by C. A. Harms
As we rounded the corner and I began leading her toward my door, I smelled something baking, and generally, that would please me. It’d give me that sense of home, like walking into the kitchen of my parents’ home. Then it hit me, and my stomach tightened, and I swore the air from my lungs was sucked dry.
“You bake?” I didn’t even turn to look at Chloe, only shook my head in response and stared at my apartment door like it was about to melt away to a puddle on the floor. I knew what lay behind it. I didn’t even have to open it to confirm.
“Well, someone baked something, because it smells amazing out here.”
Holding out my hand, I began to back away and take her with me, only it was too late. My door opened, and there, fully decked out in her baking gear, apron, and a bun, was my mother.
“Why are you making this pretty girl wait out in the hallway?” Stepping forward, she grabbed Chloe’s hand and with a little tug began to pull her inside. With each inch they took, I felt like I was suffocating more. Not because my mother and Chloe were so close. This had nothing to do with Chloe, and everything to do with my mother. I imagined Chloe running out of my apartment with her eyes widened in shock to find the nearest escape. My mother was relentless, and this was her chance to drill Chloe for answers. Answers she didn’t have, because I didn’t even know them.
This was all new. She and I were still so new.
“I was just baking you a little dessert.” I could hear my mother talking to Chloe as I entered with caution and took a glance around. Everything still appeared to be in place, only it smelled nothing like my place. It smelled amazing, actually.
“He asked what he could set around the place to make it smell warm and inviting, and I knew. It hit me after I hung up that he’d be inviting a girl over.”
“So you came rushing over?”
I thought I’d said it under my breath, but when both of them gave me that look, I froze. The “that was rude” look, it was frightening that Chloe possessed it, too, but from my mother, it was normal, and I had seen it plenty growing up.
“I just knew there was no amount of fragrance refreshers that would hide the smell of a young bachelor’s place.” It was my turn to give her a wide eye stare, but it didn’t faze her a bit. “This is months and months of fast food, dirty dishes, and an uncleaned bathroom.”
Love my mother, truly love her to death, but right now I wanted to throw her over my shoulder and carry her off to her car that was somewhere hidden in my apartment parking lot. This night was not going as planned. “Baking would seep into the fibers, conquer the man smell.”
“Man smell?”
“Oh, sweetie, I’m not saying that you smell bad.” Chloe snickered and hurried to cover her mouth, only I caught her. Arching my brow, I attempted to fight off my own grin. There, a few feet away tucked in the corner where the kitchen counters meet near the sink, was a laughing blonde-haired beauty.
“I just know that you’ve never really been the tidiest, and I wanted to make sure that our Chloe didn’t get frightened off.”
Our Chloe? And so it began.
“I had planned to sneak out before you two came in, but you know me when I bake. I get so wrapped up that I lose all track of time.”
“Me, too.” Both my mother and I looked at Chloe as she stood tall once more and stepped closer to my mother. “Me and my mother can lose an entire day in the kitchen. It’s always been that way, set out to make one thing but you can’t ever just stop at one.”
“Exactly.” The two of them were facing one another and smiling. I stood back, silently observing, still unsure of how I felt about all of it.
Then I watched as my mother took Chloe’s hand and pulled her to the counter where they started talking to one another like I wasn’t even there. Talking of measurements and a pinch of salt here. Crimping the crusts and kneading the dough, working side by side like they’d been doing it for years.
I didn’t have a kitchen table only a small section of counter with two barstools that separated my kitchen from the rest of my loft. My place was just one big room, with the exception of my bathroom. It was the only place with a door inside my place. My bedroom sat on a platform in the back corner, my living room just before. There was nothing fancy about it, nothing tidy and put together, just a jumble of stuff that never really felt homey and welcoming, until now.
***
What felt like hours had passed as I led my mother toward my front door and out into the hallway. It may not have been far to her car, but I wasn’t about to send her out into the darkness alone. I would make sure she was safely inside and buckled, then as she drove away, I would join Chloe upstairs.
