He licks my hand, tail still wagging, and I take that as forgiveness.
Eli watches us with an expression I can't quite read. "He really likes you."
"You've mentioned that."
"No, I mean… He's usually more suspicious of new people."
"Maybe he has good taste."
"Maybe." Eli stands, and Ridge settles on the floor beside the bed, apparently content now that he's checked on both of us. "You hungry?"
I realize I am. Starving, actually. "Yeah."
"I'll make something." He heads toward the door, then pauses. "You coming?"
"In a minute. I should probably—" I gesture at myself, at the mess we made.
"There are towels in the cabinet."
"Thanks."
He leaves, and I take a moment to just lie there, staring up at the ceiling. This is real. This happened. I had sex with Eli Cross, and now we're… What? Dating? In a relationship? Figuring it out as we go?
Whatever it is, I'm in.
I get up, wincing slightly at the pleasant ache between my legs, and walk toward the bathroom. It's as sparse as the rest of the cabin. Just a sink, toilet, and shower. But it's clean, and there's hot water, and that's all I need right now.
I clean myself up, wincing again as I feel his cum still inside me. I should probably be more concerned about that, about birth control and consequences, but I can't bring myself to regret it. Not when it felt so right.
I'll deal with it later. Figure it out. Like everything else.
When I emerge, dressed in his clothes again since mine are still damp, I find him in the kitchen. He's got a pan going, and the smell of bacon fills the cabin.
"Bacon twice in one day?" I ask, leaning against the doorway.
"It's what I've got." He glances at me. "Unless you want to try your hand at cooking again."
"God, no. I'll leave it to the expert."
He almost smiles at that.
I move to sit at the small table, Ridge following and settling at my feet. We fall into a comfortable silence, the kind that doesn't need to be filled. Just him cooking, me watching, the crackling of bacon and the settling of the fire the only sounds.
It feels domestic. Natural. Like we've done this a hundred times before instead of just today.
"I should go get some of my things from the house," I say eventually, watching him work. "Clothes, my laptop for work. I can't keep wearing your flannel forever."
He glances at me, and there's something almost possessive in his gaze. "I like you in my clothes."
"I like me in your clothes too, but I do actually have to work at some point."
"We can go tomorrow. Get whatever you need."
"And then I'll come back here?"
He turns to face me fully. "Yeah. If you want."
"What about after that? Do I just keep going back and forth?"
