Indulgent Pleasures

Her cheeks warmed and she tore her gaze from his, a little embarrassed. It had been fun, feeding him, basking in his praise, laughing when he teased her. But it felt a little weird when he got all serious.

Withdrawing herself from his gentle grip, she went to the counter and dumped the plates into the sink. She went back to the table to collect everything else, including the salad plates and glasses. He watched, his golden-green eyes serious as they settled upon her and she cast a nervous smile in his direction, wishing he would say something, anything to ease her discomfort.

“So do I get dessert?” He cocked a brow as he crossed his arms in front of his massive chest.

Her mind went to the bowl of fresh strawberries in the refrigerator and she nodded. “If you’re good, you’ll definitely get dessert.”

“Aren’t I always good?”

Now he sounded downright cocky. She ignored his statement and went back to the sink, setting the remaining dishes in it and turning on the water. The unmistakable noise of a chair scraping against the floor sounded and she figured Justin had stood. Probably returning to his bed if he knew what was good for him.

She rinsed the dishes and opened the empty dishwasher that was next to the sink, then set every dish inside. Tucking her hair behind her ear yet again, she set aside the pots and pans, wanting to wash those by hand.

“Do you have any dish soap?” she called as she glanced about but didn’t spot any.

“You never answered me.” His low voice sounded so close that she startled, whirling around to find Justin standing directly in front of her. One foot was slightly lifted, taking pressure off the swollen knee and the wolfish smile on his face clued her in on his intent.

“Justin, I think you should go back to bed,” she started but he wouldn’t let her finish. Instead, he grabbed her by the upper arms and hauled her against him. Before she could get another word out, his mouth claimed hers, giving her a drugging kiss that made her head spin.

“I’ll only go back to bed if you join me,” he murmured against her lips when he broke away from her, his mouth wandering to press tiny kisses along her jaw, down her neck.

“I need to wash the dishes.” Her protest sounded weak even to her own ears and her arms slipped around him.

“Fuck the dishes. My housekeeper comes on Tuesday. She can take care of them then.”

“Justin.” She leaned back and stared up into his eyes. “That’s terrible. I don’t want to leave her this mess.”

“Fine then clean it up later. Let’s go back to bed.”

“You can’t do anything, remember? Doctor’s orders. And I’m not about to break your doctor’s orders.” She disentangled herself from him and resumed her place at the sink.

A loud sigh sounded behind her and she knew he was frustrated. Probably just about as frustrated as she was. He went to stand next to her, his hip leaning against the counter and supporting the weight off his knee. “You’re right. We shouldn’t do anything.”

She remembered the surprise she’d brought with her and stashed in the giant pantry and anticipation tingled within her. Yes, he couldn’t do anything to her. He shouldn’t exert himself in any way possible.

But there was nothing said about her doing anything to him.

Shutting off the water, she turned to face him. “Look, why don’t you go back to bed and rest for a bit while I clean the kitchen. I’ll prepare dessert for the both of us and serve it to you in bed. How does that sound?”

His expression softened and he leaned in close, dropping a tender kiss to her lips. “That sounds great. I am kind of tired.”

That walk from his bedroom to the kitchen had probably done him in. “You want me to help you back to your room?”

He waved her off, no surprise. God, the man was stubborn as a mule. She wanted to make like a mule and kick him. “I’m fine, don’t worry about me.”

Hmm, she did worry about him. He was doing too much and not taking care of himself. She couldn’t help but feel a little responsible for that.

She stacked the rest of the dishes into the dishwasher and then started a sink full of sudsy hot water for the pots and pans to soak while she wiped down the counters. All she needed was an apron and a pearl necklace and she’d be completely domesticated, the perfect little woman in the perfect little kitchen.

The idea didn’t sound half bad. A wicked smile crossed her lips as she drew closer to the pantry.

Especially when she thought of the sexy nurse’s costume waiting within. Justin’s eyes were going to pop out of his head when he spotted her serving him strawberries and whipped cream in that outfit.

She couldn’t wait.

* * *

Justin adjusted himself, wincing at the pain in his knee. Once he’d finally made it back to his bedroom, he’d popped a few painkillers and collapsed into bed, feeling as if he’d just run ten miles. Instead, he’d walked a few feet and felt like shit.