“Just some pastries I baked for you.” The roguish grin that appeared on his face was so worth it.
“Oh yeah?”
“Mmmhmm.”
I sat the tray down on the desk in front of him. As he stared down at them his eyes lit up like a kid in a candy store. When he lifted one off the tray you would have thought he was holding a rare jewel.
“Baby, you're an artist. You baked these?”
I nodded. “Taste it.” I didn't have to ask him twice, he nearly ate the first pastry in one bite.
“Oh Yas!” He said as he chewed, a look of pure pleasure came over his face. Just like my pa-pa. He popped the other half in his mouth and reached for another.
“It's like sweet butter on my tongue! This has got to be magic!” I couldn't tame the grin on my face if you paid me. When he reached for a third one I took the tray from under him before he could get it. He looked up at me as if I had pulled a gun on him.
“Shorty stop playing!”
“Gabriel Calhoun, I didn't make this pan of pastries for you to sit here and eat the whole thing.”
He sat back in his chair, and the way he grinned up at me with those deep dark eyes of his made me hate Aunt Flo.
“Why did you make them then?”
I placed the pastries on the wooden cabinet, a safe distance from Mr. Sweet Tooth. Then I walked around his desk. He turned his chair so that he was facing me. When I got in front of him I went down to my knees, next to his leg, bringing my hand to rest on his thigh.
“Gabe, I…” I bit my bottom lip looking away from his intense dark gaze. I wasn't sure what I should say. Maybe I'll just start with an apology for going crazy on him.
Yeah! That was a good place to start. I looked back up at him.
“Gabe, I'm sorry for acting crazy on you downstairs!” Tears came to my eyes, I felt so bad for yelling at him without knowing what he had gone through.
“It's just that I woke up feeling a little sick and umm… my granddaddy say whenever I start feeling that way I can get a little mean!” I held up my fingers to show him just how little.
He grinned down at me. “Your granddaddy says you get a little mean?” He said that in a Texas drawl, making fun of me. But I felt so bad I didn't even care. I nodded my head.
He chuckled. “A little mean my a$$! You threatened to kill me!” I stared at him for a minute with my mouth agape, before shaking my head.
“No, I didn't!” I am so ashamed of myself because I knew dang on well I did.
He chuckled again. “Yes, you did. I think your words were, I will kill yo a$$ up in this mutha fu***r!” I put my hand over my mouth.
“That was so badly done of me.” His eyes turned bedroom on me.
“I don't know, I thought it was kind of sexy!”
Oh goodness, I looked down at the floor. Leave it to him to make me blush while I was trying to apologize.
“And what's this about you being sick? What's the matter?” He would ask that. I looked back up at him.
“Umm... it’s... you know.... it’s monthly.” I was so embarrassed my face was burning. For a moment he frowned trying to understand what I was saying.
“You know!”
“Oh, you on your period?” He blurted out when he finally understood what I was saying.
“Gabe!” I squeaked reaching up to cover his lips with my hand. He opened his legs wider causing my body to come up flushed against his.
“We do not say that word!” I scolded him like he was a small child. He chuckled.
“What word? Period!” He teased. I buried my face in my hand.
“I should’ve never told you.” He pulled me closer so that my body was pressed even closer to his.
“Oh, come on Yas, I'm a big boy!” He whispered. “I ain't gone tease you and pull your hair.”
For just a minute I got lost in his deep gaze. With me being on my knees between his legs it brought our mouths only inches apart.
“Anyway!” I looked down at his chest. Those eyes of his could be as dangerous as his hands.
“I just wanted to apologize for being such a witch earlier. I don't know what came over me.”
He grunted. “I do!”
“Gabe!” I playfully swatted him on the chest. “I'm being serious. I feel really bad.” He pushed a piece of hair that had escaped my pony tail behind my ear.
“Have I told you how much I love your hair?” I bit my lip shaking my head.
“I don't think so.” I whispered. He nodded.
“I love how crazy it is.”
“You do?” I couldn't keep the doubt in my voice. My hair was ridiculous.
“Yeah, I do.” He lifted a patch of the purple strands that had escaped.
“Even this purple has grown on me.”
I chuckled.
“Have I told you how sexy you look in these overalls?” He continued.
I shook my head completely lost in the spell he was casting over me. His grinned turned wicked as he rubbed his finger across my lower lip.
“That's because…” He said slowly. “They’re not!”
What?
My mouth dropped. “You tricked me!” I screeched before I playfully hit him for embarrassing me. He balled up pretending to be frightened.
“Sorry baby!” He cried out. My hands stilled as I got a flash of him doing that as a little boy. Tears filled my eyes instantly.
“What's the matter?” He asked palming my face between his big hands.
“I don't want to hurt you!” I muttered.
“Oh Yas, I was just joking!” He kissed my lips. “Don't cry!” He kissed my cheeks.
I wrapped my arms around his neck squeezing him tight. Trying to will in him all the love I had as a child. I can't imagine what
