After our long as hell day and no break for lunch, I gathered up my bags and told Ladd I would follow him out to his house after I stopped at the store for a few things. I planned on cooking him dinner to thank him for letting me stay with him, and lucky for him I was a decent cook. My mother had made all of us learn how to cook before we left home, especially the boys. She said everyone—especially single men—should know one month’s worth of recipes by heart so they could cook for thirty days with no take out. It had been a godsend when I’d moved out on my own because seriously, eating out every night got expensive.
Tonight, I had decided to go simple and make baked chicken, broccoli, and roasted potatoes. Nothing fancy, but it was delicious. Plus I was mindful of Ladd’s need for a clean space and this recipe required minimal prep and only needed two pans. I didn’t want him to think I was a slob and kick me out before I even had a chance to unpack.
I got everything I needed at the store, made it to the carriage house and got unloaded in record time. It seemed I was anxious to feed my new boyfriend, even if I hadn’t called him that yet. As I got everything ready in the kitchen, I noticed Ladd watching me from his perch on the barstool at the island. He seemed amused about something, “What are you laughing about over there? I’ll have you know I was taught my cooking skills by the fabulous Maeve Douglas, and she’s never lost a student yet, although it was touch and go there for a while with Lachlan.”
Ladd actually laughed out loud now and pointed to my prep surface next to the sink. “I’m not laughing at your prep. I’m laughing at you being so careful not to make a mess. I know it’s because of me, but really, I have to tell you it’s okay. I know cooking is messy and I’m okay with it. As long as everything is clean when we’re done, you can relax and just cook right now. There’s really no need to put every potato peel in a bag as you peel them. If you keep it up, we’ll be eating this dinner for breakfast.”
“All right, smart guy, I’ll loosen up, if you’ll make me a glass of tea while I cook.” Ladd got off the stool and headed to the fridge, and I threw one of my offending potato peels at his head. He felt it hit, and reached up to grab it, then turned around and threw it right back at me.
“Asshole, just because I gave you permission to get messy, don’t abuse the privilege. Besides, I grew up with younger brothers. You don’t want to start prank wars with me.” I stopped chopping the peeled potatoes and just stared at him laughing in his kitchen with a mess all around him, and he was perfectly fine with it and with me. I was one lucky son of a bitch.
“Hey, quit lollygagging, your landlord is hungry over here.” Ladd teased as he handed me my tea, then perched his perky ass back on the stool. I wanted my hands on that ass sooner rather than later, but I needed to tread carefully there. We hadn’t done more than kiss and cuddle so far, and now that I was staying in his house for a few days, I wasn’t sure of the plan. I knew what I wanted to do, but I wasn’t sure what was on Ladd’s mind. So, I’d just play it cool for a little bit and see what happened.
“Yes, sir! I’ll have you fed and happy in no time.”
Ladd looked me square in the eyes and said simply, “I’m always happy with you, Conn.” Fuck, playing it cool was going to be so damn hard.
