Page 75 of Calling a Cease-Fire

“What do you want for breakfast?” I finally asked, even though I was reluctant to end this moment with her. “I can make chocolate chip pancakes with banana whipped cream. I think I have sausage and bacon in the fridge too.”

“That all sounds amazing. I can help. I love cooking.”

So far, our nights together had consisted of carryout or just snacking once we worked up an appetite. And one of us always seemed to be on shift the next morning. This would be the first time in the last two weeks we would make actual food together. It felt so domestic—the opposite of a casual fling—giving me hope of something more.

“I’m not ready to get up though.” Holding you feels too amazing was on the tip of my tongue. And it stayed there. I wasn’t scaring her off now. No fucking way. Those thoughts would get their moment. Eventually. I was absolutely determined.

“Me neither.” She sighed with contentment, and hope bloomed in my chest.

Yep. Definitely had to figure out how to make that happen.

Finally, Mia pulled away from me, gave one long languorous stretch—just like that little black kitten used to do every time she woke from a nap—and we got up and got dressed.

Except what Mia put on barely covered her body.

I blinked hard and shook my head to clear it. Also wiped a finger across my chin to make sure I wasn’t drooling. “Are you trying to get me to fuck you before we even leave my bedroom?”

The crop top tank, that more closely resembled a bra, and the tiny-ass booty shorts left nothing to the imagination. She might as well have been naked. I smiled, liking that idea a bit too much.

She glanced over her shoulder, sending me the sexiest smirk. “Maybe I’m hoping you’ll spank my ass again.”

I stalked toward her. “That can definitely be arranged.”

She giggled and hurried out of the room with me hot on her heels. Still giggling, she bolted down the stairs and into the kitchen.

I strolled leisurely into the space with my hands on my hips. “Why you running?”

She shook her head with slightly wide eyes. “My ass is still sore.”

I smirked at that. “Good. It’s my new favorite thing.” I wanted nothing more than for her to think of me and remember how I made her feel.

Her eyes narrowed slightly. “I really shouldn’t like that you’re so possessive.”

As I closed the space between us, she backed up until she bumped into the table behind her. Bracing my hands on either side of her, I lowered my lips to her ear. “But you do like it.”

Her breath hitched. “Yes,” she whispered. “You’re rarely intense about anything, but I like that you are with me.”

I held back the truth I was sure she wasn’t ready to hear. That my feelings for her were so strong and intense, it made me that way with her. I brushed my lips along the shell of her ear before reluctantly stepping back out of her space.

“Let’s get you some food.” I turned and began pulling out ingredients.

“Wait.” She looked at the fresh bananas and heavy whipping cream. “You make the banana whipped cream from scratch?”

I nodded. “My grandmother’s recipe.”

“Impressive,” she purred.

The way she made the simplest things sound sexy, I still didn’t understand. But I absolutely craved it.

I got out the large griddle and plugged it in next to the stove.

“I can cook the bacon and sausage,” she volunteered.

I nodded and we got to work, falling into a rhythm of moving around the kitchen together. It all felt so right, and it cemented the future I could see for us. I just prayed she was starting to embrace the idea. My stomach soured at the thought that she might not be.

I finished the whipped cream and scooped a little bit on my finger, holding it out to her. “Here, try it.”

Her lips puckered in a sexy pout as she leaned forward. She grabbed my hand and wrapped her lips around my finger, sucking it deep. I groaned at the sensation and the subsequent images it brought to the forefront of my mind.