Page 28 of The Monster’s Weakness

Caleb took her bag, coat, and then held her hands, leading her further into the kitchen area, where he had laid the table.

“Right, it’s time for you to open your eyes,” he said.

She opened her eyes and gasped. He’d set the table before picking her up after work.

“Caleb, this is...” she petered off.

“Sexy? Amazing? Romantic?”

“All of those things. You didn’t have to do this.”

“And that’s why I wanted to do it, because you, my sweet, are incredibly special, and I wanted to do this for you.” He pulled her in close and kissed her. “And I hope you brought your appetite because you are going to eat.”

He kissed her lips and wanted to pull her into the bedroom and fuck her until she forgot her own name. As it happened, he couldn’t do that quite yet, as he’d gone to all this effort for a reason. He didn’t want anything from this. This was not selfish, but he wanted Gemma to feel taken care of. Caleb wanted her to trust him completely. It had been close after his last contract, when he hadn’t been able to contact her. He’d seen how hurt she had been and the conclusions she’d come up with.

Easing the chair under the table, he kissed her neck. “I’ll be right back.”

“You cooked as well?” she asked.

“Not a chance. I don’t cook, but what I do have is an amazing chef I can call whenever I need him.” He went to the oven and opened it up, letting out a little laugh as he peeled away the foil to reveal the beef Wellington. It was not burnt, or overcooked.

He sliced into it and quickly plated it up. The beef was still blushing, but it wasn’t too rare. He hated rare steak, where it looked almost raw. He could not eat anything that still looked like raw meat.

Next, he added the vegetables, and he was going to have to give the chef a bonus, because this was just amazing, along with the sauce.

He carried their plates in, and in the fridge, there was also a delightful chocolate mousse waiting.

“Here you go.”

“Wow, this looks incredible,” she said.

“Like I said, I know a good chef.” He winked at her.

The candles were lit, the wine was poured, and he also made sure to pour Gemma a glass of water.

“I don’t ... this is ... I’m ... thank you,” she said.

He saw her eyes glaze with tears, and he reached across the table. “You’re a special woman, Gemma. I want you to know that. You mean a lot to me.”

“No one has ever done this for me before,” she said.

“Well, you’ve got to try it. I might have gone to all this effort and it tastes rancid. The chef could be screwing with me.”

This made her laugh, and she cut into her beef Wellington and took a bite. “Oh, wow,” she said. She closed her eyes. “I have never had this before, and it’s amazing. I didn’t think I was going to like it because I usually like cooked meat.”

This made him laugh. “I’m the same. This is about as much as I can handle. Blushing.”

It was so easy with Gemma. She was a wonderful woman. His woman. He knew it had been hard for her. He’d gotten all the information he could about her. The fact her parents kicked her out as soon as they were able, and removed her from their health insurance.

Gemma had been so unlucky with work, with everything. She had absolutely no one. Caleb knew what that was like, but this was the life he enjoyed now. He was used to it. She was too good to not have anyone taking care of her.

“I think I would like to meet your chef friend. These potatoes are to die for. I have never had anything quite so good.” She let out a moan.

There was a little spark of jealousy in him, because he wanted to be the only reason to make her moan. But then, good food was that special.

They talked about their day, the weather, and she laughed at his jokes, and it wasn’t fake either. Caleb had never been this way with any woman.

After dinner, he grabbed their desserts, and there was only so much moaning he could take, so the rest of their mousse was taken into the bedroom, where he intended to get her to moan even louder for him.