Chapter 23
Lizzie
The next morning Phin called out from the shower, I loved that he was such a clean freak compared to my slobby nature.
"Lizzie, I need to wash my clothes; otherwise, I will have to wear a towel all week." For some reason, he'd started to call me Lizzie, only my parents called me Lizzie, and I loved it.
I peeked my head in thinking he'd still be in the shower, but he was standing there naked drying himself. In the light of day, the sight of naked Phin took my breath away. The hard planes of his chest were glistening, and I couldn't stop staring at the small trail of hair down to his promise land. I blinked, as I tried to collect my thoughts. All of a sudden, my mouth had gone dry and had lost contact with my brain.
"I probably have some ex-boyfriend's sweats." I waited to see how he would react to that suggestion. His eyebrows pinched together, and he wrapped the towel around his waist. As he stalked toward me, he tugged me into his strong arms. Pressed into his damp chest was pure heaven, smelling my body wash mixed with Phin's signature smell had me dizzy.
"Elizabeth, I don't think I'll be wearing an ex-boyfriend's clothes. I'd rather go naked."
I grinned at him and kissed his chest. "I'd rather you be naked too. I was joking; I don't have any ex-boyfriend's clothes here I burnt them. The expression on your face was priceless. Now I know your mad face." He took off his towel and pulled back and popped my backside with it. I loved the sting of the towel material. I reluctantly went to get Phin some clothes, having to peel my gaze from his naked form as he watched me walk away.
"I have some men's flannel pj bottoms that I bought because they are super comfortable. They are Valentine's pj's, so they have hearts on them, but I swear they are men's. You'll look cute in them." I pulled out the red flannel pj's and threw them at him. I can't throw, so they hit him straight in the face.
"Nice shot." He smirked as he walked toward me and inspected the pj bottoms. "After seeing these, I know that no other guy has worn them, they are chick pj's. Plus, they smell like you."
I crossed my heart. "I swear I bought these in the men's department. Check the tag."
He pulled them on and checked himself out in the mirror, then he gave me a cocky smile. "I make these look good. Don't ya think?"
Fuck yes!
I couldn't do anything but smile and elbowed him in his six-pack as he flinched. He still didn't have a shirt on. I wasn't sure I could promise to keep his pants on if he didn't get dressed soon. All of a sudden, he seemed slightly awkward about me seeing him without his shirt on.
"You have a T-shirt for me?"
When I turned to look at him, he seemed deep in thought. I didn't know him well enough yet to know all his moods. Everything was happening so fast, and I usually wasn't this spontaneous with my feelings. We'd get to know each other over this week and hopefully find out each other's secrets. I was confident that he'd tell me more of his eventually when he was ready. Patience wasn't one of my virtues.
“As long as it doesn't have glitter or unicorns on it." He tried to lighten the mood.
I was faking exasperation. "Fine, you figured me out. I am such a sparkle and unicorns kind of girl."
I found a large charity T-shirt I'd gotten at one of my benefits. I hoped it would be tight in all the right places for my enjoyment. I threw it at him, and he caught it before it hit his face this time. He laughed and smelled it then opened his eyes with a lustful gaze. He slipped it over his head and read the front with a frown. "Sweet, no unicorns or sparkles. Perfect, I don't mind wearing a hot pink LGBT Alliance Annual Teen Fling T-shirt."
I was sad to see him cover up, but I had a hard time not giggling when he put it on. Even in hot pink, he looked so damned sexy. I thought maybe my laughing would make him angry, then he pulled me close and gave me a lovely kiss. I realized that wasn't his mad face. Anger and lust are very close bedfellows.
"Let's go eat and recharge. My lips are feeling a bit used, and I need you to keep your strength up," said Phin.
Phin went into my kitchen and started to make breakfast. I put on my robe, brushed my teeth, put my hair in a ponytail and inspected my face. The dark circles under my eyes told me I needed more sleep but then my stomach growled telling me it was time to eat. After my shower, I joined him and noticed he’d cleaned up the mess on the coffee table we’d left the night before. I sat at the breakfast bar watching him looking around for utensils and ingredients and loved that he felt at home in my kitchen.
