by Susannah Nix
“Taking a picture of you.”
“What for?”
She put her phone down and went to kiss him. “What do you think it’s for?”
He shook his head, smiling as he carried his spoils to the counter. “I don’t want to know.”
“What sorts of things can you cook?” she asked as he laid the ingredients for his omelets on the counter. Besides chicken and eggs, there was cream cheese, spinach, olives, and green onions. This was going to be some omelet.
He pulled a knife out of the block and started chopping onions. “Nothing fancy. I eat a lot of chicken and a lot of beans and rice. Different combinations of vegetables, depending on what’s on sale.”
“And omelets.”
He looked over at her and smiled. “And omelets, almost every morning.”
No wonder he looked so good. He ate like a bodybuilder. Of course, so did Penny, pretty much, and she looked like a teddy bear with boobs. It helped to be genetically gifted. Which Caleb definitely was. So gifted.
She sat at the breakfast bar to watch him cook. She’d never had a man cook in her kitchen before, much less one as attractive as Caleb. It was a bit like seeing Bigfoot casually strolling through the housewares department at Walmart.
“Do you have an omelet pan?”
“Cabinet to your left.”
He set the pan on the stove to heat while he broke two eggs into a bowl and added a splash of water. When the pan was hot, he added a thin sliver of butter, stirred the eggs, and poured them into the pan. Penny watched him nudge the eggs around with practiced ease. He really did know what he was doing. She felt like she’d found Willy Wonka’s Golden Ticket, only instead of a Golden Ticket it was something even more rare: a man who was good in the kitchen.
When he’d layered the other ingredients and the eggs were perfectly cooked on the bottom, he folded them over and slid a picture-perfect omelet onto a plate. Penny couldn’t have done better herself.
“Go ahead and eat,” he said, handing it to her. “Don’t let it get cold while I make mine.”
She got out two forks and two paper napkins and carried them to the small dining table, choosing the seat with a view of the kitchen—and Caleb’s perfect ass.
The omelet was so pretty it almost seemed a shame to cut into it. Not enough of a shame to stop her though. Not when it smelled this heavenly and she was so hungry she was practically drooling. She lifted a bite to her lips and closed her eyes in ecstasy. It tasted every bit as good as it looked—fluffy and flavorful and fantastic.
“Does it taste okay?” Caleb asked without turning around.
“Are you kidding? This is incredible. You should consider a career as an omelet chef.”
“And give up barista-ing? Never.”
He slid his omelet onto a plate, turned off the stove, and took the seat across from her at the table. “I guess you must have liked it okay,” he said, nodding at her half-empty plate.
She grinned at him. “It’s the second best thing I’ve had in my mouth today.”
He choked on the bite of omelet he’d just taken, and she got up and patted him on the back on her way to the kitchen. “Let me get you some water for that cough.”
“You’re full of surprises.”
She set out two glasses and opened the fridge. “Why? Because I made a dirty joke?”
“Yeah. I mean, you always seemed so…”
“Innocent?” she suggested as she filled both glasses from her Brita jug. That was what everyone thought about her. Sweet, good little Penny. The “little” in her case being figurative, of course. Because of her size, men tended to assume she was inexperienced. Naive. Desperate.
“Wholesome.”
She wrinkled her nose. “Thanks.”
“I don’t think I’ve ever heard you swear.”
She shrugged as she carried the water to the table. “My parents discouraged it—strenuously—so I never got into the habit. But that doesn’t mean I disapprove when other people do it. I’m not a prude.”
“So you didn’t mind when I did it?”
“You mean earlier, when…” When he’d been naked in her bed, begging to fuck her. Her cheeks heated at the memory. “No, that was hot.”
“I was a little worried I might have offended you.”
“Definitely not. Feel free to talk as dirty as you want.” She propped her chin in her hand as she watched him eat his omelet. “Can I ask you something?”
“Sure.”
“Did you really have somewhere to be yesterday when you left?”
He glanced up. “Did you think I was lying?”
Yes. She shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe.”
“I really had somewhere I had to go.”
“Have you got another girl on the side?” she teased. “More than one, maybe?”
“No.” He shook his head and stabbed at his omelet. “I went to see George in the hospital.”
“Oh.” Penny sat back in her chair, ashamed for being so suspicious. “That’s nice. I’ll bet he was happy to see you.”
“He was. I almost didn’t go though.” He flicked a glance at her. “I wanted to stay with you.”
A warm tingle traveled down her spine. “I’m glad you went. I think he’s missed you.”
“They’re transferring him to a rehab facility next week.”
“Yeah. Mike told me.”
“Did he also tell you he wants to move his father up to San Jose?”
Penny frowned. “George won’t allow that.”
Caleb shook his head. “I’m not sure he’ll have a choice.”
“First you’re moving away and now maybe George too?” He looked pained, so she tried to put an optimistic spin on it. “Maybe George will be happy to be closer to his family. Just like I’m sure you’ll be happy in med school.”
Caleb pushed his chair back and stood up. He scooped up both their plates and carried them to the sink.
