading through the white papers he’d been reviewing on his laptop.
She nearly orgasmed then and there, despite there being nothing sexual about his leisured kneading. It was the fact that he so unselfishly thought to attend to her needs that did it for her. It was more than any other man she’d been with had ever done. It made her wonder, had she been too lax in the standards to which she’d held her previous boyfriends, or was Daniel just that far above them?
She nestled her head against the throw pillow and allowed his magical fingers to lull her into a relaxed state as she worked on the proposal for the Leyland Group. Fifteen minutes later, she cursed her bladder for interrupting her peace.
“I hate to end this,” she said, leveling herself up on her elbows. “But I need to go to the bathroom.”
He gave her foot a squeeze then removed it from his lap.
“It’s down the hallway, on the left.” He rose from the sofa when she did, and for a moment she thought he was going to offer to show her, but then he said, “I’ll get the cupcakes ready.”
“Okay now,” she said, holding up a hand. “I don’t know how you do it in your family, but in mine we divide them up so that everyone gets to sample each flavor.”
“Such a fair, diplomatic approach,” he said, that adorable dimple making an appearance. “I’m used to the Marines, where it’s every man for himself. And if you happen to get the cupcake another person wanted really bad, you mercilessly tease them about it.”
“If I don’t get a taste of that salted caramel, I may just have to hurt you.”
One brow arched. “You promise?”
She was downright appalled at her body’s reaction to the deep, resonant timbre of his voice.
His fingers brushed her wrist before gently capturing it and tugging. Instinctively, she wrapped her arm around his neck and pulled him closer, crushing her lips to his. He made her feel bold and playful and so many other delicious things. When was the last time she’d felt so carefree, so content? Samiah was falling in love with the person she was when she was with him.
Swallowing a mournful groan, she ended the kiss before things got out of hand. Much more of that and her favorite Rice University T-shirt would be on the floor, along with the rest of her clothes.
“Bathroom,” Samiah said against his lips. She gave his firm ass a squeeze and pat. “Get the cupcakes.”
She went down the hallway and opened the first door on the left.
And stopped short.
It looked like the cockpit of a spaceship. Four huge monitors and equally huge computer towers occupied two L-shaped desks that stood flush against each other. There were enough peripherals to stock a discount computer store.
“Not that one,” Daniel called as he rushed to her. The excitable edge to his voice was…new. He reached around her and pulled the door closed. “Sorry,” he said. “That’s my roommate’s. He works from home.”
“As what, Captain Kirk’s right-hand man? And where does he sleep? It’s only a two-bedroom apartment, right?” She hooked a thumb at the closed door. “I didn’t see a bed in there.”
“He sleeps on the sofa. The freelance work he does requires a lot of equipment, so much that it doesn’t leave room for a bed.”
“That’s…umm…weird. But okay.”
He shrugged. “He is weird, but he’s a nice guy.”
Her Spidey senses went on red alert. “You didn’t find him on Craigslist or something like that, did you? I know you’re still fairly new to Austin. Finding a roommate on short notice couldn’t have been easy.”
