Page 39 of Never Going to Care

“I just need to cook them, but I’ve prepped everything.”

She eyes the spread on the island. Her eyes widen slightly, and she gasps, “Did you make the tortillas?”

I grin at her and wink. “My ma would have my head if I didn’t.”

The smile she gives me is wide and wonderous. It lights me up from the inside out. “Sounds like my kind of woman,” she murmurs.

I wink at her and put the meat on before starting to cook the tortillas on the flattop. I look over my shoulder at her, taking in the fact that not only is she here again, but I’m cooking for her. There’s something about feeding my woman which settles something inside of me I didn’t even realize was out of sorts.

“She’ll love you.”

She chokes a little as she asks, “She will?”

“Oh yeah.” I turn back toward the stove, but still talk to her. “She’ll love how you keep me on my toes and aren’t afraid to give me hell when I need it.”

“I don’t think I’ve given you hell,” there’s a mulish note to her words and I glance back at her to find her blushing and looking away, nervousness etched in her body language.

“I disagree, Starlight,” I tease her. “You weren’t going to take my shit sitting down that first day I met you. You stood up to me and I could tell you wouldn’t have backed down.”

“Well,” she draws out the word, “you were being kind of a grumpy ass.”

I throw my head back and laugh not only at the words, but the pouty way she says them. I turn and lean over the island to kiss her forehead softly. When I pull back, I stare into her eyes and get lost for a moment.

“You aren’t wrong,” I admit with a wink before going back to cooking.

“Do you need some help?”

I scoff, “Let me cook for you, woman.”

She giggles, the sound light and airy, making my heart beat fast in my chest. I love the sound. I want to hear more of it. Maybe everyday will be enough, but I doubt it.

I turn back to the stove and stir the meat in the pan as I put another set of tortillas on. I know she’s approaching before I feel her arms wrap around my waist. It’s so intimate, the action so natural, that it takes my breath away for a moment.

My hand comes down and covers hers to give it a squeeze, a recognition, a show of gratitude. I don’t know if I’ll ever have all the words, but I hope it’ll be enough. That I’ll be enough.

“It smells good,” her voice is muffled with the way she’s snuggled into my back, and something warms in my chest.

“Good,” I grunt the word before clearing my throat.

With another fucking giggle which goes right to my balls she releases me. I look over my shoulder to see her gliding out of the kitchen and into the living room. I’ve never been good with people being in my space, but I find myself smiling as I look back at the stove. She can explore anything and anywhere she wants.

I don’t mind in the least.

The realization should scare the fuck out of me, but it doesn’t. It makes me…happy that she feels comfortable enough to do it. It warms me that she’s curious about me.

“You have a lot of board games,” her voice floats to me from the living room and I know right where she is.

I picture her in the living room standing in front of the large bookcase which takes up the entire wall and is big enough that it would make her look even smaller in comparison. As if I don’t do that enough all on my own.

“My family was always big on game night,” I call back to her. “Whenever one of them comes over I swear they bring another game.”

“Which is your favorite?”

“Battleship,” I answer without a hint of hesitation.

She pops her head back into the kitchen, her eyes sparkling in challenge. “I can’t wait to sink all your battleships,” she sasses me.

I try and fight the smile working its way across my lips, but I can’t pull it off. I wink at her and make a humming sound. “We’ll see. Want to place a wager?”

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