After we pull away, Lani stands on tiptoe to press light kisses across my bruised shoulder. “I don’t like seeing you hurt,” she admits. “I know your job is dangerous… seeing the evidence of that danger just really hits home that you could be seriously hurt doing it.”
Her eyes swim with tears, and I can’t stand it. I tug her to me and hold her. Pressing kisses to the top of her head and making all sorts of promises I pray I can keep. I tell her that nothing will happen and that I’ll always come home for her. After long minutes, she calms down. She sniffles once then seems to draw upon some inner strength and stands in front of me, brave and sure.
“I cooked baked spaghetti and crusty garlic bread. We should eat before it gets cold.”
“It smells delicious… almost as delicious as you.”
Lani’s cheeks heat in a blush at my teasing words. I pull my shirt back over my head, and she watches almost sadly as I cover myself. That doesn’t stop her eyes from moving up to my lips. She licks her own, probably imaging the searing hot kiss from before she discovered my bruise. She takes a step closer, then shakes her head as if to clear the sexual fog. “Dinner…”
I smirk at her trying to and reaffirm that there’s a reason we aren’t attacking each other like the lustful animals that we become every time our lips touch. She cooked me dinner and wants to take care of me. Maybe more so now than every other day she’s made dinner for us.
We make our plates then sit side by side at the breakfast bar. The food is delicious as always, and I tell her so. She blushes and says it’s nothing special. I have to disagree. Every meal she cooks me is special, but I know those words will just embarrass her, and that’s not what I want to do, not after upsetting her already. I hate that she was so worried and that I only exasperated that by getting hurt. If I could go back and be just two seconds faster at dodging the beam, I would. Not for myself, these kinds of injuries are par for the course some days, but for Lani. There isn’t anything I wouldn’t do to keep a smile on her face.
“Do you want to watch a movie after this?” I ask between bites of the most amazing meal that’s ever come from this kitchen. I could enjoy this kind of thing from now until the end of my days if I can convince Lani how perfect we are together.
I remind myself again that we are going to get there. She’s skittish until I get my hands on her, then she lights up. It gives me hope. Her body knows who it belongs to. I just need to convince her heart that we are meant to be.
“Yeah, that would be nice. It seems like we don’t get enough time together.”
She’s not entirely wrong. Between my job and her bookstore, we’re both busy. That’s probably why every time we’re close, we practically maul each other with pent-up desire.
I make a quiet sound of agreement, grabbing our plates and carrying them to the sink. Like all the other nights she’s cooked, I insist on cleaning up. She puts the leftovers away, then comes to dry the dishes. I grab the dishtowel from her hands and playfully swat her with it. “I’ve got this, sweetheart. Why don’t you go pick a movie.”
She giggles happily, all of the worry from earlier in the evening erased. “What do you want to watch?”
“Anything as long as it’s with you.”
Lani’s cheeks turn that beautiful shade of pink I love so much. She gives me a quick nod of her head, then scuttles off to the living room to pick our movie. When I get to the living room, she’s sitting in the middle of the couch with her legs curled up under her. She gives me a breathtaking smile, and I make a b-line to the couch instead of my usual spot on the recliner. Her eyes widen when she realizes that I’m going to sit right beside her. She starts to scoot over to give me more room, but I grab her and pull her close against my side—her body tenses for a brief moment before she relaxes against me.
I push play on the remote and am shocked by her choice of move. Definitely didn’t peg her for a scary movie girl. “Isn’t a little too early in the year for Michael Myers?”
“Bite your tongue. It’s never too early for all things Halloween.”
We fall into a comfortable silence as the movie starts. About halfway through, Lani’s slight weight against me changes, and her breathing evens out telling me she’s fallen asleep. Even after the movie is over, I don’t move. She feels so good in my arms.
I’m not sure how long I sit here holding her before I decide to put her in bed so she can sleep more comfortably. I pick her up, and she sleepily wraps her arms around me, resting her head on my bruised shoulder. I wince but would let her stab me before I give up the chance to carry her around.
I carefully lower her to the bed in the guestroom, wishing more than ever that she was in my bed. Instead of releasing me, her grip tightens around my neck, and she whimpers. “Sweetheart, you’ve gotta let go.”
“Uh-uh,” she mumbles sleepily. “Don’t wanna.”
“As much as I would love to crawl into bed with you, this bed wasn’t made for a man my size.” I greatly regret not buying a king-sized bed, but the only person I anticipated sleeping in this room was my mother.
Lani looks up at me with sleepy eyes. “Your bed, then.”
I’d love to say that I argue that it’s not a good idea. That having her in my bed
