by Kimi Flores
She already felt bad enough. He didn’t need to rub it in.
Slapping her palm down on the counter, she placed her other on her hip and snapped, “If you have to know, I’m here to clean up and fill the fridge, so she doesn’t have to do anything when she gets back. It’s nice to come home from a trip to a clean house and stocked kitchen.” She tacked on, “Not that you would know.”
Stefen crossed his arms indignantly, eyes sparking. “I can hire someone to do all that shit.”
“Nope.” She shook her head stubbornly. “I’m already doing it. Abby and I take care of each other like this. Go on.” She shooed him off. “Pretend I’m not here.”
Leaning into her, he growled, “Like that’s possible.”
He picked up a wet sponge and began to vigorously wipe down the counter, then he reached for the bags on the floor, brushing up against her in the process. As much as she didn’t want to, she gasped, exhaling as her traitorous body reacted to his touch. She leaned into him, loving how close his body was to hers.
But when she saw the smug look on his face, she abruptly pulled away. He knew how he affected her, and it infuriated her that she had no control of her emotions around him.
“I’ll be right back. I have more bags in the car and a lot of flower arrangements.” She needed a moment away from him. Before she had a chance to turn, though, he came up behind her, his warmth covering her back, and her eyes closed involuntarily.
He brought his mouth to the side of her face, his husky voice cutting through any defenses she had left. “Don't worry about it. I'll get them.”
But these weren’t sweet nothings. He was messing with her, and it was working. She spun around, gazing into his mesmerizing eyes, then to his soft lips, and back. He appeared to be struggling internally as he watched her take him in.
Good. She raised her chin. If he could dish it out, he could take it, too.
“I’ll start in here.” She placed her hands on his chest, stepping away from his hypnotic gaze. But her plan backfired, and she had to fight even harder to keep his overwhelming presence from affecting her further.
Groaning, he muttered something under his breath and left her alone to deal with the intense sensations he drew from her.
It took a minute to compose herself. She let out a long breath, then started searching through the kitchen drawers for trash bags. Figuring she would clean out the fridge first, she pulled open the door and a putrid odor slapped her upside the head. “What the hell is that smell?”
Stefen appeared just in time to see her gagging. Snickering, he put the rest of the bags on the counter. Then the stench hit him.
He buried his nose into his shoulder, setting the bags down. “What the hell died?”
She couldn’t answer him as she threw open the back door, gagging until she reached the yard. Stefen followed closely behind. Breathing deeply, her eyes watered. They looked at each other, and all the tension from only moments before dissolved into a fit of laughter.
“That smelled like a piece of shit threw up,” he laughed out loud, barely able to catch his breath.
Leah crossed her legs, cackling uncontrollably. “Stop! You’re gonna make me pee!” She gasped for air between her hysterics.
Stefen bent in half, bracing himself on his knees. “I think I know what it is.” Grimacing, he admitted, “I may have put some shrimp chow mien take out in there last week. I guess I totally forgot about it.”
Raising one eyebrow while scrunching the other down, Leah sneered, “Are you kidding me? How could you stand that smell when you opened the fridge?” Just thinking about it made her want to gag again.
He shrugged. “I really don’t use it much. I eat out most of the time and when I don’t, I have something delivered.”
That’s just sad. Leah loved to eat out occasionally, but the best meals always came from home. “You made pancakes,” she pointed out, recalling the mess in the kitchen earlier. “Didn’t you have to get the eggs and milk out?”
He shook his head. “It was one of those mixes that you just add water.”
“How did those taste?” Leah scrunched her nose. There was no way those pancakes tasted even remotely decent.
He grimaced again. “Horrible, but I just thought it was because I burned a few.”
She stifled a laugh, wondering how often he cooked. Must be a rare occasion. “I’ll take care of everything else, but you can get that rotten thing out of the fridge.” She shivered at the idea of doing it herself.
