AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I grabbed a glass and filled it to the brim, handing it to her when she finally staggered to the breakfast bar. She downed the whole glass in one go, then gave it back to me. I dutifully topped it up, sitting it down in front of her.
Leaning on my elbows, I grinned at her. She was cute, even if she did look like a zombie. “So, you had a good time last night?”
She winced. “I think so. It’s a bit blurry there toward the end.” She glared at me. “Did I do anything, you know, embarrassing?”
I dragged my bottom lip between my teeth to stop myself from grinning. “Embarrassing? Nah.”
She narrowed her eyes at me. “Rigby…”
“It was fine, Nova. I’m glad you enjoyed yourself. You deserve some downtime.”
She huffed something under her breath, then laid her head down on the cool marble benchtops. “Where's Huey?”
“Dev took him to work. The joy of being the boss, plus we figured you wouldn’t want to nurse a hangover and a baby.”
“Ugh, I’m a failure already.”
I walked over to where she was sitting and picked her up in my arms. She squeaked, but wrapped her thighs around my hips. I gave my dick a stern word about appropriateness, and I wasn’t sure if he was flipping me off, but he stirred anyway.
“You arenota failure. You’re a human being. Moms get days off too. You aren’t a slave who has to be on the job twenty-four seven when there are other capable adults in the house. Now, close your eyes, Fireball. I got you a surprise.”
“Fireball? Are you calling me cheap and sweet?”
I hefted her up onto the countertop. I definitely wanted to eat her out up here, just lay her back and then dive between those soft thighs. Clearing my throat, I stepped away, glad her eyes were closed so I could adjust my cock in my shorts. “No, because of, like, a supernova, you know? A burning ball of fire? Plus, it suits your personality, especially after last night. You’re sassy when you’re wine drunk.”
“So you’re calling me a burning ball of gas? Much better.”
I rolled my eyes, but she couldn’t see that either. “Don’t move.”
Rushing toward the butler’s pantry, I grabbed the big basket of stuff I’d ordered on her first day here. I had no chill. I just wanted her to feel so at home that she’d never leave. Racing back into the kitchen, I sat it on the space next to her and stepped back.
“Okay, you can open them now.”
She looked at the gift basket, a confused frown on her face for a moment, until she started to unwrap it. Then she pulled out a knife. A palette knife. And then a large bag of chocolate nibs. Molds. Piping bags. Thermometers.
“What’s this?” she whispered, her eyes wide.
I grinned, stepping back into her space. “You said you wanted to make chocolate in this kitchen. It's a welcome home present. Sorry it's taken so long to get here.”
She looked down at the basket, her fingers running over all the instruments inside. “Rigby…” She swallowed hard. “This is very thoughtful of you.”
I hugged her, because I could. Because I craved it. “You deserve nice things. I mean, it's just a gift basket and not a car, so you don’t have to be all weird about it.”
Nova slapped my shoulder. “Too soon.”
I laughed and just held her to my chest. I wanted to grill her about the things she’d said yesterday. Wanted to profess just how badly I wanted her too, but I didn’t. Not yet. She wasn’t ready for what I wanted to suggest.
None of them were.
“You’re such a good man, Rigby Engman.” She sighed against my chest. “And you have an ass sculpted by the gods.”
Her words spread pleasure through my body, centering somewhere significantly lower than my heart. We’d have to talk about that eventually too, but not right now. Right now, I wanted to enjoy this moment.
“It’s completely selfish, Fireball. I love chocolate.” I’d love to lick melted chocolate from every inch of her body right here on this countertop. “If you ever need anyone to try samples, I’m your man.”
I wanted to tell her that if she ever needed a man foranything, I was here. Right. Here. But the time wasn’t right, and I could be patient. She needed more time too.
She surprised the hell out of me by gripping my face between her palms and kissing me hard. Her tongue slipped into my mouth, and I let her take control of the pace, the depth, everything. I just enjoyed the taste of her, the feel of her beneath my hands.
