by Pardo, Jody
“I would hardly call it being ’stuck‘ with you. More like you are stuck with me!” I stuck my tongue out and her facial expression softened.
“So, you don’t want me to cook?” she asked with an eyebrow raised.
“NO, no, by all means! Cook away! What else you got in those bags?”
I think she planned to cook for an army because there were enough groceries here to feed about twenty people and I couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like to have a house full during the holiday.
The only crowded kitchen I really knew was on my boat, “Wicked Lobster” The guys and I ventured out to make some money and eventually, ended up crowded around the cramped galley and chow down.
“So Cap, is it safe to eat?” Dougie asked.
“Heck yeah, we got over sixty pounds of lobster already and we still have all weekend. Cha-ching boys! Cha-ching! We can afford to eat good tonight!”
And with that Dougie and another deckhand had gone below and pulled out four of the biggest lobsters they could get their hands on before their hands went numb digging in the cold icy water.
We usually only ate whatever groceries we brought aboard. But it was Thanksgiving after all, so we were going to eat well. These men were my family here at sea. They worked hard and deserved some luxury. Hard to believe that most of these guys rarely ate lobster? Nope, lobster was money.
‘We don’t eat our paychecks, we cash them in.’ Dougie announced. “But today, Cap is buying.”
“Ryan?” Lydia prompted me out of my memory.
“Yeah, what did I miss?”
“I asked you what you wanted for dinner?” she said, cocking her head to the side.
“Umm, I don't know, whatever you are making?” I laughed. I began to wonder what the guys were up to.
Were they fishing this year?
Would my crew be eating lobster or turkey this year? Would they be at sea or home with their families? I wanted a lobster dinner, cracking shells and clarified butter and tossing the remnants back into the sea for shark bait with my men. I missed the sea.
“Ryan!” Lydia yelled.
“Huh? Yeah, that’s fine.”
“Fine, Alpo it is!” she smirked.
“Alpo? Why am I in the dog house?” I questioned.
“You didn’t hear a word I said, did you?” she said as she stomped her feet in her boots.
“Sorry. Why are we eating Alpo, when we have all this food?” I pleaded.
“Not me, just you. Because I asked you like fourteen times and you didn’t answer me until I said Alpo. So I will be having Mac and Cheese with Kielbasa and you, Sir, can chow down on Ground Beef bits in gravy.”
What the hell? “I’m sorry, Lyds. I spaced out. I would love to have some Mac and Cheese with Kielbasa.” I gave her the puppy dog eyes. “Besides, my chair doesn’t fit in the dog house. Are you going to really make me crawl?” And the lip pout. Come on…
“Well okay, I guess. I can’t have you crawling around. What will they think of me as a nurse? I guess I can share the Kielbasa with you.” She tried not to smile. She couldn’t resist the lip and now the clincher.
“You know what would be super awesome? Some of that Peanut Butter mousse Oreo pie. Mmm, can this poor dog get some pie?” Puppy dog eyes, full-blown pout, and batting eyelashes in full effect. “Pleeeeeeaaassse!”
“Well, since you asked nicely. I guess….”
I roll myself over to her and quickly hugged her around the waist.
“Whoa, easy tiger! You almost took me out!” she said as she caught her balance.
Good lord, she smelled good. I could inhale her. I wonder if she tasted like coconuts.
“Ryan, you can let go now. If you want pie, I need to get it started.” She looked down and patted my hair down.
“Oh yeah, sorry, that would help. I will just stay out of your way.” I began to roll away when she stopped me.
“Not so fast, cowboy. You’re going to help.” She tossed me the Peanut Butter Oreo package. “Twist and scrape. Cream in one bowl, cookies in the other. When you are done, I will give you the mortar and pestle and you can crush the cookies while I get dinner rolling.”
“Yes, ma’am!” I straightened in my chair and gave her a salute. She grinned and walked into the kitchen to start dinner. I started my task of separating the cookies.
About half an hour later, Lydia came out the kitchen with two steaming bowls of Mac and Cheese with fried Kielbasa in it. She looked at my completed project.
