They were chest to chest, and she rested her chin on her hand. “Can I ask you something?”
“Sure, shoot.”
“What changed yesterday? You said you wanted to wait and then …” She felt her brows furrow.
“You changed my mind.”
“How so?” She listened, circling the small scar on his right pec, wondering how he’d gotten it. She wanted to know everything about him. All of it. The good, the bad, the ugly, and everything in between.
“I don’t know. It feels like we’ve known each other for longer than we have. Like I can trust you with anything.”
“What, longer than seven days?” She gave a lighthearted chuckle while her heart constricted, knowing she still hadn’t told him everything.
“Eight now, but who’s counting?” He snickered, pressing his mouth to hers. It was a tender kiss, one that lasted longer than expected. “Does that make any sense? Plus, living next door to you was driving me insane. Especially at night. I barely slept.”
“Me too, and it makes perfect sense. I feel the same, Noah.” Dahlia smiled, feeling his morning wood. They were face-to-face, and she didn’t care that they had morning breath. She was in bed with someone who was a total stranger to her as of a week ago, yet they were now something much more. What exactly, she wasn’t sure. That was still to be determined.
He purred into her ear. “I’m ravenous for my cougar. Or I should call you my puma.”
“You’re insatiable,” she crooned.
“And what are you going to do about it?” he asked, tucking her hair behind her ear, meeting her in a firm hold. And with that, she lifted her hips, and he slipped inside of her for another mind-blowing round—yielding another first for Dahlia as she orgasmed on top.
Dahlia walked into the kitchen from the laundry room in a sex-induced haze. She was a little sore from the excessive gymnastics,but mostly elated and shocked that she’d never hit that kind of bliss before. “One set of slipcovers finally in the wash,” she said, walking into the kitchen where Noah was cooking in nothing but boxer briefs and an apron. She still needed to call the realtor and Daisy back, but she just wanted to stay in their bubble for now. A deep sigh of contentment escaped her lips. This cloud-nine euphoria, where all she wanted to do was kiss Noah for days, swept her away like a wave out to sea. But she also felt a tug of responsibility because there was still so much to be done. “That apron suits you.”
“I found it in the pantry. Is it okay to wear it?” he asked, whisking the eggs. His broad shoulders and muscular physique taking up the tight L-shaped area.
“Sure, it was Lil’s favorite. You look very domestic,” she said, hooking her arm around his waist, feeling the apron strings hit her fingertips.
“Is that a bad thing?”
She scooched herself in front of him and stole a kiss. “Not at all. In fact, your rating as a handyman,and other things, just exceeded five stars.”
“Note to self: cook more.” His voice still sounded hoarse, which made Dahlia even dizzier with desire.
She snuck a piece of cheddar cheese from the counter. “This looks great, by the way. I didn’t think there was that much in the fridge.”
“There wasn’t. I ran home for a few things while you were in the shower.”
“So thoughtful.” Dahlia slipped her hands inside the apron and caressed his bare back. “I’m starved.” She pretended to nibble his bare skin. Dahlia wasn’t sure what had birthed this boldness. All she knew was there was an ease with him, one she couldn’t put into words.
He had a cheeky grin. “Baby, if you’re not careful, you may be my breakfast.”
Dahlia’s face felt like a furnace at the mere hint of what was to come after breakfast. Oh, and that word—baby. Why did it make her knees weak and her core hum with need? “Ah, I think I already was,” she said, feeling her breath hitch.
“Lunch then. But sustenance first,” he said. “Plates?”
“Cabinet left of the sink.”
“Thanks. I got this. You sit.”
Dahlia glanced at Lil’s table set for a morning feast. Her heart somersaulted. She wanted to pinch herself to see if she was dreaming. In all the years married, she and Spence never ate breakfast together, not even on vacation. He was constantly exercising, working, or as it turned out, having an affair
“Noah.” Her eyes burned at the thought of what she’d missed out on. “This is amazing.” She wasn’t going to cry in front of him, but she couldn’t help the tears of joy that threatened to rise. She was happy, and it was a feeling as foreign to her as living in a distant land. She regretted not asking for more time with her new position because now she didn’t want to leave so soon.
Dahlia sat first, then Noah, draping the apron over the chair. They drank orange juice and coffee and talked like any couple would. They talked about nothing and everything as they ate their eggs and toast. She shared a bit more about her lonely marriage to Spence and how they were in the final stages of divorce. She told him more about Lil. How Gran, Pop, and Lil had been very close. Almost too close. How Dahlia often wondered if anything ever happened between Lil and her pop after her gran died. And if that might be part of the secret. Dahlia also shared more about her parents and how they expected a lot from her academically. The hidden graduation tassel came up, and he also agreed it could have come from the tin they found.
She wanted to tell him about Daisy, how ashamed she’d been at first for disappointing everyone by getting pregnant just out of highschool, and how alone she would have been if it weren’t for Lil. But there was a small part of her that feared that once he knew, he would change his mind. That he’d see their age difference as taboo and realize their lives were just too different. Plus, she was leaving. That was a fact that wouldn’t change. So, for now, she would tuck her truth away in a drawer where it was safe until she was more ready.