Penny followed him. “I can do the dishes.”
He shook his head and turned on the water. “My mess, my dishes.”
“You cooked for me. It’s the least I can do.” As she said it, she thought about all the meals she’d made for past boyfriends, and how she’d always wound up doing the dishes too. She could count on one hand the number of times one of them had helped clean up. What a bunch of selfish jerks.
Although…it was possible they’d offered at first and she’d turned down their assistance. She had a particular way she liked things done, and it was easier to just do it herself than supervise someone else and make sure they did it right. Maybe it had been her fault. Maybe she’d trained them not to help by insisting on doing it all herself.
Caleb handed her a dishtowel. “We’ll do them together.”
“Deal,” Penny said, accepting it with a smile.
He washed and she dried. It turned out he didn’t need any supervision. He knew how to wash dishes just fine.
“I should probably go,” he said when she’d put the last dish away, and Penny felt her stomach drop.
She closed the cabinet and turned toward him. “Why?”
“It’s getting late.”
“It’s seven thirty. That’s late to you?”
“I wake up at four a.m. most weekdays.”
She moved closer and slipped her arms around his waist. “You don’t work tomorrow. You told me you don’t have anywhere to be until Monday.”
His hands slid up her arms and over her shoulder blades. “I didn’t say I had to leave. I said I should.”
“Why?”
Her bathrobe was gapping in the front, and he licked his lips as he stared at her breasts. “I don’t want to overstay my welcome.”
“Unpossible.” She tightened her arms around him. “Stay.”
He looked torn. “You sure?”
“Do you want to stay?”
His eyes fell on her breasts again. “Yes.”
“Stay.”
Chapter Fifteen
“How have you nev
er seen this show before?” Penny asked, leaning back against Caleb’s chest. “It’s so funny.”
They were curled up on her couch together, watching Brooklyn Nine-Nine. At least, she was watching it. He mostly seemed to be playing with her hair. Which was perfectly fine with her.
“I don’t have a TV,” he said, twisting a strand around his finger. He’d put his T-shirt back on, tragically, but he was still in his underwear. Penny still wore her pink chenille bathrobe.
“You can watch it online.” That was what everyone did these days. Penny knew plenty of people who didn’t have TVs.
“I don’t have internet at my house.”
She swiveled in his arms to gape at him, wincing as her hair caught around his finger. “You don’t have internet? How do you live like that?”
Caleb gently unwound her hair and kissed her head where it had pulled. “It’s too expensive. I’ve got it on my phone, but I have to be careful about my data.”
“But…what do you do? How do you pass the time?”
The corner of his mouth quirked. “What do you think people did before the internet?”
“I have no idea.” She’d asked her mother about it once, when she was a teenager. Her mother said people had talked to each other more. Caleb didn’t seem like he spent his free time talking to people though.
“I go to work. I work out. I cook dinner. That takes up most of my time. After that I usually read books until I fall asleep.”
Penny seized on this small glimpse into his life outside Antidote. “Like actual hard-copy books?” she asked, reaching for the remote to pause the episode, since neither of them were watching it.
“Yeah, there’s this place called the library where they let you check them out for free.”
“Wild. I’m not sure I’ve cracked a book made of paper since college. I do all my reading on my phone.”
He reached for her hand, turning it over in his to trace the lines of her palm. “I do that sometimes too, but I like browsing the shelves at the library and the feel of holding a real book in my hands.”
“Do you live alone?” She didn’t know anything about where he lived, other than it was less than half an hour away.
“I have two roommates. We live in a three-bedroom rental house.” He found a freckle on her wrist and drew a circle around it with his fingertip.
“Do you like them?” she asked, suppressing a shiver.
“They’re fine. We all work a lot, so we don’t see that much of each other.” His gaze lifted to her chest and settled there.
“Do you have any friends?”
He tugged at the collar of her robe to give himself a better view of her cleavage. “There’s a few guys from college who are still around. We get together every once in while, when we can make our schedules work. Not often.”
It sounded like a lonely life. Penny supposed it was only temporary for him. He was just biding his time until he moved on to the next phase. She couldn’t imagine living like that for a whole year though.
He stroked a hand down the side of her neck, pulling her closer as his mouth dipped to her ear. Her eyes fell shut when his lips grazed her earlobe, his warm breath sending a scatter of goose bumps down her arms.
“Your hair smells nice,” he murmured, nuzzling against her temple.
“I washed it just for you.”
“I’m honored.”
She turned her head to capture his lips, and they breathed out matching sighs, enjoying the slow tussle of tongues and lips and teeth. Caleb’s fingers curled into her hair while his other hand dropped to her leg. It slid up under the bottom of her robe, seeking higher ground. She let out a shuddering gasp when he found it. “You really want to have sex again?”
“Yes.” His breathy growl lit her up like a marquee.
“You’re insatiable,” she said, smiling as he untied her robe. How much testosterone did he have? He was like the Energizer Bunny. He just kept going and going.
He kissed his way down to her neck. “Like you said, we might as well make the most of the time we have.”
“I said that, didn’t I?”