“I really like her, Landon.” With my arm over my mother’s shoulders, I pulled her toward me a little tighter. “She is so sweet and down to earth.”
“I like her too, Ma.” And after watching her with my mother, that had only intensified. This woman was definitely not the kind of girl you didn’t fall for. She was the kind that stuck, the type you wanted around whenever possible, the one that kept a man grounded and reminded him of all the things that truly mattered.
“Good values, sweet as a kitten.” Her choice of wording made me smile bigger than I expected. Kitten, that couldn’t be closer to the truth. Chloe was sweet and kind, but she had a side to her that, when it was called for, she could hiss and frighten the hell out of a man.
“I should go so that you can get back upstairs to her.” My pulse quickened as I imagined her in my place waiting for me. “You better hold onto that one. She is adorable.”
With a nod, I gave my mother a kiss on the cheek and ensured she was inside her car before closing the door behind her. As she pulled away, she offered a smile and a wave. Staring after her taillights, I thought of the words she’d left me with. You better hold onto that one. Imagining just that didn’t frighten me; it didn’t make me feel anxious or nervous. Instead, it excited me. I wanted that.
Taking the stairs to the second floor two at a time, I reached my door and paused just outside to catch my breath. Running in there breathing heavy like a crazed man wasn’t something I wanted.
A few deep breaths and I felt calmer as I twisted the knob and stepped inside. Leaning over on the small island that separated the space was Chloe. The weight of her upper body rested on her elbows as she looked down at something in front of her. One fingertip pressed to her lips as if she was deep in thought.
I stood in the entryway staring at her, wondering for a moment what it would be like to come home and find her cooking dinner or snuggled on the couch waiting for me to join her.
Hearing me, or feeling me staring at her, she looked up and offered me that sweet smile of hers. “Hi.” Redness filled her cheeks, and I offered her nothing in return, simply shut the door behind me and began walking toward her with purpose. I noticed the way she watched me, standing tall and turning to face me as I rounded the counter.
“Is something wrong?” A concerned look crossed her face. “Did I say something I shouldn’t?”
Cupping her face, I moved in closer, and she tilted her head, looking up at me. Her blue eyes creased at the sides as she worried her lower lip.
Still without saying a word, I pressed my lips to hers, feeling her body shudder against my own.
“Nothing is wrong.” It’s nothing more than a whisper to her lips. “It seems my mother is one of your biggest fans.” When I felt her smile against me, I couldn’t help but do the same. “I’d say she likes you almost as much as I do.” Instantly, I missed her lips when she leaned back so she could look me in the eyes. “Somehow I thought when I saw her that tonight might just be a disaster. My mother is overbearing and pushy.”
“She’s sweet,” Chloe corrected.
“Watching the two of you together was amazing.” Apprehensively, she looked away, and I forced her to return her attention to me. “It was perfect,” her chest rises as if she’s taken in a deep, calming breath, “though having you alone is more of what I crav
ed.”
Again she breathed deeply. “We’re alone now.” Her voice was breathy, and instantly, I could sense the shift in her mood. That sweet playfulness quickly was replaced with need, want. “Why don’t you show me what it was you’d hoped would take place?”
“Maybe I just wanted to kiss you.” She narrowed her eyes, and I did my best not to laugh. “Cuddle even.”
“Well…” A little shrug of her shoulders was less than convincing when I knew she was trying her best to not seem disappointed. Chloe wasn’t a quick fix; she wasn’t someone I wanted to use and then move on. If I did this, if we did this, I needed to make her believe this was more. I wanted more.
“You sure you’re ready to be mine, Chloe?” Her throat bobbed as she swallowed hard. Though she tried to hide it, I could hear the effort it took to remain unaffected by my words. It was adorable really how she looked up at me all doe-eyed and hopeful. “Because that’s what this is.” Pushing her hair away from her face so I could see her fully, I allowed my thumb to graze over her lower lip and jawline in the process. “This is you agreeing to be mine and only mine.”
