Housekeeping Page 12

  “And you didn’t expect that of me?”

  “What?” she said, blinking. “Oh! No, no. That isn’t what I meant, it’s just…”

  Her voice trailed off like she couldn’t come up with a real refusal. I chuckled because this was the first time I was seeing her act so cute. There were many sides to Laura, and I wanted to know them all.

  “There’s also some prepared food in there,” I added. “The dishes are down in the bottom; I was hoping to keep them warm on the way here. It’s not bought at a restaurant or anything. I was home earlier, and I helped my sister to cook everything. Mom even joined in but I did most of the work.”

  I wasn’t even bragging. Whatever Emily had been doing in the kitchen before I arrived, I offered to help her cook instead of making the staff do it. She’d pretty much had me do everything. Mom, who we’d spent the afternoon with, had joined in too. They both got a kick out of watching me cook for them and had hung back as much as I’d allowed them.

  “What is it?” Laura asked.

  “Why don’t you let me inside and I’ll show you?”

  She bit down on her lip. I wasn’t about to let her back away though, and I lowered the basket to my side, taking a step closer to her and leaning my head down a little. She watched me, and I was grateful when she didn’t try to back away.

  “Laura,” I said, my voice going a little husky. I couldn’t help it with the proximity to her. “Can I please come in?”

  She looked like she was considering it. A wave of relief went through my chest, and I was a little awed at the feeling. If she’d turned me down flat, it would have bothered me. Relief wasn’t something I often felt when it came to women outside of my family unless it was someone clingy finally deciding to let go.

  “The food is getting cold,” I prompted. “And I cooked it especially for you. At least tell me what you think of it.”

  That seemed to make her cave, and my lips twitched. She hadn't said the words yet, I couldn’t smile just yet.

  “Okay,” she said, finally, after another minute. She stepped aside to let me go through. “I haven’t started on food yet, so I hope you have something good in there.”

  I didn’t know her tastes but I hoped she’d like it. I at least knew she liked to eat healthily, and I’d thought to ask one of the cooks at the mansion instead of depending on the Internet for ideas.

  Her apartment was so small it was like a little box. My hotel suite probably had bigger space. There was a couch, a single seat, a coffee table, and a couple of stools. There were some knickknacks piled in one corner I didn’t look particularly close at.

  Even as small as it was, she kept the place clean, if a little cluttered. There were plenty of bright, vibrant colors all over the room, nothing like my stark white hotel room, or the marble foyer in the mansion. I could tell by just looking around that the place was lived in.

  “Follow me,” she said, taking the lead. “The kitchen is this way.”

  I could have made it on my own. In the tiny room, there was one door, and one open archway, and it was easy to guess which would lead to the bedroom, which to the kitchen. Still, I followed dutifully behind her.

  “Tell me if there’s something you don’t like,” I said. “I’ll take it back and replace it with something else.”

  “You don’t have to get me anymore,” she said, frowning at me. Then her expression softened. “Thank you. It’s a thoughtful gift. And I’ll admit, I didn’t think you had it in you.”

  I didn’t even care she was technically insulting me. I was just glad she was no longer pushing me away, and I smiled with just a hint of pride showing.

  We put the groceries away in her kitchen, then I got the food out. She looked especially curious when I opened three different dishes.

  “What is all this?” she asked.

  “Well, I thought chicken salad since we had steak last time. I thought about making fish, but I don’t like packing fish, it’s best eaten right away. You’ll probably want to warm this. There’s also steamed veggies with a Greek yogurt sauce, and the last dish is a fruit salad with honey orange glaze. It’s been a while since I’ve cooked anything so fancy, but my family liked it, so I hope you do too.”

  We heated everything up, then sat down at her tiny dinner table to eat. I waited to see her reaction to everything before I ate it myself. She seemed to like all of it, and I felt another wave of relief. I watched her eat happily, almost forgetting to get in some bites myself.

  In that moment, all I cared about was that Laura was happy.