He stopped kissing her. “Unless you don’t want to?”
“No, I want to. I definitely—” Her breath caught as his mouth found her breast. “Definitely want to.” She started to get up so she could pull him off the couch, but his hand clamped on her wrist, dragging her back down. “Come on,” she said, giving him a fruitless tug. “Let’s go to the bed.”
He didn’t budge. “Or we could stay here.”
“No.” She pulled out of his grasp. “Not here.”
He peered up at her. “Why won’t you let me have sex with you on your couch?”
“Because this is where company sits!”
“So?”
“So upholstery is harder to clean than sheets.”
He gave her one of his rare smiles—which weren’t so rare after all, she was discovering. “I love it when you talk dirty.”
“How’s this for dirty? The condoms are all in the bedroom.”
“Good point.” He scooped her up and carried her into the bedroom.
* * *
What a way to wake up, Penny thought when she opened her eyes Sunday morning. She was warm and naked, with Caleb’s hand cupping one of her breasts and his stomach warm against her back.
Imagine having this every day. She pushed the thought away. Going down that road would only lead to disappointment. She couldn’t have this every day. Only for the next four weeks.
She reached for her phone on the nightstand and Caleb stirred behind her, nuzzling into her hair. “What time is it?”
“Ten o’clock.” She couldn’t remember the last time she’d slept this late.
He shifted on the bed and rolled her onto her back.
How dare he look so good in the morning? she thought as his face came into view. His hair was rumpled, but in a way that made him look even sexier. Meanwhile, after all that sex yesterday, she must look like Medusa. He didn’t seem to mind, however.
He curled his hand around her neck and kissed her, morning breath and all. His stubble was longer and tickled more than it had yesterday, but it was also softer and she liked it a lot.
“Do you have to be anywhere today?” he asked as she scraped her fingernails through his beard.
On Sundays she usually went to the nursing home. But they could do without her for one day. “Nope, nowhere at all.”
He gifted her with a heart-exploding smile. “In that case, shall I make us breakfast?”
“Another omelet?” she asked hopefully.
“They are my specialty,” he said, dropping another kiss on her lips before he rolled out of bed.
How did I get this lucky? Penny thought as she watched his backside walk away.
* * *
“Can I use your shower?” Caleb asked when they’d cleaned up the breakfast dishes. “I’m getting a little ripe.”
Penny fastened herself to his side. “I hadn’t noticed.”
He turned his head to kiss her forehead. “You could join me if you want.”
“Are you trying to say I’m stinky?”
“No, I’m trying to get you naked in the shower with me.”
“Oh. In that case, I accept.”
When he stepped into the shower, she was so hypnotized by the sight of water sliding over his perfect golden skin that she could only stand and gawk. “Get in here,” he said, reaching for her wrist to give her a tug. She stepped into the spray, oblivious to the water soaking her hair as she watched the droplets pool and channel in rivulets down his body, caressing every perfect muscle and vein.
“Is this the shampoo you use?” He lifted one of the half dozen bottles to his nose.
Penny shook her head to clear it. “I think it’s the conditioner you like the smell of. The one next to it.”
He set the shampoo back in the shower rack and turned to face her. His eyes skated down her body, appreciating every inch of it with the same intoxica
ted stare she’d been giving him.
Just when the self-consciousness of being scrutinized threatened to overwhelm her, he stepped toward her and lowered his mouth to hers. His arms wrapped around her as the hot water poured over them, slicking their skin and washing away her insecurities.
He reached for a bottle of body wash and began to lather up her chest, his hands smoothing over her breasts, down her ribs, across her hips. Then he turned her in his arms and did the same to her back, buttocks, and thighs. When he traded the soap for shampoo and began to wash her hair, it was by far the most sensual thing that had ever happened to her.
Penny let her eyes fall closed, transported to a place outside ordinary time and reality as Caleb’s fingers massaged lather into her scalp. He rinsed it with the care of a professional beautician, then repeated the process with the conditioner, taking his time as the mango scent steamed around them.
By the time he finished rinsing the conditioner out, she was so relaxed she was nearly comatose. She stumbled a little when he turned her toward him again, but his strong hands held her fast.
“I can’t believe how beautiful you are,” he murmured as his lips skimmed over her jaw.
Her hands roamed over his slick, hot muscles. “You can’t believe it? I can’t believe you’re even real.”
His mouth captured hers, and then his hand tightened on her hips and he pushed her up against the cold, hard tile. She squeaked in shock, but he held her firmly, mischief sparking in his eyes as he gazed at her. She wriggled in his grasp, opening her mouth to protest, and he kissed her again, hard enough that she forgot to mind the cold tile on her back.
When he dropped to his knees before her, she had to brace her hands on the wall to keep herself upright.
I take it back, she thought as his hands gently spread her thighs, this is the most sensual thing that has ever happened to me.
* * *
“Can we watch some more of that show we started last night?” Caleb asked when they got out of the shower.
“Sure.” She hadn’t thought he’d been watching it. “Did you like it?”
“Yeah, it was funny.”