He waved a hand. “By all means, darlin’. Be my guest. You know I can’t get enough of your cooking.”
And she enjoyed cooking for someone. Cooking for one just wasn’t the same. So, she set about cooking bacon and scrambled eggs. Simple but tasty. Sloan sure seemed to think so since he had seconds. She kept her portions much more petite.
She was loading the dishwasher when he came up behind her, slipping his arms around her waist. “Leave those, I’ll do them in the morning.”
“Leave dirty dishes out?” She turned to him, slightly aghast. “I can’t do that.”
“Why not?”
“It’s a mess.”
He chuckled. “Sometimes I forget how you like everything neat and tidy. We’re a great pair, huh? I’m a slob and you’re a neat freak.”
“You’re not a slob. You’ve just lived by yourself a long time.”
He stiffened, and she rushed on, not wanting him to think that was a hint. It wasn’t. They hadn’t even come close to discussing moving in together. She knew he wasn’t ready for a big step like that. Things were fine as they were between them now. Really.
“And my mother didn’t raise me to leave a mess, so why don’t you get ready for bed while I clean up?”
“Why don’t we both clean up together and then,” he paused to kiss his way up her neck to her ear, “we can get ready together.”
Yes, that sounded much more pleasant.
6
She woke up feeling disorientated. Where was she? She heard a soft snore. Sloan rolled over, then a hot, hard body spooned her. The man loved to cuddle, in bed, on the sofa, when they were out. He often just pulled her against him and gave her a hug. It was a very different experience from dating Eddie, who’d been horrified when she’d try to hold his hand in public.
He pressed his cock against her buttocks, and she could feel how hard he was. It sent warmth surging throughout her body. She looked over at the alarm clock. It was early yet, and she hadn’t had much sleep. Especially not after their fun in the shower last night, before bed.
But she’d always been an
early riser and once she was awake she knew she wouldn’t sleep again. She scooted out of his hold so she could roll over and study Sloan while he was asleep. He’d never be considered classically handsome. His features were too hard and rugged for that, his cheeks too chiseled, his chin too firm. But there was something about him, something that called to her, that made her want to wake up with him every morning.
She pushed that thought back. He’d never talked about them moving in together. She knew his last relationship had ended badly, although he’d never told her the details.
And you never asked. Because she was scared he didn’t want to tell her, that he didn’t consider their relationship important enough to bare his soul.
But, then, wasn’t she holding back as well? He knew Eddie had run off with another woman. He didn’t know about the mess he’d left behind. The mess she’d been left to clean up. They hadn’t been together that long. It was too early to talk about the next step, she told herself. She was still getting used to this BDSM stuff, and they were still getting to know each other. They had plenty of time to talk about where this was going.
And if it wasn’t going anywhere? Her stomach tightened, and she realized that despite her brave words, she cared about Sloan deeply. She loved him. The thought filled her with nervousness. She’d been duped once before, when she’d thought she’d loved Eddie.
No, Sloan wasn’t Eddie. He was honest and protective, and he’d never use her like Eddie had. However, he was damaged in his own way. Perhaps going slowly was the best thing for both of them.
He opened an eyelid and stared at her. “I can hear you thinking from here. What’s got you so serious on a Saturday morning?”
She ran her hand through his surprisingly soft hair. “You need a haircut.”
He raised one eyebrow. “That so? That’s what’s you’ve been thinking about? My hair?”
She shrugged, feeling embarrassed.
He grabbed her around the waist, rolling onto his back so she sprawled on top of him. He tugged at her hair until she was forced to look at him. His dark eyes studied hers. “I like when you fuss over my appearance.”
“You do?” She stared at him in surprise.
He nodded. “Silly, huh? I’ve been alone so long, and no one’s cared if there were dirty dishes on the counter all night or if my hair grew so long it covered my eyes. Or if a button came off my shirt. Didn’t know anyone could actually sew anymore.”
“It was just a button. I didn’t mean to sound like I was nagging.” Or over-stepping the bounds of their relationship.