AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“No. I know you cook, but this isn’t a quick and easy meal. This is . . . next level cooking.”
“Maybe you better level up your expectations.”
Like he hasn’t already exceeded them on every other front. He’s an amateur chef, too? What other hidden talents does this man have? The sound of a cork popping from a bottle brings me back to the moment. “The meat needs to rest for a bit. Can I pour you a glass or would you rather wait for dinner?”
“I would love a glass of wine right now. Like seriously, right now.”
“Bad day?”
I remember my promise to leave the world behind, and I feel guilty for not being able to fulfill it. Every ounce of his focus is on me, but I’m still clinging to remnants of stress from my busy day and anger from my after-work encounter with my ex. It’s not fair.
“It was just really busy. Eight deliveries, and unfortunately, not all babies get the memo that they’re supposed to cooperate in being born.”
I smile and take the glass he’s handing me, but his eyes stay fixed on mine. “You help bring a lot of babies into the world on a lot of days. Why was today harder?”
Oh, damn. He asks such thoughtful questions, and I’m not at all accustomed to having someone listen so intently or care so genuinely about what I say. These small moments sometimes scare the shit out of me, but right now, his question makes me feel validated in a way I didn’t know had been missing from my life.
“When there are complications, you don’t always feel the increased stress in the moment. I mean, you’re in it, and you just have to do what needs to be done. But later, it can ambush you, and all at once, you’re exhausted.” Oh, shit. I hear the words leaving my mouth and realize this sounds like I’m too tired to be here, like I don’t want to be here. “But I’m glad I’m here. If I was at home alone, I’d probably kid myself into thinking I should go to bed early, and then I’d just lie there, wide awake and too stressed to sleep.”
My laughter sounds fake, but it’s not. I want to be laughing right now; I’m just not sure I’ve explained myself well, and I’m worried he might not see any humor at all in my whining about being exhausted after he cooked this amazing meal and poured me wine and—
He steps closer and tucks a section of hair behind my ear. “Your job is stressful. It’s okay to talk about it. You don’t have to wince like you’re afraid you shouldn’t have shared it with me. And we can go to bed whenever you want.” His lips grace my forehead with a slight kiss, and I get a whiff of his scent, which is better than any food smell in the world. “But I’d never let you lie awake, feeling stressed and uneasy. I would definitely help you fall asleep.”
I take my first sip of the wine. How dare he serve me wine this good while serving up words like that, rendering me unable to swallow, barely able to breathe? Who gave him the right to draw out so many emotions with such small gestures? “Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me yet. You don’t even know how I plan to put you to sleep.”
“I might have a decent idea.”
“If it’s not indecent, you’re not even close.” He takes a drink of his wine, and then he leads me out the back door to his deck. The sun is just starting to set. We sit in his Adirondack chairs and drink our wine.
“How was your day?” I ask.
“I knocked off early because I had a hot date, and I wanted to get home in time to cook her an impressive meal.”
“You can check that off your to-do list.”
“You haven’t tasted it yet.”
“I’m already impressed though.”
“But you’re still stressed.” He sets his wine on the deck and stands. When I move to stand, he shakes his head. “No. Stay right where you are.”
I sit back further and look up at him. He’s moved directly in front of me.
“You’re not wearing panties under that dress, are you?”
“I have this strange habit of wearing them every day.”
“Well, you can make a new habit of leaving them at home when you’re with me, or removing them when you walk through my door.”
Leaning forward, I attempt to set my wine on the deck next to his, but he shakes his head again. “Keep enjoying your wine.” He drops to his knees and pushes my dress up around my hips. His cool hands against my skin make me squirm in my seat, which enables him to easily slide my panties down. By the time he has them removed, his hands are warm, and my desire for him is sizzling.
There are no neighbors visible at the wooded back portion of his land. The house faces a pond with dense trees beyond it. With my panties hung on the arm of my chair, he presses my knees apart, gathers the fabric of my dress that’s pooled between my legs in his fist and pulls it aside to fully expose my pussy.
“Prettiest pussy I’ve ever seen.”
“You’ve seen it a lot.” I take another sip of wine.