Once the rancid offender was out of the house, Stefen helped Leah open all of the windows. A nice breeze blew in, clearing out the house. Nothing like the fresh ocean breeze to clear the air.
“I didn’t think to keep up on the cleaning. I assumed they had a maid coming soon. Caleb’s always had one.” He leaned on the island, opposite from where she stood in front of the sink.
“Abby doesn't believe in wasting money on things she can do herself. It's her home now, and she plans on cleaning it herself.” Pulling a bucket out from under the sink, she poured some floor cleaner in before adding water, then went in search for a mop.
Stefen trailed behind. “Really? I've never heard of a woman that would turn down a maid service.”
Of course you haven’t. She knew he’d grown up spoiled. It wasn’t necessarily his fault.
Finding a closet under the stairway, she opened the door and bingo, the mop, broom, vacuum and everything else she would need were neatly nestled in there. She reached for the broom and mop, then returned to the kitchen. “I’m the same. I like taking care of my own space.”
Stefen looked at her like she’d just grown two heads. “If you say so.”
Leah tried to put him out of her mind, committing to the task at hand as she cleaned the rest of the fridge then moved on to mopping the floor. Stefen silently sat at the breakfast bar, observing her.
“Either help or stop watching me please.” Looking over her shoulder, she caught him once again staring at her butt as she bent forward. Dammit, stop doing that! Her eyes narrowed on him.
Surprised out of his daydream, he didn’t hesitate to set the record straight. “Uh, no thanks. I’m not a housekeeper.” Without delay, he strode toward the stairs.
Leah let out a breath, shocked that he just abandoned her, but relieved that she was finally alone.
Done with the downstairs, Leah headed up to the second floor. “Stefen?” She called out.
I do not need to walk in on him changing.
“In here.”
Treading softly, she reached the guest room he’d been staying in and poked her head in. “Is there a bathroom I can clean in here?”
“There is, but I already did it.” He was pulling the covers up on the bed.
“Okay.” He can’t clean the kitchen, but he’ll clean the bathroom? “I just wanted to make sure I didn't miss anything.”
“No. I think you’ve done enough.” The snippy tone surprised her. He was irritated again, and she had no idea why this time. Although nothing had been settled, he seemed okay just moments ago.
What the heck happened in the last five minutes?
“I'm leaving then,” she said, dejected, heading into the hall.
He dashed up behind her, asking in a rush, “Will I see you again before they get home?”
Leah turned and, seeing how close they were, she took a few steps back and set the pail down between them. Stefen grinned in the arrogant sexy way only he could get away with.
“Probably not. I'm going home. I was going to make them some lasagnas to bring over after they get home. I work all day tomorrow, but I’ll be here in time to serve dinner.”
“I don't have anything else to do tonight, do you mind if I come and hang out?”
Folding her arms over her chest, Leah tried to hide her irritation from his smirk. “Why? You were acting all pissy just a few seconds ago, and now you want to hang out?”
“I know, sorry.” He reached out and grazed his finger back and forth a
cross the hem of her shirt before letting it go “I just want to move on from what happened. We were having a great time before the wine tour.”
Full of remorse, she let her arms drop to her sides, her head falling as her eyes looked up at him. “I’m sorry about that. I really am. I had no right to say what I did. I was having a great time, then everything just blew up.”
Breathing deeply, he replied, “How about we let bygones be bygones, okay? I’d love to join you for dinner at your place tonight, if you don’t mind.” He cocked his head to the side, waiting for her answer.
There was a lump in the pit of her stomach. She wanted to believe him, but it wasn’t enough. She couldn’t just sweep everything under the rug. Maybe we can talk about it over dinner. In my home, where I’m more comfortable.
“Sure. I bought enough ingredients to make an extra. We can have it for dinner tonight. I hope you don’t mind eating vegetarian lasagna two nights in a row.” She clasped and unclasped her hands. This is such a bad idea.
