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If I was going to, I would have done it immediately and we wouldn’t be here right now. Coral knows me better than this. She knows I won’t cave on this now.
“Stop over thinking this, Paisley.” Her voice goes soft, “I don’t want to see you get hurt, so if I thought this wasn’t a good idea or if I thought your nervousness was founded, I would be honest with you.”
I look into one of my oldest friend’s eyes, knowing she’s saying the truth. I give her a quick hug and then start to herd her toward the door. Silas will be here any moment and I don’t want it to be weird. It’s going to be awkward enough because I’m going out on a date. A date with a man who said more than all the right things and looked at me like I’m his forever.
It’s a lot of pressure and I don’t know what to do with it. It feels big, bigger than I’ve ever experienced before.
When I open the door to literally shove Coral out of my apartment, I’m met with Silas standing there, his fist raised as if he was about to knock.Ohmygod, kill me now.His steel grey eyes lock with mine and the surprise I see in his eyes quickly turns into something else entirely. As a slow smile grows on his face, his eyes roam over me, heating as they caress me.
“Wow, I have never felt more like a third wheel than I do right now,” Coral’s voice so close makes me jump. I had completely forgotten she was here.
Coral’s voice snaps me out of the very sexy thoughts I’m having about the man in front of me. I also could kill my best friend. Silas isn’t fazed by it though; he laughs and winks at me before introducing himself to Coral. When she leaves it is short and sweet, making me remember why I love her.
She gives me a quick hug and then slips out the door. She turns around and mouths ‘hottie’, giving me a look of approval. I almost groan, but I hold it in, hoping Silas didn’t notice, embarrassing me fully.
When I look up into his eyes, the barely contained amusement there tells me he did in fact see and I feel my cheeks heat because of it. Before I can dive fully into the bottomless pit of embarrassment at my feet, Silas wraps his arms around me and pulls me against his chest, covering me in his warmth and his scent, a comforting mix of herbs and man.
Before I can process what is happening fully, his lips are pressed against mine and my body takes over. I melt into him as he kisses me. It’s sweet and demanding, hard and soft. When my lips part on a sigh, he takes the opportunity to taste me, his tongue licking along my bottom lip before diving into my mouth and enticing my own to play.
I cling to his shoulders, a little afraid of being swept up in the passion this man is offering. I need to stay grounded. At least a little bit. When he pulls away, we look into each other’s eyes for a moment, the rest of the world disappearing around us.
With a soft smile on his face, he tucks his head into my shoulder, and I can feel his body relax when I curl my arms around him. “I missed you,” his voice is muffled, but I can hear him clearly and the way his breath skates across my skin has me shivering in his arms. Not from being cold. Oh, no, I have a feeling I’ll never be cold again with him around. “I’m sorry I didn’t text more, but I knew if I did, I would be tempted to say fuck giving you two days to come to terms with this and I would have been at your door far too soon.”
“Come to terms with what?”
The question feels silly the moment it leaves my mouth, but I need to know. I need to hear him say it. I can’t give my heart away so quickly on an assumption. That would only lead to heartbreak.
When Silas stands up and lets go of me, it’s only so he can cup my face in his hands. His skin is rough, but I love the way it feels against my own. “You’re mine, Paisley.” He says it so simply, with so much conviction and truth. “I knew it the moment I saw you. I’ve given you two days to process it, but now I’m here and I’m not letting you go, whether you’re ready for it or not.”
“I’m ready,” the words slip out like a promise. I wasn’t sure if I was, but they taste like truth on my tongue and the smile Silas gives me in response is enough to make me want them to be true even more.
I have a feeling I better get ready.
“Come on, then,” he kisses my forehead before releasing me, “let’s get going.”
I grab my bag and my coat, before slipping out of my apartment. When I go to lock the door, Silas slips the keys from my hand and locks it for me. His chest is puffed out in the most adorably prideful way without a hint of boastfulness. I don’t have the heart to remind him I am perfectly capable of locking my own damn door.
“Where are we going?”
“My place,” he tells me with a wink. My steps falter as we head toward the elevator, but Silas doesn’t let that stop him. He laughs at my shocked face, before he tucks me into his side. “I’m going to cook for you. I think it’s the best way to start out the rest of our lives.”
I sound perplexed as hell, “Cook for me?”
I can’t explain my brain’s inability to form more complex thought at the moment. I’m going to blame the way Silas smells and how good it feels to be snuggled into him as we make it down to the bottom floor and then out to his car.
When Silas buckles me in, another one of those things I don’t have to heart to remind him I am capable of, being a grown ass woman and all, he winks at me and nods. “Yup,” he pops the p, “I’m a chef and I can’t wait to feed you my food. Alone that is. You’ve already had a taste.”
It dawns on me that he’s talking about the food at the MatchMakers Inc event, and I gasp. Why didn’t I ask what he was doing there sooner? Brain mush is the only thing I can claim.
“You made the food the other night?” When he nods with a smirk on his face, I gush, “It was delicious.”
He gets a boyish smile on his face, and I think I might see a little bit of a blush on his cheeks along with a whole helping of pride. “Thanks, Sugar,” he says before closing my door and heading around to the driver’s side.
The entire ride from my place to his, I ask him questions about being a chef. I’m kind of in awe of what he does. I like food and I can cook a few things decently, but he does so much more. The conceptualizing of dishes and an entire menu sounds like a tall order to me, but he talks about it like it’s second nature. I guess that’s what happens when you find your calling in life.
I’m only mildly surprised when he tells me he works at one of my favorite bistros in the city. I’ve gone there more than once with my girls for lunch. It’s always delicious.
It makes me think about how we go to restaurants and enjoy food but know so little about the people in the back making it. I’ve never put much thought into it but knowing that Silas was back in the kitchen making and overseeing my meals, makes those experiences better.
