Page 28 of Secret Admirer

“I hate to cut the party short, but I think we should go inside and get cleaned up before I take you…to work.” Going by my estimation it’s close to noon and even though Bodhi hasn’t said anything, I think he’s nervous about not making it to work on time. He’s looked up to the sky as if to tell the time like he has every ten minutes since we’ve been out here. “Are sandwiches okay for lunch?”

Closing his eyes, Bodhi looks away. “You don’t need to feed me. I can get something to eat at the shelter.”

I do, in fact,needto feed him and need to step up my game from sandwiches and takeout. Too bad I never learned to cook. Maybe while he’s working, I can watch some cooking shows. That is,ifhe accepts when I ask him to come back.

“It would be rude for me to eat in front of you, don’t you think? I’m going to make me a sandwich and thought you might like one too. Do you like cheesy egg sandwiches?”

Bodhi scrunches his nose. “An egg sandwich?”

“Yes,” I laugh, “do they not have eggs where you come from?”

“Of course, they have eggs where I come from.” He looks up and then at me as if I’m stupid or maybe that’s how I’m feeling. Who doesn’t have eggs in the US? “I’ve just never heard of having cheesy ones on bread.”

“I’ll make you one to see if you like it. I love them and could eat them every day. I’ll have them ready when you get out of the shower.”

He shifts uncomfortably. “Are you not going to shower?”

Is he picturing me naked in the shower?

I know I’m going to be picturing him in my head when I know he’s under the spray of water, all wet and soapy.

Maybe I’ll have to whip out my vibrator while he’s at work instead of learning to cook. Otherwise, I might jump him tonight.

If he says yes, Coco.

“No, I’m too hungry since we skipped breakfast. Plus, I think I’ll soak in the tub later.”

Bodhi chuckles, a deep rumbly little thing. “Haven’t you gotten your fill of the water?”

“Never.” I smile at him, remembering how my mother would have to beg me to come inside to eat and go to bed when I was little. I’d spent every waking minute in the pool. “My mom used to call me a little fish, I spent so much time in our pool when I was young.”

His eyes flit around to the house and around the property before coming back to me. They always come back to me and observe me as if I’m a mystery. “Did you grow up in a house like this?”

I don’t want to admit how I grew up, but I also don’t want to lie to him. “Like this, no,” I look around at the modern house. My mother went through so many phases of decor while I grew up, but the minimalist modern is my favorite by far. Scrunching my nose, I frown. “The house I grew up in was huge. You could probably put two of this house in it easily, but it never felt like a home. My mom was constantly changing out the furniture to what was new and hip with her friends. It was like living in a museum. The house had to be kept immaculate in case anyone stopped by unannounced, making it feel more like a prison than a home.” I feel like the person I’ve strived to not be complaining about my upbringing to him. Selfish and entitled. “How did you grow up?”

“Nothing like this. Everything I had was a hand-me-down from someone who had it handed down to them. We lived in a tiny house that seemed to always be cold. Probably because my mom couldn’t afford to pay for heat.”

I wait for more, but it never comes. Bodhi seems lost in thought as he stares unfocused into his memories and then abruptly stands up. “I’m going to take that shower now if the offer still stands?”

“Of course, it does. I’ll make us some sandwiches.” We exit the pool and head inside. When he hits the stairs, I call to him. “Do you like mayo?”

“Um…yeah, why?”

“I put it on my cheesy egg sandwiches.”

His eyes grow wide and he shakes his head. “Yeah, I think I’ll skip the mayo on mine.”

“You’re missing out.” I laugh.

The eggs are almost done when Bodhi strides into the kitchen dressed in his clothes from yesterday and wet hair. How is it fair that men take so little time getting ready?

“It will be another few minutes before it's finished. Do you want yours on toast?” Bodhi stops in his tracks and looks at me as if I’ve lost my mind. “Sometimes if I don’t have mayo, I put mine on toast.”

“Why not?” He laughs.

“Cool,” I add the cheese and mix it in as Bodhi looks down at the pan, his mouth pulled to one side. “Can you put the bread in the toaster while I finish up?” I don’t want to burn the eggs since they’re one of the few things I can make. I pull out the toaster from a cabinet.

I watch him out of the side of my eye and almost ruin the eggs from my ogling. I’ve found men attractive before. I mean who hasn’t? But after seeing him in only his underwear all day as we relaxed in the pool and what had been hidden underneath all that hair, I can’t help myself, especially with the added benefit of finding out he’s my secret admirer.

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