Heartbreaker (Unbreakable #1)(61)
“Me too.”
She plopped a spoonful of coconut oil into two large frying pans, then clicked on the burners beneath each. “Pretty sure I’m never baking any other way again.”
That made two of us. She looked incredible. And a unique energy buzzed from her.
As directed, I peeled off thick strips and lined them up side by side onto the foiled baking sheet. “You doing anything tomorrow night?”
Her brow crinkled as she scooped a fourth dark spice into a measuring spoon, then dumped it into the bowl. “Monday…” She shook her head. “Nope.”
“Wanna come watch me play?” Finished with the bacon, I washed my hands.
She paused in the middle of dry-whisking her ingredients. “Your and Logan’s garage band?”
“No. With my new boss. Even though he signed me as a studio musician, he plays live a few times a month. It’s a jazz ensemble. Dino, his guy on sax, and me.”
A wide smile brightened her face as she glanced up while pouring almond milk from a measuring cup into a green bowl. “I would love to come.”
“I have to show up early, so I can’t pick you up, but I’ll text you the address.”
“Sounds great.” A timer beeped, then she turned it off. “Can you man the fort for a few?” She pointed at the bacon-covered baking sheet. “That goes in the oven for thirty. Mix the dry ingredients into the liquid batter, then pour into each pan. I’m taking a quick shower, but should be back in time to flip them.”
“Sure.” I grabbed the large spoon she held, wrapping my hand partially over hers, and gave her a soft kiss. When we broke contact, she stared at my lips, breaths accelerating, before her lust-filled gaze met mine.
“You’re insatiable.” I muttered.
She didn’t release her hold on the spoon. “You’re addictive.”
Less than thirty minutes? Not even close to enough time for everything I wanted to do to her. Repeatedly.
“Go.” I gave a nod over her shoulder, toward the bathroom. “Food now. Sex later.”
As I mixed, then poured, the rightness of the moment hit me. I stood in her kitchen cooking. She showered, humming a lighthearted melody, after an incredible night where we’d tested the limits of her bed frame. We’d finally taken the leap of faith to be together—as in my first relationship ever together—and the world as I knew it hadn’t caved in.
The whole thing seemed unreal. Made a guy say things like “Let’s stay here forever.”
Like clockwork, she returned, towel wrapped around her, hair damp and smelling of tropical vanilla. I gave a quick glance at the stove; the pancakes had little bubbles popping open on their uncooked side.
When she tried to sidle in front of the stove to take care of them, I held a barring arm out and gave her a headshake. “I got these.” One by one, I shook each pan until its giant pancake slid freely, then on an arcing upstroke, I slipped the spatula under and flipped it the rest of the way over in one fluid motion.
“Bravo.” She clapped.
“Not my first time in a kitchen.” Or with pancakes. My mind flashed to those cherished Thanksgivings with my mom and sis. What an amazing thing to share pancakes now with Kiki.
The scent of cooking salt and fat wafted around us with eight minutes remaining on the oven timer. I used fifteen seconds of it tugging on that fluffy towel wrapped around her, pulling her close, then kissing her thoroughly. By the time we broke apart, we’d both gone breathless.
Her eyes were wide, shining an electric blue in the bright light angling in from the upper windows. She grabbed the spatula from me then pointed it toward the bathroom. “Go. Shower.”
“Yes, Ma’am.”
The only soap and shampoo in there were the tropical ones she wore. I used just enough to suds myself clean, then rinsed with a lot of hot water. After I toweled off, I grew fairly confident that I would leave smelling only a little like her. Then maybe I could convince her to go another round and leave smelling exactly like I wanted: a little like Kiki and a whole lot like our sex.
When I walked back out, towel tucked around my waist, food had already been doled onto two large plates. She grabbed both, handed me mine, then headed toward the door.
I followed. “Where are we going?”
“Downstairs.”
“Why?” I reached around her, opening the door.
She glanced over her shoulder. “Coffee.”
“Ahhh…good answer.”
Thank God she stepped through the door first. The furry one had crouched on the landing just outside the door. I smiled at the cute little guy. “I wondered where the cat was.”
“Hey, Chipmunky!” Kiki rubbed the ball of her foot over his back before stepping over him.
He sprang up and lunged a shoulder across one of her bare legs, then darted between mine. I had to pause midstep to avoid tripping over him.
“He watches over the warehouse at night.” She made three short kissing noises to get his attention.
“Guard kitty?” When we reached the middle landing, he raced ahead, a bounding blur of fur.
Her soft laughter drifted up as she trotted down the stairs after him. “Something like that. Anything amiss, he howls. If something’s really wrong, he’ll come up and scratch on the door. I leave food and water near the worktable and his litterbox in the far back corner.”