Page 79 of All I Feel

“Is the food ready?”

“It can be.” She fidgeted with her hair. “But I can also delay it another ten minutes if you want to take a shower.”

Sensing her uneasiness, I thought it might help to give her a bit of space. “If it’s cool with you, I’ll grab a quick shower.”

Tessa nodded and smiled. “Okay. I’ll have it ready once you’re finished.”

I felt an overwhelming urge to clear the air, but the last thing I wanted to do was make her more uncomfortable by bringing it up. So, I pressed a soft kiss to her cheek and whispered, “I’ll be back.”

Though I’d promised to be quick, I couldn’t simply hop in and out. After having Tessa’s body wrapped around mine while she fell asleep last night, waking up to her ass nestled against my dick this morning, and being greeted by her at the door like I had been just now, I needed to find some relief. At every turn, she was doing something toget me riled up, and sometimes, it was as simple as giving me a sweet look or a soft touch.

Curling my fingers around my cock as I stood beneath the spray of the shower, I stroked myself and thought about Tessa. About the way she looked when she stepped into my bedroom last night wearing nothing but that nightie. About the way her legs felt circling my waist only moments ago. About how she tasted and the way she smelled. About the way she moaned or whimpered.

Vision after vision of Tessa danced in my mind until, with one palm resting on the wall of the shower, head bowed, I came.

As quickly as I could, I finished up, got dressed, and met Tessa downstairs for dinner. The tension I’d seen in her shoulders just ten minutes ago was gone. I walked up behind her, gathered her hair in one hand, and moved it to one side so I could kiss her neck. “I’m back.”

“That was perfect timing. I just got everything plated.”

I glanced over her shoulder, saw the plates, and said, “You go grab a seat, and I’ll carry these in.”

She did as I requested, and once we were seated, I asked, “Now, can you tell me why you felt it necessary to cook dinner tonight?”

“We have to eat, don’t we?”

Nodding, I said, “We do. But you could’ve waited until I was back. We could’ve done it together.”

Tessa smiled at me. “I know. But I figured since you’re going out of your way to help me right now, I should do something to show my appreciation. It means a lot to me that you’re looking out for me like you are, and I want you to know that I’m grateful.”

“I know that you’re grateful, Princess. You don’t have to take on duties in this house to prove it to me.”

“I made dinner, Ace.”

My hand reached out and covered hers. “I know. And it’s fine. I’m happy with it, and it’s delicious. But I don’t want this to turn into you taking on household chores because you think you owe me. You’re my girl, and I’m doing what I’ve got to do to ensure your safety. It’s my honor and privilege to do that for you.”

Her eyes dropped to her plate, a hint of a smile playing on her lips. “You make it difficult for me not to want to do even more for you when you say things like that.”

“I’d settle for a kiss instead,” I teased.

Tessa didn’t hesitate. She leaned in and brought her mouth to mine in a chaste kiss, allowing her lips to linger a bit.

When she lowered herself to her seat again, we simply stared at one another for several silent beats. Feeling that sexual tension crackling between us, I broke the silence. “You cooked tonight, so I’ll be cleaning up.”

“I can help.”

I shook my head. “No. Right now, I want to hear about your day while we eat. Then I’ll clean up, and you can grab your shower. Afterward, we can cuddle up and watch some television.”

“Okay.”

So, that’s what we did. Tessa told me about her day while we ate. After, she went up for a shower while I cleaned up. Then we curled up together and found something to watch.

But it didn’t take long for the closeness with each other to lead to gentle caresses and sweet kisses.

Even though I knew I was going to have to stop us before things went too far, I didn’t mind at all. A night like I’d had with her tonight was absolutely everything I wanted to have for the rest of my life.

TWENTY-ONE

TESSA