“Vegetarian?” He grimaced, then seemed to resign to it. “Okay, works for me.”
Swiftly gathering the cleaning supplies, she bounded down the stairs, “I'm ready when you are.”
He charged down, meeting her at the bottom. “I need to make a quick stop on the way. Wanted to pick up some wine. You can head home. I’ll be there shortly after.”
That reminded her of the really nice vineyard owner, Zachary. He’d given her a couple bottles of his wine before they’d left. In all the chaos, she’d lost them.
She raised a finger to ask him, but stopped herself at the last second. Probably wouldn’t be wise. Smiling, she said, “See you soon.”
After buying the items at the liquor store he needed for later, Stefen headed to Leah’s loft. Tonight had only one purpose—getting Leah out of his system. Tonight would be romance and seduction.
“I’m through with being her emotional punching bag,” he said aloud to himself, fully ignoring how crazy he sounded. “I have sex with women. I don’t get involved with their drama.”
But even as he said the words, he hated how much they sounded like a lie. Frustrated, he hit the steering wheel. His stomach was churning. She wasn’t just another girl to screw, and he knew it.
“Dammit, why did I let her get to me? I know better.” He always kept women at a safe distance for this exact reason.
Hearing a gasp, he looked over to see an older woman in the car beside him, gaping as if he had in fact lost his mind. He gave her an annoyed smile and hit the gas once the light turned green.
This is better, he told himself. He got to see her true colors the other night. She had outed herself. Good thing he hadn’t confessed anything to her yet. Thank god, she ruined it.
Parking in a spot behind the flower shop, he grabbed for the box he’d just purchased and opened it, which was easier said than done, but he managed. He shoved a handful of foiled wrappers into his front pockets, tossed the remainder into the glove box, then picked up the bottles of wine he also bought.
Climbing the stairs, Stefen reassured himself that this was a good idea. At least he hoped. When she opened the door, he got a whiff of her floral scent. It was concentrated in the small space she lived in. Up until this point, Stefen hadn’t been inside her apartment and was pleasantly surprised by the rustic but feminine décor.
Scanning the room, he asked, “What, no pink?” Stefen had never been inside of a single woman's home that didn't have some tone of pink in it.
Leah followed his eyes. “No, that's Abby's color. She helped bring this place together, but I insisted no pink. I prefer red.”
Perfect time to pour on the charm. “I've noticed.” He smiled in that way he knew women loved, adding, “And it looks stunning on you.”
“Thank you.” A bashful smile lit up her face as she took the bottles from him. Stefen followed her into the kitchen, taking a seat as she put the wine away and gathered some items from the fridge. He enjoyed watching her fluid movements through the small space.
“How do you feel about chopping vegetables?” She turned, handing him a cutting board, knife, and a couple of veggies. Without waiting for his reply, she went back to stirring a pot of pasta sauce.
The only sauce he’d ever used was poured out of a jar and sent into the microwave for heating. Even then, he burned the edges. Leah was gifted in many areas, including the kitchen.
After watching her dance at their dinner date and at the studio, he had no doubt that her talents extended to the bedroom. His senses went on hyper alert as she tasted a bit of the sauce from the wooden spoon.
“Mmm,” she moaned, “that's good. Wanna try?” She held the spoon up to him.
His lips parted as he reached out and gently stroked his thumb along the contours of her hand, guiding the spoon toward his mouth. He flicked his tongue around the edge, then dragged it slowly across the bottom, licking every tantalizing drop.
Leah watched him, her pupils expanding as his tongue slid out of his mouth and across his lips with a pleased look on his face. Energy sizzled between them. This was going exactly as he’d planned.
He gave her a devilish smirk. “Outstanding. I can't wait to taste everything you have to offer.”
Her eyes widened further before she turned back to the range, and he hoped she caught his double meaning. But if he didn’t put some space between them immediately, he was going to take her right there on the kitchen floor.