  20

  Mason

  Once we were done eating, I followed Laura back to the kitchen to clean everything up. She was insistent on me returning with the empty dishes and the basket, even though I didn’t have to. When she nearly pushed it all into my arms, I folded them over my chest.

  “I feed you and now you want to kick me out? Great!” I teased with a cheeky grin.

  She took me seriously and looked flustered as she set the basket down on the counter.

  “Well, you just came to eat dinner with me, right? The dinner you made for me. It was all very good, thank you, but won’t your family be wondering where you are?”

  I shook my head. “No. I’m not staying at the mansion. I just went there today because I was free from work and I wanted to visit.”

  Technically, I’d skipped out on work. And I’d forgotten to ask why Trent was still around considering Dad had tricked us into coming back, he knew and was still here. Dad had gone to see him, and I wondered what they’d talked about. He hadn't arrived home by the time I wanted to leave, so I was putting off speaking to him for something much more important.

  “Didn’t they wonder why you took all that food with you?”

  “Not really. They already know I’m living alone at the hotel, and while they do trust the hotel’s standards, Mom was happy to see me take home food she’d helped to make. They probably figured I’d eat the leftovers tomorrow or something. They didn’t even ask.”

  “And the groceries?”

  “I went to the supermarket nearby and bought them. It’s the first time I’ve ever done that,” I admitted.

  “Going to a supermarket?” she asked.

  I shrugged. “You can have just about everything delivered to your doorstep these days, even groceries. It was… a strange experience?”

  I couldn’t exactly decide what I’d thought of it. I’d of course seen grocery stores on TV. I’d known what to expect, sort of. Still, I left home early to go and shop with the list I’d made up. Laura smiled, seeming amused.

  “Everything I bought should be useful to you. If you’d like, I could lend you some nice recipes. It’s all either stuff I’ve eaten or something that’s been recommended to me.”

  “What would you have done if I hadn’t taken your gift?” she asked, curious.

  I shrugged and said, “I would have taken it all to the hotel with me. You know my room has a kitchen. I’ve been known to use it once or twice for more than just beer storage.”

  She wasn’t trying to push me to go, and I let a small smile cross my lips, satisfied I’d sufficiently distracted her. But then, I found myself distracted as well as I looked at her. When she smiled, it lit up her whole face. The effect was especially beautiful compared to how she’d looked when she was scowling at me, trying to get me to leave.

  My body moved on its own, closing the space between us as my hand rose to her cheek. The smile dropped when she saw just how close I was getting. She eyed my hand as I brought it to her face, but she didn’t flinch or try to avoid me, and I took it as a good sign. I leaned down, moving my face a little closer to hers.

  “Laura,” I murmured. “You never did answer my question before.”

  “What question?” she breathed out.

  “Are you trying to kick me out? Do you want me to leave?”

  I’d imposed on her enough. No matter how much more I wanted, she’d let me in figuratively and literally. If she asked me to
leave again, I definitely would because I didn’t want to risk getting on her bad side again.

  She didn’t say anything immediately, and it gave me hope.

  “Laura…”

  “Stay,” she said before I could ask again.

  That made me grin. Then I leaned my head down a little more and lightly pressed my lips against hers.

  We were both still. I couldn’t even say it was a kiss, even a chaste one, it was just a press of lips. I didn’t know if I should continue or not because while she’d asked me to stay, I wanted her to participate, not just go along with this because I wanted it. So, when she sighed into the kiss and pressed a little closer, her body coming into contact with mine, I let myself relax.

  Carefully, I moved my lips against hers, pushing just a little closer. Laura placed her hands on my chest, and I lowered both of mine to wrap my arms around her waist.

  I wanted to give her the whole soft and romantic routine, but dammit, I was a man and holding back completely wasn’t easy for me. So after a moment of careful, closed-mouth kissing that felt unnecessarily long, I licked and nipped at her bottom lip until she parted them for me. I slid my tongue into her mouth, groaning as I backed her slowly against the counter. She moved with me, clearly wanting this as much as I did.

