Page 16 of Never Till Now

“What do you feel like eating?” I step into her as she raises her hands to rest on my shoulders.

“Chinese takeout?” Her long legs wrap around me, but I grab her calves to tilt her on her back. “Or, you?” Her voice rasps with seduction.

“Takeout makes me feel like trash.” I crawl on top of her. “How about I make you the best beef and broccoli you’ve ever had?”

“You’re gloating to the takeout connoisseur here. Are you sure you’re up for the challenge?” Her arms wrap around my neck and pull me to her lips.

She tastes sweet, like plastic cherries, as my tongue swirls with hers. I can’t stomach eating them, but the lingering notes off her tongue have created a new kryptonite. My lips trail across her jaw and down her throat, stopping at the end of her shoulder. I grind into her as our breathing becomes heavy.

“I picked up condoms today,” she whispers, leaning up to nip my ear.

“I did too.” I pull out of her grasp and stand back up. “Let’s eat first.”

I take the ingredients out of the fridge along with a jar of maraschino cherries I purchased just for her. Lauren’s eyes gleam with happiness as I hand her the jar.

“Do you have chocolate ice cream as well?” Her voice laces with hope.

“I don’t. You can call room service if you want some brought up.”

“I guess if I call it in now, it’ll be the right consistency after we eat.”

“You mean melted? Are you sure you don’t just want a milkshake?”

“No one understands how it doesn’t taste the same. I’ve accepted the fact that most don’t eat it that way.” She laughs as I send a text down to Aaron, our chef.

“It’ll be up shortly.” I set my phone back on the counter and start to prep the food.

Her teeth toy with her bottom lip, making me practice restraint. “Do you want help?”

“Only if you want to.” My knife slices through vegetables as she hops down.

“Who taught you how to cook?”

“I did.” I shrug. “I was sick of relying on others to bring meals to me.”

“I never learned.” I think that was a sigh as she reaches for a knife. “Lloyd only cooked frozen meals, and I was always so wrapped up in school assignments or my job to learn.”

“How do you manage to stay skinny with a diet of plastic cherries, ice cream, and takeout?”

“Malnutrition, minimal food, and neglect through formative years can fuck up your metabolism.” She twists the thin gold band on her pinkie finger, and it takes everything in me not to ask who the hell Lloyd is or any further questions about her confession.

“How about I give you your first lesson?”

Her smile returns as I spend the next twenty minutes showing her how to properly hold the knife and how using minimal ingredients doesn’t make cooking as overwhelming as it seems.

Out of all my furniture options in my penthouse, she sits on the floor against the wall of floor-to-ceiling windows. Her spoon glides through the melted ice cream as her feet curl under her. I take a seat beside her. I haven’t sat by the window admiring the view in years. Cars outline the streets like lights traveling through a circuit board. I wish I could find the same glimmer of enchantment that’s passing through Lauren’s eyes, but the city isn’t for me. She rolls her shoulders back as her neck cracks.

“The gym kicked my ass today. I signed up for more classes.”

“You didn’t pass out on the coach, right?” I smirk.

“There’s only one Viking stature man I can rely on to catch me.” She laughs and I shake my head.

“In high school, our mascot was a Viking,” I begin. “Every year, I’d dress up as one for the mascot during sports games. Which landed me any girl I wanted, and one teacher, might I add.”

Her head shakes and the scent of her perfume fills the air. She sets the empty cup aside and turns to me. Her gaze seems lost. Her emeralds dim and the haunting look returns. As if she’s replaying a memory or suppressing a question. I give her a moment to speak, but she doesn’t.

Chocolate rests under the side of her lip. I bring the pad of my thumb to her bottom lip and trace the outline. Her breath hitches as my middle finger tilts her head and I grip her chin to pull her forward with my thumb and index finger. My body gravitates toward hers with the need to lay her down and cage her under me. Lauren smirks, catching me off guard. Her hands meet my chest as they firmly push me down. I look up with my famous grin and enjoy the view of her straddling me. As her hands reach up to let her hair down, I quickly flip us with hopes of hearing the little squeak she makes. Mission accomplished.