“Bathroom?”
“Sure, just give me a minute.” She ducked into what he thought was the bedroom and wondered what she was doing. A minute later, she opened the door wider and called him over. “It's in here.”
Then it hit him, Stefen had gone to enough women’s homes to know that Leah probably wanted to make sure she hadn’t left any panties on the floor. He walked past the doorway, making sure to graze her chest with his arms along the way.
When he was finished, he stepped out into her bedroom, taking a minute to feel it out. He ran his hand along the red velvet comforter, noting the crapload of throw pillows leaning against the headboard. Why do women always have so many damn pillows?
Attached to the wall across the room, were black wooden letters that spelled out the word ‘Bucket List’. White-washed, framed chicken-wire hung under those words, along with pieces of flower-pressed paper fastened with clothes pins. Within the frame, sat a small silver bucket. He got closer and started reading the little slips of paper. They were the usual—fall in love, get married and have kids, girly kind of wishes. But the ones that specifically caught his eye, read:
Remarkable. Even her list of life goals was chalk-full of things she wanted to accomplish for the benefit of others.
As he stepped out of her private space, she was fiddling with the already prepared lasagna dish, looking uneasy.
In an attempt to switch the mood, he suggested, “Wine?”
Briefly closing her eyes, she let out a quiet exhale. “In the fridge, but I should have a few other bottles in there that are already cold. Get what you like and pour me a glass, too, if you don’t mind.”
She must be relieved that I’m out of her room. I wonder what she’s hiding in there that would make her so nervous.
He searched the shelves until he found the chilled bottles. Oh great—cheap wine.
“Is this any good?” He held the bottle up for her. “I’m not familiar with the brand.” It was difficult to even make out the name on the label.
“That’s one of my favorite everyday wines. Just give it a try.” She batted her eyelashes, propelling a whirl of desire through his body.
Eye on the prize.
Swallowing his pride, he drank the bargain wine. To his surprise, it wasn't bad. It was actually quite good.
She caught his approving expression. ”See, I told you it was good, Mister Wine Snob.”
The second gulp didn’t go down so easy. How did she manage to piss him off and turn him on at the same time?
“Would you mind putting these
other lasagnas in the fridge? I'll stick them in the oven tomorrow before I come over.” Since her hands were full with plates and silverware, she gestured with her lips, pointing him toward the other glass baking dish covered with foil.
He came to appreciate the way she pointed things out using nothing more than her those beautiful lips. One of the cooks they’d employed when he was growing up was also of Salvadorian decent and pointed with her lips, as well.
Must be a cultural thing.
Casually swaying her alluring figure around the kitchen island, she set the dishes out on her tiny round dining table, throwing him an alluring grin. He couldn't take his eyes off of her. If he had been drowning, he’d be dead.
She turned on her iPod and mellow background music began to play as they sat down to eat.
Stefen couldn’t believe how good the lasagna was. He devoured each forkful. “I’ll admit I was skeptical when you said vegetarian lasagna, but this is fantastic.”
Chewing the food in her mouth before swallowing, she admitted, “Thanks, but I can’t take all the credit with this one. It’s actually Abby’s recipe. The version I usually make has three types of cheese, sweet Italian sausage, ground beef, veggies and tons of herbs.”
“You’ll have to make that one next time, then.” Oh, shit. What was he saying?
“Next time?” Confused, she tilted her head to the side.
He took a huge gulp of wine before correcting his mistake. “Well, you know what I mean. Two of the most important people in our lives are married. I’m sure we’ll see plenty of each other.”
That thought hit him. Leah definitely was not a one night stand, even if that’s what he was shooting for. They would be running into each other as long as Caleb and Abby were married.
Hmm… He thought about the possibilities.
Maybe this could somehow work out. He didn’t mind having a new ‘go to’ girl.
But that didn’t feel right. His emotions were tangled with Leah’s. There was no way things would turn out well for either of them.