“Ryan? Um why are there two bowls of cookies?” she asked, setting my bowl in front of me.
“This one is the scraped cookies and ones that twisted off clean, and these are the ones I had to lick the cream off.” I grinned and waited for her reaction.
“WHAT?! Eww Ryan! Really? I needed those for the crust!” She was so predictable.
“Just kidding! Relax! I ate the ones I licked!” I couldn’t control my laughter and I saw her inspecting the cookies looking for lick marks or sogginess.
“But I did eat the cream though.” I added sheepishly.
She huffed. “Well, that I can get around, I like it with regular peanut butter anyway. I can’t believe you! Well, I hope you didn’t ruin your dinner.”
“Nope! That was just an appetizer. Let’s eat!” With that, we sat and ate. I would have never thought to put the two together.
We finished our dinner, and I finished crushing the Oreos for Lyds. The rest of the magic happened in the kitchen. She would blend the cookies in with light vanilla custard, then topped if with a mountain of peanut butter and whipped topping blended like a meringue.
If I didn’t work out first thing in the morning and have to roll my ass around all day, I swear with her cooking, I would be 600 pounds. Her cooking skills were top notch.
Rolling out into the living room, I unbuckled myself, and did some dips in my chair. It was going to be a full-bellied holiday season, and I wanted to enjoy it all but didn’t want to gain a million pounds in the process.
The next two weeks were a blur of shopping, groceries, and test recipes. I started to think Lydia missed her true calling as a chef. She made four different kinds of stuffing, three batches of cranberry sauce, some with raisins, and some without, and roasted every kind of squash she could find, looking for the perfect blend for pies. I am not complaining. My house had never smelled more delicious.
“Ryan, are you ready?” she bellowed from the kitchen.
“Uh oh. What am I supposed to be ready for?” I hollered back. She had been bringing me spoonfuls of this and that as she cooked. I wanted more than a spoonful, dammit. I didn’t dare say a word because she fed me plenty. I had been waking up an extra hour early every day to work out, just to stay in shape.
She came out of the kitchen with a spoon, but I couldn’t see what it was from here as she blocked my view with her hand. “I think this is it. Here, go ahead and have a taste. Close your eyes.”
I closed my eyes and opened my mouth; ready to receive whatever treat was on the end of that spoon.
She kneeled down and landed the slightly warm spoon on my awaiting tongue and I wrapped my mouth around it. My taste buds exploded as the flavors of sweet pumpkin and spice danced across my tongue. I knew it wasn’t just pumpkin, she had at least three different kinds of squash in the kitchen, but whatever it was, it’s the best pumpkin pie I have ever had. I didn’t even want to swallow because then it would be over. Instead, I rolled the morsel around my mouth, savoring every second as the flavors blended.
I opened my eyes and there she was, right in front of me, face to face. Her brows were raised waiting my reaction, but I was at a loss for words. Self-doubt scurried across her brow. I grabbed her from behind her neck and drew her mouth to mine, crushing my lips against hers.
She stiffened then quickly softened. My tongue teased her lips, begging for entrance. She relaxed and granted me entrance through parted lips. I swooped my tongue into her mouth, tasting hers.
She di
dn’t taste like pie; instead, she has remnants of her sweet caramel iced coffee. My heart warmed, and I moaned into her mouth. She’d allowed me have the first taste of her creation.
Her breathing increased into small pants and she squirmed under my grasp. Taking her by her scrub pants, I held her to me as I took my last tastes of her sweet mouth, slowly withdrawing as I memorized every contour of her beautiful mouth.
I gently released her from my grasp and she still had her eyes closed and lips slightly parted. Beauty, pure beauty; I wanted to kiss her again.
Lydia's eyes fluttered open and as she locked on mine, she grinned. Pressing her lips together, she whispered, “I guess you liked it?”
I couldn’t help but grin. “Yeah, I guess you can say that.”
Then, her hand flew to her mouth and her eyes widened as the reality of our kiss hit home. “Oh my God, Ryan, I’m sorry! I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to…I shouldn’t have…” Before she bolted, I grabbed her by the shoulders. Damn chair, if she got into the kitchen, I couldn’t reach her.
