I Stand Before You (Judge Me Not #2)(78)

I shrug. “Uh, I wasn’t too into cooking when I lived over here. But, does toast count?”

“No, silly boy, Toast absolutely does not count.” Kay reaches up and tries to mess up my probably already-crazy hair, but I dodge her hand. She swats my ass instead. “Ohh,” I drawl. “Into the kinky stuff, I see. Hmm, wish I’d known that last night.”

I am totally teasing, but sweet girl’s cheeks pink all the way to red.

“Chase, you’re bad,” she says in this trying-to-be-but-unsuccessful chastising voice.

I know she loves the “bad” side of me, very much, based on her reactions in bed last night. I tell her exactly that, using very graphic words. She can’t disagree, but she sure blushes crimson red. Damn, she’s adorable.

I’m still smirking, smug, as we step into the living room area. There’s a ton of sexual tension in the air now, so I keep my distance. Otherwise, there’s a good chance we’ll end up on the couch, doing what I’d like to be doing right now. But I meant what I said last night—I want everything to be perfect for Kay when we consummate this relationship.

From a safe distance, I watch as Kay makes her way slowly around the living room. She pats the dark blue cushions on the couch. She sits down, stands up. Too-cute girl steps over to where the TV sits on a stand. She runs her index finger along the top. Smiling, she gives me a sidelong glance. “Did you dust recently?”

I admit I stopped over before she was up so I could make sure everything was spotless for her arrival. This earns me a kiss on the cheek. “So sweet,” she murmurs.

We wrap up the tour with the bedroom and a peek into the bath in the back. Kay turns back to the full-sized bed and plops down on the plushy cover. She tells me she loves the refinished antique iron headboard, and then adds while glancing about, “In fact, I love the whole place.”

“I’m glad you like it,” I say. “I kind of figured you would.”

“There’s only one thing.”

“Oh, what’s that?”

“There’s nothing on the walls, Chase, nothing. They’re way too bare.”

I shrug, but she’s absolutely correct. There is nothing on the walls, not in this room or any of the others. I just never got around to hanging anything up when I lived here. But what Kay doesn’t know is that I have a plan to remedy these empty walls, I just can’t tell her yet. It’s part of my surprise for her, part of making everything “perfect” for my girl. And if it’s going to be ready for this evening, which I hope, then I really need to get started on it soon.

I lift Kay’s suitcase up onto the bed, and she starts taking out her clothes. It doesn’t appear as if this task is something she needs my help with, so I tell her I have a few errands to run and ask if she’ll be okay if she’s alone for a while. She rolls her eyes and laughs at me.

“Just checking,” I say.

We’d originally planned on a going to a movie this afternoon, but I’d rather have my girl alone later this evening. I ask her if she still wants to hang out, but maybe more toward dusk. “And do you mind if we just stay in tonight?” I ask.

“That’s fine,” she says, pushing my shoulder playfully.

“Just checking on that too,” I tease back.

I give her a good-bye kiss, and then leave Kay to her unpacking. I head back over to the house to start researching the surprise I’m planning for Kay. I haven’t forgotten how she said on the day we first kissed that if we could go anywhere she’d have us go to Paris. Well, I don’t have the means to take her there, but I may have a way to bring Paris to my girl.

Once I’m back in the living room, I sit down at the computer and start researching all the famous Parisian sights. I print out a few of the most well-known; I know I’ll need them for reference. Next, I look up grocery stores in the area. There’s one north of here that sells gourmet items. I print out the address. The grocery store is near the dollar store where Kay bought the sunglasses the junkie destroyed last night. I decide I’ll stop there, as well, so I can buy my girl a new pair.

Fuck, this girl owns my ass. But do I care? Nope, I f*cking love that she has this kind of hold on me. Simply because I love her right the f*ck back. And I’m going to show my girl I can make her happy if it’s the last thing I do.

Tonight, I will give Kay Stanton her “perfect” evening.





Chapter Twelve


Kay


After Chase leaves, I get to work on unpacking and settling into the space above his garage, my new apartment, the one I secretly hoped to end up in someday. I think back to the first day we went to lunch at the diner, when Chase first showed me the flyer. I thought his apartment looked amazing then, but here, now, in person, it’s so much better.

What I said to my boy is true: I love my new home already.

Streams of sunlight pour through the skylights above me as I glance around, soaking it all in once more. Everything is as it appeared in Chase’s sketch—bright, warm, and welcoming. This space has the makings of a happy space, the antithesis of the basement apartment in which I lived for a full year. I stayed there too long. I should’ve left sooner, money issues or not. Well, one thing for sure—I will never again step foot in that place. I plan to compose a letter to notify the property group that, as of last night, I have vacated the premises. The key, I’ll return with the letter.