  When I pulled back from the kiss, we were both panting for breath, and our eyes met for a short moment.

  “I want you,” I admitted.

  “Me too,” she said, breathless.

  That was all the encouragement I needed. I moved back just far enough to see what I was doing and lifted her shirt. She raised her arms so I could pull it off her, and the top she had on underneath it went next.

  My lips dropped to her neck as I made my way down, cupping her breasts and massaging them gently through her bra. When my mouth reached the top of her bra, I reached an arm around her to undo the clasp.

  A hand on my chest stopped me, and I froze, looking up at her. Did she want me to stop?

  “Can we move to the bedroom?” Laura asked, her chest rising up and down with her quickened breaths, lips parted and glistening, eyes burning with heat.

  Relief, followed quickly by desire, filled my chest. I nodded as I moved back.

  “Lead the way.”

  She bit her lip, my eyes following the movement. She crouched down to pick up her dropped clothes, then took my hand and led me to the other door in the room. She hit a switch against the wall, and the lights came on. It wasn’t necessary, but it was good because I wanted to see her.

  Before she could turn around, I slid my arms around her waist and pulled her back against me. She let out a gasp when her ass met my groin, and I smirked.

  “Be patient,” I murmured, leaning down to place kisses all over her neck. “We’ll get there soon enough.”

  “Shut up,” she muttered, sounding a little embarrassed.

  I didn’t get a chance to say anything more before she did something to stun me into silence. With her hands over mine, she guided them up her stomach, to her breasts, and squeezed. She moaned, tilting her head back against my shoulder, and my eyes dropped to her closed eyes and parted mouth, the line of her neck. I saw over her shoulder where both our hands were cupping her breasts, and the visual had my cock throbbing in my briefs.

  Yeah, having the light on was a good plan.

  After one last peck on her neck, I pulled my hands out from under hers to turn her around, all my patience gone. I took a look around and noticed how this room was way smaller than the living room. The bed took up most of the space. This was an apartment meant for one person, though two could probably live comfortably enough.

  The bed was a little small, but if we squeezed close, I thought it could work. That idea had me grinning, and I backed Laura toward the bed until she sat back on it.

  “What has you so happy?” she asked.

  “Your bed is small,” I said with a shrug.

  I reached around her to unclasp her bra, and this time she didn’t stop me. I eased the straps off her arms, and let the bra fall to the floor. I had just a tad more patience than last time, and I wasn’t intoxicated, so I got a good look at her. I must have stayed still for too long because she started squirming.

  “Why does my bed being small making you happy?” she asked.

  “Because it means we’re going to be close tonight.”

  I didn’t give her a chance to reply, swooping in with a long, wet kiss just long enough to keep her distracted. My hands went for the waistband of her pants, and she fell back onto the bed as I pulled them off, leaving her in only her panties. She squirmed higher up the bed, and I took off my shirt and pants before following her, crawling above her on all fours.

  “My bed isn’t as soft as yours,” she warned.

  I shrugged. “Not a problem. I’ve slept in rougher places than you’d think.”

  There was skepticism on her face, but I didn’t care. It wasn’t like I was going to give her any details though. Most of them were stories best left in the past for security reasons.

  I lowered myself over her carefully, then took her lips in a kiss. She kissed me back, her hands roaming all over my body, going around my waist to feel out my back. One of her legs wrapped around my waist, and when I rocked my hips down, we both groaned out. She was warm and wet through her panties, and we were both done waiting as we stripped each other bare.

  Laura pulled me on top of her once again, both her legs wrapping around me as I wrapped my arms around her back. With a bit of shifting, the head of my cock touched her entrance, and as she moved her hips up and I rocked down, I entered her in one smooth thrust, eyes closed, and head thrown back in pleasure.