“And you?” The blueness of her eyes practically glowed in the light of my small kitchenette.
“Just yours.” I knew it was her way of asking me if I would be committed to her and only her, too. “To do with what you please.” Finally, a smile tugged at her lips.
“Whatever I want, huh?”
“Oh yes.” Kissing her, she didn’t back away, only leaned into my touch even more. “As often as you want, and if I’m being honest, I do hope it is very very often.”
She laughed, and the sound was music to my ears. I was finding more and more each day just how much I truly enjoyed hearing her laughter.
“I like the sound of that.”
Reaching around her to grip her ass, I playfully offered a squeeze. “Of what? Using me as often as you’d like?”
Again she smiled brightly and leaned in closer, kissing along my jaw. “That does sound amazing, but,” another kiss to my neck near my ear, “I was referring more to the part about being yours.” Chills trailed over my skin, along my neck, across my shoulders and back. “I really like the sound of that.”
Opening my eyes, I was met with a gorgeous pair of blue ones staring up at me. A softness about her that assured me in an instant that this was exactly where I should be, and I was with the one person I was meant to share it with. Fuck, I had never been the lovey, romantic, life-changing moments kind of guy. I didn’t believe that there was one person out there in the world that was meant for another. To me, it was chemistry, it was all attraction, and if you felt it, then that was it. After that, it was up to you to take it further or to walk away. But right then, right in the instant she said those words while looking up at me with no ounce of hesitation, I knew. Without a doubt, I understood that this was it, she was it.
I wanted her and not for just one night.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chloe
My back arched off the mattress when he pushed inside of me one last time, his body hard and tensed above mine. With eyes closed tight, his mouth slightly agape from his release, I could do nothing other than stare at the man hovering over me. So untamed, lost in the feelings our bodies had just created, it was hypnotizing to see him in that state.
So many times I’d imagined this moment, pictured what he would look like, dreamed of the pleasure that he’d inflict as he roamed over my body with his hands, mouth, and more. But nothing, not even my fantasies, could ever compare to the real thing.
Unfocused, chest heaving as he attempted to regain his composure, he slowly lowered his body to mine and placed a soft kiss to the corner of my mouth before shifting closer. Combing through my hair with his fingers, he tightened his grasp, and the slight tug felt good. It reminded me that even in the haze of the best sex of my life I was still here, because for a moment I felt absolutely nothing, my body so lifeless I swore I was floating.
“So worth the wait.” His voice was deep and raspy. “Damn, Kitten, that was—” When he allowed the words to fade, I completely understood the meaning. There were no words, not one, to explain what we’d just shared.
With him still seated inside of me, I wrapped my legs around his waist, and he groaned when the movement triggered a shift of my hips. “You trying to kill me?”
Smiling at him, I gave him a little shrug, which made him chuckle. “Stay.” He shifted the weight of his body, and I was instantly disappointed when he slipped out of me. I fought off the urge to pout. “We can enjoy that dessert we never ate, maybe order in. I just don’t want you to leave.”
I never thought I would do what I was doing. I thought having feelings for Landon, allowing myself to be attracted to him, was a fool’s dream. A guy like him would never go for a girl like me, but here we were.
“Okay.” I let go of the fear I felt of this all falling apart at my feet. “I’ll stay. But I get to choose dinner.”
“Deal.” Landon slid his palms over my arms and threaded his fingers through mine. Lifting our joined hands above our heads, he crawled up and over me once more. His lips hovered only inches from mine as he stared into my eyes, making my pulse quicken with the hungry look that lay there. “I recommend something hearty, though. You’re gonna need the energy.” And with that, he ground his hips to mine, and I felt him growing hard once again. Thank God for the brand new box of condoms in his nightstand. I had a strong feeling after tonight we’d need to replenish that stash.
