Page 59 of Taming You

“What do you want? I have everything to make pancakes, or French toast, or omelettes. I have hash browns in the freezer and bacon, and of course, coffee and some flavoured creamer.”

When I look back at her she’s grinning like crazy. “Did you say pancakes, hash browns, bacon, and eggs?”

I nod, and she’s throwing the covers off and sliding out of bed as I laugh and follow her.

She turns the coffee pot on as soon as she’s in the kitchen, and I start gathering the ingredients. She grabs a baking sheet and wire racks and gets to work laying the bacon out while I whip up the pancakes. We work perfectly in sync. I’ve never cooked with a woman. I’ve never let one stay the night. Sleepovers imply the possibility of doing something the next morning, and I never wanted to give women that hope. That’s why most of the time I’d go back to her place, that way I could dip out when I wanted to. Cooking with Zoey feels natural, as though we’ve been doing this for years.

When we finish, we head to the dining table, and Zoey wastes no time digging in. We eat in relative silence and after a few minutes, I pull her chair closer to mine. That gets her to stop and look at me. Her brows furrow in confusion for a second before she smiles at me. She’s right handed, so I can’t take her closest hand, so I settle with a hand on her knee, stroking my thumb across the outside of it. She bites her lip and ducks her head as she gives it a slight shake and continues to eat.

When we finish, we take our plates into the kitchen.

Zoey’s hands land on my chest as a playful look takes over her expression. “So, what do you say about a second date?”

I grin back at her. “I’d say I’d love one.”

“And what about right now? Wanna binge the rest of the movies?” I can feel the excitement radiating off of her.

“Sounds like the perfect plan.”

She bounces up on her tiptoes, placing a chaste kiss on my lips, and bounces towards the couch, and I’m left staring dumbfounded at her. She just kissed me casually, as if it wasn’t the first times she’s done it, and God, I hope it’s not the last.

I join her, and she curls into my side. I wrap an arm around her, pulling her in close and playing the movie. Zoey and I are both people who don’t enjoy talking a lot during movies; we like to settle in and enjoy them. It’s one of the things I love about spending time with her.

We decide to do snacks for lunch instead of making something and eat them while we watch. When the final movie finishes, we sit there with Zoey tucked into my side and my hand running through her hair, neither of us wanting to be the first to pull away.

She eventually pulls back, looking up at me. “Any plans tonight?”

I shake my head. “No, I’m completely free.”

She gnaws her lip as if deeply contemplating something, and I can tell the second she makes her decision. Her fingers dance up my arm slowly as she asks, “Would you say the fair andStar Warsbinge was our first date?”

I quirk a brow at her. “Do you want it to be our first date?”

Her eyes hood as she sits up on her knees. “Well, if it was, that would make this our third date.”

I know for a fact she’s thinking something mischievous right now, and if I say no, I may just lose out on experiencing something amazing. I swallow and nod. “Yeah, we can call it our first date.”

She grins. “Good, then I won’t feel so bad about doing this.” She swings her leg over mine and straddles me, wrapping her arms around my neck and leaning in until her lips dust over my jaw. She places gentle kisses up my jaw until she reaches my ear and whispers, “Do you want me to stop?”

“No.” My voice is strained, because I was not expecting this at all.

She pulls my earlobe between her teeth, and I groan, trying not to toss my head back. She rolls her hips against me, and my hands immediately find her hips, holding tightly. Zoey is entirely in control right now, and it’s fucking hot.

She moves to the other side of my jaw, repeating the same movements, and then she’s kissing me. She puts everything on the table with this kiss as she takes control. When she licks my lips, seeking entrance, I give it to her, my tongue meeting hers stroke for stroke. I’m hard as a rock in my shorts, and she grinds against my erection, causing me to groan into her mouth and tighten my grip on her hips.

Our kiss is hot and heavy. I eventually break it, kissing her jaw and neck in the same way she was doing to me earlier. She leans back, giving me better access. My stupid T-shirt has her covered almost to her neck, and I want nothing more than to take it off and throw it as far away as I can.

My hand skates under the hem of the shirt and dusts over her skin. Her grip on my shoulders tightens as my hands skate further up. She grinds against me again as a soft little hum escapes her. I kiss her again, trying to take control, but she won’t give it up.

She pulls back, panting. “Wait.”

My hands pull away from her as my chest heaves.

“No sex. We can make out, but I’m not going to be another notch in your bedpost. I’m not jumping into sex.”

She doesn’t really believe that’s all she’d be, does she?

I cup her cheek. The look on her face is strong but reserved, like she’s ready to protect herself no matter the blow. “Zoey, I will one hundred percent respect that. We’ll do this all at your pace, however fast or slow that is. But you also need to know you could never, and I mean never, be just another notch in my bedpost. You mean way too much to me for that to ever be the case.”

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