  I forced them back open in a moment, looking down at Laura. Her own eyes were closed, and her mouth was opened as she panted for breath. I started to move my hips, slowly, carefully. Every movement was calculated to give her the most pleasure. This wasn’t just us fucking again. This was me making this woman mine in the best way. Gently, but with obvious passion. Her nails dug into my back as I rolled my hips, and I hissed.

  My lips found hers as our bodies continued to rock together. I picked up a rhythm, moving just a little bit faster, occasionally adding a roll and a twist to my hips to hit all her pleasure spots.

  This is what life can be when done right, I told her silently, with every movement, and she responded beautifully to each one. I was addicted to the sweet sounds falling out of her lips, deep moans, soft gasps, and delicate whimpers. I never wanted the moment to end, I wanted to hear them more.

  I groaned as my body shook in an orgasm, and Laura let out a cry as she trembled in my arms.

  Afterward, I rolled us over with her still in my arms and my cock still inside her, pulling her body close to mine. I was sated, but even as Laura dozed in my arms, I didn’t feel tired.

  I’m in trouble, I thought to myself.

  This was something new to me, so I thought I might have been mistaken, but I knew it now. Laura was in my blood. She wasn’t just some fuck to me, what we just did was making love.

  The real problem was I didn’t want to ever get her out.

  21

  Mason

  I woke up feeling so peaceful. It was as if I was having an out of body experience because I’d never felt this way before. It was an unusual enough occurrence that I opened my eyes with a frown instead of a smile, only for one to appear anyway as I looked at the body cuddled into my chest.

  The bed was tiny, too small for both of us to be lying on our backs side by side and still fit, considering how broad my shoulders were. There was also the matter of height because my feet were just a bit further than the end of the bed. I’d insisted on us sleeping like this, with me holding her and our legs tangled so it would be more comfortable for us both.

  I could have slept on the floor without any trouble, as long as she didn’t try to make me leave, because I didn´t want to leave her.

  “Laura,” I whispered, placing a kiss on her bare shoulder.


  A small frown appeared on her face, and she squirmed in my arms. I moaned a little as we pressed close together, and I could feel every movement of her body against mine. Her soft breasts pressed against my chest, her soft curves… my cock hardened against her stomach as she frowned and squirmed some more.

  “You didn’t forget I stayed over, did you?” I asked teasingly, not sure whether or not she was awake enough to hear me. “Because that would be awkward once you open your eyes.”

  I wondered if she’d heard me, but then a moment later, she opened her eyes. She squinted up at me, and I tensed, wondering if she’d kick me out. Then she smiled sleepily, and I swore my heart skipped a beat.

  “Hey,” she said, her voice hoarse. “You’re still here.”

  I arched an eyebrow. “Did you think I would leave in the middle of the night or something? I have no intention of doing that.”

  Her smile took on a sheepish edge. “Sorry.”

  I rolled my eyes. If she was apologizing for leaving me after our first night together now, it was a little late for it.

  “It’s fine,” I said, then leaned down for a kiss.

  “I haven’t brushed my teeth,” she complained, leaning her head back.

  I grinned. “Neither have I.”

  She didn’t get a chance to voice another complaint before I leaned down to press a quick kiss to her lips. She blinked up at me, then wrapped her arms around my neck to drag me down for a longer kiss. After long moments of just making out, I rolled us over, Laura’s legs parting naturally to fit me between them. My now fully hard cock rubbed against her stomach, and I shuddered at the feeling.

  We both shifted, hands roaming each other’s bodies, rocking and rolling gently together. With a shift of my hips, the head of my cock was at her entrance, and I slid inside her. I thrust gently against her, with my hand on her hip, urging her to follow my lead.

  I placed kisses all over her skin, wherever I could reach; her face, neck, shoulders, chest. I could tell she was close to coming because her breathing changed. I moved slightly faster as she let out a gasp at the end of every breath. She whimpered as her walls convulsed around my cock, and I groaned as my body stilled and shuddered in an orgasm.