“I’m great,” I say, reaching up on my tiptoes to give him a kiss before sliding past him. He set the table while I was in there and everything looks delicious. “This looks so good. Let’s eat.” I slide into one of the chairs at the table.
“I hope it’s good. I’m, uh, not much of a cook when it comes to fancy meals.” He’s adorably shy. I shouldn’t give him a hard time, but I want to. I carefully cut a slice of steak and pop it into my mouth. A burst of flavor hits my tongue and a small moan sneaks out.
“Heaven. This is heaven. It’s easily the best steak I’ve ever had. Please tell Mabel thank you for me.” I grab the wine glass he placed at my seat and take a small sip while watching his face move from questioning, to mad, to two-can-play-this-game in an instant.
“Two things: Very funny and I’m going to kill Bridget,” Sam says, pushing his own bite of steak between his lips. I can’t stop the laughter that rolls out of me.
“Aw, come on. It’s cute actually. Your sister didn’t mean to tell me, but it’s really good that she did. I might’ve expected meals like this on a regular basis if she hadn’t. I think you should thank her.”
“I would get lessons from my mom every day if it meant seeing the look you just had on your face over a bite of steak. That’s a promise,” Sam says, pointing his fork at me.
“Well, in that case, can you get the pumpkin tortellini recipe because there’s nothing else like it, and I shouldn’t admit how many times I’ve woken up dreaming about it.”
“If it means you’ll dream of me instead, I’ll find a way to get it.” Sam winks then tucks back into his meal.
We continue eating in amicable silence. This food is too good to not eat it while it’s warm, and I appreciate the ease with which we can share a meal and not have to fill the void with conversation. It feels natural, like I could picture us doing this regularly, and the thought scares me.
“I’m so full right now,” I say, tossing my napkin on my plate and pushing back from the table.
“Me too. I think I impressed myself,” Sam says, reaching to grab the leg of the chair I’m sitting in and pulling me closer to him.
“You did good, Sam.” I press a kiss to his cheek when I’m saddled up next to him.
“Want to watch a movie or snuggle? Which sounds better?” he asks.
“Well . . . I have been dying to see that bed you were in earlier this week. It looked so cozy, I think I could crawl in and go right to sleep.”
“I’ll let you in my bed, but I am not planning on letting you sleep.” Sam kisses me softly before pulling on my bottom lip with his teeth. A slew of goose bumps pebble my skin as heat zaps up my spine.
“Easy, killer. I’ll go change real quick.” I stand and grab my bag, heading toward the bathroom.
Sam stops me with a hand on my arm. “I was thinking that clothes were optional.”
“Trust me, you will like what I brought,” I quip before heading into the small restroom to change. I brought something special that I think he’s going to love. Something that also fits my own agenda.
Once inside, I dig through my bag and pull out the black lace lingerie I bought for this. It’s almost like a bodysuit, with cutouts on the back and nether regions. It’s long sleeved, so my arm will be concealed behind the black floral pattern. I also brought an oversized fluffy pink robe, just to tease him a bit. I undress quickly, fitting myself into the number and donning the robe. I fluff my hair a bit and slide on a hint of red lipstick.
When I open the door, Sam is nowhere to be found, our dinner abandoned on the table. I walk to the front door and drop my bag back down by my shoes, turning to see if I can spot him. The muffin tin is noticeably missing from the kitchen counter. Where did he go?
“Up here,” Sam says, peering down at me from the loft I didn’t know he had.
“How do I get up there?” I ask, looking for a set of stairs.
“The ladder.” He points to a hidden wooden-rung ladder that’s tucked just off the kitchen. I never would have noticed it, but now that I see it, I’m not sure how I missed it.
I climb each rung carefully, reaching the top and sliding my legs over to stand in the loft. Sam eyes me from the bed. He’s lying with his hands behind his head and his shirt off. His biceps are huge. His chest and abdomen look like granite, bulging and dipping across the expanse of his body. His tattoos are beautiful in swirling patterns across his skin. My cheeks heat just looking at him.
“You gonna eye fuck me all night, or are we snuggling?” he asks, grinning at me.
“Snuggling, sorry. Uh, actually, I’m not sorry.” I take back the apology. He’s hot as hell, and he knows it. There’s no point in me denying it.
I cross the room and slide onto the bed in my fluffy robe. Sam pulls me into him and nuzzles his nose into my neck, kissing between my ear and collarbone gently. I can’t stop the way my body reacts to him. Tingles race up my spine and my jaw goes slack. Sam arches back into the pillows, burrowing us in while pulling me even closer against his hardened body.
“This robe is super soft, I see why you picked it.” He runs his hand along the sleeve feeling the texture of it.
“I knew you’d like it,” I say jokingly, laughing as he begins to tickle me.
Escaping his grasp, I move to stand beside the bed, slowly untying the belt. The shoulders of the robe drop first, then the remainder as I slowly release it to the floor. There’s a second of nerves as I stand before him in nothing but the lace bodysuit, but that tension quickly diminishes when I see the lust that blooms on his face.
