Page 56 of In Your Eyes
He pouted, which was adorable and made me want to kiss him. The man was like an addiction.
“Or we can shower together and then work on dinner,” he said.
“If I get under that water with you, the shower will take ten times as long, and we’ll both make headway on that chafing goal.”
“You’re right,” he said as he got out of bed and walked over to me. I opened my arms and he stepped into a hug, resting his head on my shoulder. “We should divide and conquer. That’s smarter.”
I dropped my hands to his backside and kneaded his firm muscles. “What should we make for dinner?”
He traced invisible lines on my back. “How about lasagna? We picked up everything we need for that and a salad at the store.”
“I’m not a very skilled cook,” I admitted. “But I’m good at following instructions. They were on the box, right?”
“Uh-huh,” he said. “I’m not bad in the kitchen. Want me to start the lasagna and you take first shower?”
“No.” I shook my head. “I need to learn. That way you won’t get stuck doing all the cooking for the rest of our lives.”
He lifted his head and smiled at me. “I like the sound of that.”
I knew he wasn’t talking about the cooking part. “Me too.”
ITWASN’Tthe neatest-looking lasagna I’d ever seen, but between the cheese, beef, tomato sauce, and pasta, it was sure to taste pretty good. And I had managed to assemble it myself. I had just slid it into the oven when Korban walked into the kitchen wearing a pair of well-fitting black jeans and nothing else.
One of our stops in Miancarem had been to his place. We had packed up his things and brought them home with us. Because we knew we’d be moving out of my family home, there was no point in opening the boxes, so we left them stacked in a corner of the garage. But we brought in a suitcase full of clothes so Korban could wear his own things.
“How was the shower?” I asked as I dragged my gaze up and down his body. Gorgeous. My mate was gorgeous.
“Lonely, but good,” he said with a wink. He walked up and leaned against me, the gesture affectionate and familiar. “Tell me where you are with dinner, and I’ll have it ready by the time you’re done.”
“The lasagna is in the oven. I put the timer on. I know you said something about a salad, but there weren’t instructions and I wasn’t sure where to start.”
“I’ll take care of it.” He kissed my cheek. “Next time, we’ll do this together and I can share some tips. It’ll be fun.”
Though I’d never before had an interest in cooking, I liked the idea of creating something together. “That sounds good. I’ll clean up in here and then go shower.”
“Don’t worry about the cleanup. I’ll do the dishes while you’re upstairs.”
“Are you sure? I don’t want to leave you with a mess.”
“Mess? What mess?” He looked around the kitchen. “This place is practically spotless. Let me guess, you’re one of those clean-while-you-go types, aren’t you?”
“I like order. When things aren’t where they’re supposed to be, I can’t focus on anything else,” I explained, hoping that wouldn’t make me sound as rigid as I probably was. I didn’t want Korban to be worried about living with me.
“Oh, good,” he said. “You can help me stay organized. I’m sick of never being able to find what I’m looking for.”
Relieved, I nuzzled his throat. “I can do that.”
“Mmm, feels good,” he whispered, tipping his head back to give me more room.
I lapped my tongue over the mating mark on his shoulder and rubbed my thumbs over his nipples. Immediately, he grasped my shoulders and bucked.
“Love how sensitive these are,” I said. “Makes me want to suck on them.”
He whimpered, letting me know he approved of my idea. “You need to go shower before I start begging you to do that right now,” he said.
I wove my fingers through his hair, held his head still, and plundered his mouth, kissing and licking until he was whimpering and using my shoulders to stay upright. Then I pulled away, nipped his lower lip, and said, “Be right back,” before forcing myself to walk out of the kitchen.
I got clean sheets from the linen closet, changed the bed, and started the washing machine. Then I took Korban’s clothes out of his suitcase and put them away in the closet. Satisfied that the space would look welcoming to him, I got undressed and stepped into the shower.