“Lydia, STOP!” She was still on her knees as I held her firmly in place. God, she was so sexy. Did she even know how beautiful she was? My cock hardened under my seatbelt and I couldn’t control it. She was so soft and my dick had a mind of its own.
“Lyds, please look at me.” Her eyes were squeezed shut, and she was shaking her head. “Lyds, please, just look at me.” I slowly moved my hands from her shoulders, across her collarbones, and up her neck, cupping her chin with both hands. I gently raised her chin, and she didn’t resist, but her eyes were still squeezed closed. Tears were leaking from the creases, and she trembled.
“You didn’t do anything. You did nothing wrong. If being a beautiful sexy woman is wrong, the rules are messed up. Lydia, please look at me.”
Her head leaned into my hands but she wouldn’t open her eyes. I leaned down and gently planted kisses on each of her eyelids, tasting the saltiness of her tears and pressed a firm kiss against her forehead. As I backed away, her eyes opened. Her eyes were a bright blue, cerulean like the Caribbean Sea and she met my gaze.
“Why did you do that?” she sobbed.
“Do what? Kiss you? Oh Lydia, I have wanted to kiss you for a long time now.” I watched the racing thoughts flash across her face. First, wonder as her eyes widened at my statement, then disbelief when her brows furrowed together, then curiosity as she tilted her head slightly to one side as she processed her thoughts. She wore her heart on her sleeve and I could read her so plainly.
“You have?” she questioned.
“Hell, yes, but I wasn’t sure after hearing about your family. I didn’t want to push you. Not to mention you were always buzzing around so quickly. You never sit still long enough. There are only so many places I can chase you.” I flash my million-dollar smile and her cheeks flushed. Good, she was smiling again. It broke my heart to see her cry. I was glad I could make her smile. I wanted to kiss her again. I wanted to kiss her all over and explore her body with my tongue. I wanted to taste her all over, not just her mouth, and devour her.
“I…I don’t know what to say.”
Here goes nothing. “Then don’t.” I kissed her again feverishly before she had the chance to over think it. I had seen her disconnect all the time, getting lost in her thoughts. I needed her to stay with me, not disengage; I needed her to give me a sign.
Kiss me, Lyds. Please, show me the feeling is mutual.
And then, her tongue moved with mine, probing my mouth, seeking purchase. I nipped at her lower lip; as she pulled away to catch her breath, she moaned. I planted soft kisses along her cheek to behind her ear and nipped at her earlobe. I wanted to undo the lap belt and throw her on the floor. I caressed her cheek, and she leaned her head into my hand, giving me access to her neck. I had to stop before I came in my pants like a schoolboy.
“I will accept that as a thank you,” she giggled.
“Thank you? You don’t have to make me pie for me to kiss you. I will kiss you all day long…and then some,” I breathed into her neck as I finally got my kiss. Then the realization hit me.
Lydia couldn’t seriously think this is about pie, could she?
“Ryan, I can’t. I’m your nurse. I…I just can’t.” And the nurse was back. She stood and scurried back into the safety of the kitchen, the only place I couldn’t get into with my chair.
Dammit, I didn’t know what to do. So, I headed over to the bar and did the only thing I knew to clear my head: work out. Maybe if I got my blood pumping, it would take it away from my raging cock and clear the heavenly sounds of Lydia’s moans out of my head.
Lydia
I wasn’t imagining things. He really was attracted to me. All doubts that I had been imagining this were gone now. He’d kissed me. Not a peck on the cheek or kiss your grandma gave you, either. That was a panty-melting prelude to sex kiss.
As I hid in the kitchen, since it was the only room I had exclusive access to, I had to think about what I was going to do. I didn’t want to lead him on, and I didn’t want to push him away either. Hell, I was so confused. What was I going to do?
So I did what I always did when I was mad, sad, or didn’t know what else to do…I scrubbed. I scrubbed the oven, the stove, mopped the floor, and cleaned out the fridge.