“We should eat.” He said the words but never once stopped moving over me, the movement of his hips mimicking what he’d done while being buried inside of me only moments ago. I swore after closing my eyes that I could almost feel him again. The heat boiling within me, the need for more, the way my nipples hardened as his chest brushed against them.
“Not hungry.” About that time, my stomach chose to growl, and internally, I kicked myself.
Landon’s body shook, and I looked up just in time to see him smiling. “We have all night.” He kissed me again, only this time it was simple and quick. “And into the morning, too.”
The idea of being wrapped in his arms, feeling him do all the things he’d already done to me over and over for hours, I couldn’t hide the anticipation I felt even if I tried.
“Food.” It wasn’t a question, more so a command. Apparently, the desire for him was written all over my face.
I watched closely, not wanting to miss a single second as Landon climbed out of his bed and sauntered to the bathroom only a few feet away. All I could see was the back of him as he worked to remove the condom and clean himself up. A backside that was taut and perfect. The flex of muscles, the proof that he worked out and was a physical man. Construction, firefighter, an all-around strong, confident man. There was nothing sexier than a guy who took pride in his body. I was staring. I knew it and didn’t even attempt to stop when he turned to face me. Instead, I looked over him from top to bottom as he stood in the doorway of his bathroom. His arms stretched out, bracing the weight of his body on the frames. He was a glorious man.
“Are we gonna eat?”
“Yeah, I’m just waiting for you to come back so I can.”
When he laughed, his chest shook as he hung his head. “And you said I was the one who was trouble.”
Moving closer, I felt the rush of desire soar through me only to be crushed when he grabbed his boxers and stepped into them, sliding them up his legs.
My eyes narrowed, and again he chuckled when he found me glaring at him.
Next he found his t-shirt from earlier and took another step, holding it out to me. “Put this on.” I made no attempt to take it. “Chloe, you need to eat, and I need to eat.” He shook the shirt. “Put it on. We’ll call in some takeout, and if you behave, I promise that we’ll spend the rest of the night reliving the last hour. I have no intention of sleeping, Kitten, and I don’t plan on letting you sleep, either.”
After we shared a few seconds of a si
lent stare down, I pushed the covers aside and lay there completely nude. It was his turn to etch the visual to memory, and I allowed him. He fisted the shirt he held a little tighter, and I noticed the way his jaw ticked and his nostrils flared. But he made no move, just stood waiting for me to take the shirt.
Rising up on my knees, I crawled across the mattress, and instead of taking the shirt, I held my hands above my head. I said nothing, and he said nothing, just continued to look me over.
The vixen hound inside of me was screaming for him to push me back onto the mattress and take me again. The man was generous in bed, very generous.
I felt a ping of disappointment when he used both hands to find the sleeves of the shirt and stepped closer to slide it over my arms one at a time. Closing my eyes, I concentrated on every little glide of his fingertips as the material carefully covered my body. It smelled like him, and I was surrounded.
The instant I felt him grip my waist, I opened my eyes. Pulling my body to his, I watched and waited.
“So many things I want to do to you, Kitten.” He was hard against my stomach. “So many things.” And with that, he turned around and began walking to his kitchen, leaving me staring after him. Breathless, my legs were wobbly and my heart was racing.
When my stomach picked that moment to growl again, practically echoing in the silence of his loft apartment, he looked back over his shoulder. With his brow arched, he paused as if to say, See, I told you.
Okay, fine, I was hungry for real food, but I so could have survived.
***
I woke up and immediately knew I was alone in Landon’s bed. After last night and well into the morning, it had been just as he’d promised. I felt sad to know he was gone.
He had to report to the station for his next shift by seven a.m. Part of me felt bad that he’d gotten very little sleep. I also knew that he’d be able to catch up as Brooklet wasn’t generally an active area for a lot of emergencies and fires, which was good. Our town was quiet, and it did feel a little safer knowing that Landon was part of keeping it that way.