All I could do was smile and admire his attempts. "What do you think you are doing?"
He continued looking around in my cabinets. "I am making you breakfast, or maybe it will be brunch."
"You can cook?"
He moved me out of the way in my kitchen. "Yes, I can cook. I am not just a pretty face. Where's your skillet?"
I scratched my head. "Not sure, I don't cook much. I order too much takeout."
He kept looking around the kitchen. "Well, Lizzie, you are in for a treat. I am will spoil you now. Go sit down. I'll figure it out."
I gave him a self-satisfactory smile. "Fine, I'll do the dishes."
"Sure, but by the looks of things you don't do those often either."
"Cheeky!" I threw a dirty dishtowel at him. He was right that the week leading up to the charity event it had got a bit untidy. I was never ashamed of my slovenliness, but right now, I was feeling a bit embarrassed. Lord knows it's been ages since I had a man here.
Phin's head was buried deep in one of my cabinets, still looking for a skillet. I couldn't help but ogle his sweet backside as I wandered back out into the living room to find my tablet. I heard a faint, "Found it!" coming from the kitchen as I lay down on the sofa.
He came out with a Cheshire cat grin. "Elizabeth your cabinets are a hot mess. For someone so organized at work, your kitchen is a nightmare of Gordon Ramsay proportions. I will sort this out."
"Yes, I know I am a kitchen nightmare."
Lying on the sofa watching nothing in particular on TV and relaxing was something I rarely did before the big charity event. Now, I was in heaven and couldn't believe my luck. A gorgeous man was making me brunch, and I'd had sex more times in the last twenty-four hours than I'd had in years, and he was staying all week. I wasn't sure I believed in God, but right now I was thanking her big time.
As I sat half watching some reality show and half sleeping, I smelled my second favorite thing next to Phin, and that was the smell of coffee. He came in after a few minutes with a large mug filled with my favorite dark nectar.
"Here, sweetheart, I know how you are about your caffeine. Drink up; I'll be done soon." He kissed the top of my head and went back into the kitchen. All I could think was this was sheer perfection. I dreaded that it wouldn't last; Phin's past would eventually catch up with us both. His parents were large donors to the charity, and they were looking for him. Right now, I was hoping to show him he could trust me and tell me his story. I had to believe that he wouldn't be like Greg and leave when things got tough. My heart was telling me to trust him, but my head was shouting to be cautious. I ignored them both and sat and enjoyed the coffee and my post-sex glow.
A few minutes later, he shouted from the kitchen, "Lizzie, it's ready, sweetheart." He came in and put down my plate on the clean coffee table. I couldn't believe he'd made this from what was in my kitchen. My plate was covered in French toast with powdered sugar, hot maple syrup, and fresh strawberries on the side. Before I could say anything, he went back into the kitchen and brought me some orange juice and topped up my coffee. He disappeared back into the kitchen again and brought his food out and sat down next to me. I was officially in heaven.
I wasn't sure what looked better, the French toast or the hot guy next to me. Before I took a bite, I leaned over and kissed his cheek. "Thanks, this looks amazing. I can't believe you made this from my kitchen."
"You'd be surprised what you can do with a bit of stale bread and some strawberries that are about to go bad."
"Well, whatever you did, it's delicious, and I can't wait until dinner. You are making me dinner, right?" My mouth was now full of cinnamon and vanilla goodness.
He gave me a big grin and a quick peck on the cheek. "We haven't even finished brunch yet."
I raised my eyebrows. "Sorry, I like to plan. Boy, have I got plans for you, Phineas Dunbar. If you can make pot roast, I will propose."
"Pot roast is a specialty of mine." His warm smile told me he liked that idea.
We sat and talked, getting to know each other even better. We both loved mint chip flavored ice cream, Thai and Indian food, his favorite film was The Great Escape, and mine was Sense and Sensibility. He confessed he didn't watch much television growing up. We both confessed we loved the Hangover movies. His real favorite color was green, and his favorite band was Coldplay, and he had a secret man crush for Justin Timberlake. Who doesn't have a crush on JT?
Sitting here eating and learning even more about Phin, I couldn't help myself from falling harder for him.