“It’s our first date in . . . I don’t know, real life?” He set our bags down beside the sofa. “I didn’t want either of us to have to stress or plan. At the resort, it kind of felt like we were moving toward some kind of ‘one-up’ situation.”
“Did it? I didn’t get that.”
“I don’t mean like we were trying to show each other up. I mean more like we both wanted to show each other that what we felt was real, even though everything moved at the speed of light.”
“It did move fast.”
“But it’s no less real.” He bent and kissed my lips.
“Nope. You still got me messed up.”
He kissed me again. “Ay, I know exactly where I want to put the painting I bought. Come on.” He picked up the painting. It wasn’t overly large, probably eleven by fourteen, but it was striking. I followed him down a hallway to his bedroom. Thespace was large and masculine, but there was also a warmth. It was the warmth that Spencer always seemed to bring with him, the warmth of a person who was genuine and had a good heart.
“I love this room. It’s very you.”
He turned his head and looked back at me. “How so?”
I shrugged my shoulders. “It’s very . . . calming. Peaceful.”
He shot me a smile before making his way to the wall that was across from the bed. “I’m thinking right here.” He held the picture up to the wall to assess.
I nodded approvingly, moving close to him. “I like it.”
He set the painting down on the floor gingerly, then pulled me into his arms. “I missed you.”
“I missed you too.”
His mouth came down on top of mine, and soon, we were kissing. We kissed, and kissed, and kissed, and kissed. Incessant buzzing at his wrist interrupted us. He checked his watch. “Uh, our dinner is ready. I’m thinkin’,fuck that dinner.”
“But I’m starving,” I whined.
He chuckled, grabbing me by the hand. “Come on, little hungry-ass girl. Let’s go eat. Then we can finish what you tried to start.”
“Oh, I tried to start it?”
He led me out to the balcony of his living room where the chef had set the table in a way that was very reminiscent of Iredia. I slid into the seat opposite him and looked out at the view. It was nothing like the view from the resort. That view had encompassed a tropical island. This view was very “city,” but it was beautiful and comfortable, nonetheless.
“Chicago is such a pretty city,” I said. “This view is everything.”
I could feel Spencer’s gaze on me when he spoke. “Damn sure is.”
“Stop it.” I giggled.
The chef came out on the balcony and set a plate in front of each of us. It was a delicious looking salad.
“Listen, lil’ hungry girl. I’m back in training mode, so the food’s gonna be different from the stuff we were eating in Iredia every day. It’s still gonna be good, but it has to be?—”
I held up my hand. “I get it. I’m cool with that.” I gazed over at him sitting across the table from me looking handsome. “Honestly? I don’t really care what I eat. I just wanna be eating it with you.”
“Damn, Sun. Talk your shit.”
I giggled again before reaching my hands toward his so he could pray over the food.
“Dear God, thank You for this meal. Thank You for the hands that prepared it. May it be used for the nourishment of our bodies. And thank You that You took the time to position both myself and Soleil in the right place, at the right time, so that we might meet each other. Amen.”
“Amen,” I agreed. “Now that was a word. Because I tried to give that trip to my daddy, and you had to be bribed into coming.”
We both laughed.
