“But you shouldn’t be. You’re just a person, like us, even if you look different.”
He nods but says nothing. When we get our total, Aliko pays with his credit card, and we move our cart full of groceries over to the counter by the window to organize them into the reusable bags.
With all of Aliko’s arms, he’s able to carry the bags easily. I offer to take one or two, but he doesn’t let me. The walk is only two blocks, but it’s already closing in on ninety degrees.
The air conditioner is welcome when we step into the house, and I already feel the sweat clinging to my body.
“What do you want for breakfast?” I ask as he puts the bags down on the kitchen table.
“Those banana pancakes sounded good. Plus eggs. Bacon, too.”
I huff a laugh. Maybe we won’t have too much food for the week.
“Go for a swim while I handle this.” I shoo him away from the bags. He steps back but doesn’t make a move to go out the door. I look at him over my shoulder. “What?”
“You don’t want my help?”
“I’ve got this. You go take care of yourself.”
“What about you?”
I chuckle. “I’m sure you will take care of me later.”
He doesn’t smile in return, even though it was meant to be a joke. He takes my chin and leans down to kiss me. It’s gentle and lingering and makes me feel way too much. When he pulls back, I’m breathless.
“I’ll be back soon,” he says.
Something in my chest gets all tight and hot.
“Of course you will. I’m feeding you.”
“That’s not…” He shakes his head and goes to the door to leave.
I try not to think about what he was going to say. It doesn’t take long to push it from my brain because I focus on putting all the groceries away.
I was torn on putting my clothes away in the drawers. I’m used to living out of my bags because putting things away means I have to put them back in my bags, and that’s how things get lost. I prefer leaving my stuff together, but we’re going to be here for almost a week so it would be more convenient to find what I want, but it also means there is more space to lose things.
So my clothes are still in my bags, but I am putting the food away in the cabinets. If there is any leftover or unopened food, we will leave it for the next guests or the host.
After everything is away, I get to work making the pancake batter, scrambling the eggs, and laying the bacon on a tray to put in the oven. They’ll take the longest, so I get them in before I start on everything else. Eggs take minutes. The pancakes take a little longer.
When the bacon is done, pancakes are already in the pan, but I get the eggs on, so everything will be done around the same time. I get it all plated and put on the table before adding the caramel sauce, syrup, whipped cream, and ketchup—since Aliko likes that on his eggs—to the middle of the table.
I bought a bottle of iced coffee, since it’s way too hot for hot coffee, and make us each a glass with extra ice. I’m just setting them on the table when Aliko walks through the door, completely naked, with his clothes hung over his human arm.
“It smells good in here,” he says.
“Hurry up and put clothes on so you can eat.”
He tosses his clothes in the corner of the room. “Why do I have to do that?”
He takes a seat at the table that is much too small for him. The chair creaks, but he doesn’t blink about it. If he breaks it, he’ll just buy another. I sit down, ignoring the fact he’s naked and hot across from me, but I can’t stop thinking about the fact his cock is right there for me to touch. Which I really want to do, because it seems I can never get enough of this man, no matter where we are or how many times I’ve had him already.
“What is all this for?” Aliko asks, pointing to the caramel and whipped cream.
“It’s really good on the pancakes,” I say.
“I thought this was for ice cream.”
