“It all looks delicious,” she shrugs.
“Do you have any allergies?”I ask.
She shakes her head.
I fill her plate with a few bites of half a dozen entrées before placing it in front of her and wrapping her fingers around her fork.When she begins nibbling without my prompting, I press play on the remote before sliding her drink closer to her and moving the brushes into my lap.As the opening credits play, I unwrap the towel from around her head and carefully gather her hair into my fist.One tiny bite at a time, she tries everything on her plate and stares absently at the animation on the screen as classical music fills the air.I note which foods she eats more of as I work the hairbrush through the ends of her hair, using my forearm as a brace, and nudge her shoulder when a slow blink turns into a nod.She jerks upright and moves the food around on her plate.
I set the brush beside me on the couch, fill a second plate with samples of the food that didn’t fit on her first and a bit more of what she liked from the first plate.She sighs and picks at the new offerings.As I brush higher and higher, she stops trying new things and instead eats her top three favorites.With a cartoon mouse dancing across the screen and playful classical music filling the air, I dump the food she doesn’t want onto the first plate and add her preferred selections.With her plate crowded yet fewer options to overwhelm her, she relaxes further and takes bigger bites.I run the brush over her scalp, mindful of her scar, and smile as she hums in delight.Before she nods asleep again, I set down the brush and use the fresh towel to dry her hair.
She tries to hide her wince by spearing her fork into the pasta.I growl, toss the towel aside, gather her hair into my fist, and angle her face up to mine.
“Don’t hide from me, sweet pea.Tell me if I’m too rough.I never want to hurt you.Understand?”
Despite the glaze of exhaustion, her gorgeous hazel eyes glimmer in the soft lighting as she studies my face.The intimacy of the moment burrows deep into my bones, and I fight the urge to lean down and taste her lips.The soft smile spreading across her face nearly wrecks my composure.
“I like this,” she murmurs.
Pride and awe flow through me.She’s too brave.I don’t deserve her, but I’ll do anything to have her.
“Me too,” I assure her.
Her smile widens.
“This feels like a dream,” she says.
I trace her cheeks and chin with my fingertips.
“Does this feel like a dream?”I ask.
She nods.
“Do you want to wake up?”I murmur.
She gives the slightest shake of her head.
“What would you want to happen in this dream?”
“You’d kiss me.”
I rumble deep in my chest and skim the pad of my thumb over her lips, teasing her lip ring, and swallow my regret.
“Don’t tempt me, pipsqueak.We took kisses off the list for tonight,” I mock scold.
“Please?”she whispers.
I lean back.
She sticks her bottom lip out in the cutest pout.
“Fucking hell, you’re too goddamn cute,” I growl as I bend down and take her mouth in a deep and sensual kiss.
With her neck craned and my back cramping, the angle should make things awkward, but with her, every stroke of my tongue is a new and epic adventure.She’s too sweet.Too stunning.Too honest.
I rip my face away and loosen my grip on her throat, uncertain when it snuck around the slender column, and clear my throat.
“I’m sorry, Penelope.I should control myself no matter how much you tempt me, but I can’t resist when you ask so sweetly.Eat a few more bites while I swap your laundry,” I instruct.
When she pouts again, I half chuckle, half groan and kiss the dermal piercing at the corner of her eye before extracting myself from around her and grimacing my way toward the laundry room.My cock, as hard as granite, tents the front of my pants, so I sidestep around the corner instead of turning.