I had my headphones on but my phone was dying. I went out to the dining room to plug it in to charge and found Ryan grunting furiously pulling up on the bar in the bedroom doorway.
Ryan
My arms burned, my stomach wrenched, and I was pretty sure I had new blisters on my hands. Lord knew how many pull-ups I’d just completed and I still couldn’t empty the energy coursing through my veins.
Uncertainty gripped me and plagued my brain for the first time. Things had never been this complicated with a woman before, when I’d had useful legs, that is.
Everything else worked. I woke up with morning wood every day, mostly with the remnants of dreams filled with Lydia’s laughter. In my recent dreams, I tickled her, just to hear her laugh, just to touch her.
My dreams used to be filled with jagged returning memories of the storm. Each dream a clip, a sound, a fragment haunting me with what might have been. When the damn mast came swooping down and had taken me out, I thought I was a goner. I never thought I would make it out of the sea. The waves were raging and my boat had been rocking so hard I thought she might capsize, but she stayed. My good girl stayed upright, but the lines couldn’t hold the booms.
The Coast Guard had the choppers in the air looking for boats in distress and my rescue was quick. Those divers saved my life. The doctors said I was lucky. Lucky? I guess I was since I was alive, but I had legs I couldn’t use and my life, the only life I had ever known, was over.
One more rep, I pulled up again and hung from the bar. One more…
“What are you doing?” Lydia shrieked, running from the kitchen.
Crap! I plopped down in my bedroom chair and held my head in my hands. She had never seen me work out. I did it early in the morning before she got here and on the weekends when she was off.
“Ryan, are you trying to hurt yourself?” She started feeling my shoulders and arms, checking for injuries.
“I’m not hurt, Lydia. I’m fine.” I let her look at my hands. Yup, just like a thought, a blister across my left palm.
“You’re not fine! Look at this. You have a huge blister. What were you trying to do?”
I yanked my hands from her and rolled backward, farther into my bedroom.
“I was trying to clear my head. I’m fine! Not anything I haven’t done before.” I came across a little harsher than I’d intended.
“What do you mean? Clear your head? What did you do before?” She asked.
“Of you, trying to clear my head of you, and get all these thoughts out of my head.”
Her face changed from concern to confusion. “Me? I don’t understand.” Before she could get away, I grabbed her wrists and pulled her down to her knees.
&nb
sp; “Yes, you! Look at me!” She looked into my eyes but I could see I was scaring her. I had to make her see.
I toned my voice down. “Look at me, Lydia”
“I am looking at you,” she said in a quivering voice.
I crushed my lips against hers and she squeaked. I pulled away and leaned my forehead against hers. “But do you see me?”
She was trembling in my grasp. I kissed her again, longer this time. Licking her lips, nipping at her bottom one, tugging, begging her to open herself to me. “See me, Lydia. See me for who I am, not your patient, but as a man.”
She shook her head and with that, I dropped her hands and pushed myself off my chair onto the floor. Quickly, I rolled on top of her before she could react. Grabbing her wrists again, I held them on each side of her head, and my body naturally rested between her legs. I ground my erection into the apex of her sex and her eyes widened as she stared at me in disbelief.
“Now do you see me? This is what you do to me. I’m a grown ass man, Lydia. I’m a man who wants to fuck you out of your thoughts until there are no doubts of my intentions. I want you with me all the time. Not because it’s your shift, but because you want to be. So yes, Lydia, I was trying to clear my head. Clear my head of thoughts of you and me because I want it so badly, it hurts.”
I rolled off her, releasing her wrists, pulled myself upright, and sat against the wall. Scrubbing my face with my hands, I tried to rub my frustrations away. She continued to lie still on the floor, probably in shock. I had a feeling I'd need to look for a new nurse now. I had fucked this up royally.
After a few moments, Lydia stirred. She got up on her knees and crawled over to me, taking a seat against the wall next to me. She leaned her head against my shoulder and placed her hand on my thigh. I let out a deep breath and placed my hands over hers. “I will call your agency tomorrow.”
