Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 75775 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 379(@200wpm)___ 303(@250wpm)___ 253(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75775 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 379(@200wpm)___ 303(@250wpm)___ 253(@300wpm)
Pulling out of my embrace, she skips off to the kitchen. It’s double the size of hers, and she loves to cook in it, and who am I to deny this beauty anything? She opens the pantry and pokes around. I love how comfortable she is here.
She pops her head out. “Do we have mozzarella cheese? Shredded or block?”
“Not sure.” I move to the refrigerator to check, all while biting back my smile at her words.
“Do we?”
She’s opened up so much since we first started this situation-ship or whatever it is we’re in. I don’t know what in the hell you call a fake relationship where you can’t keep your hands off each other and crave the feeling of being skin-to-skin with the other person, yet you’re not really dating. It's supposed to be for her experience, but yeah, it’s fucked is what it is and confusing as hell.
“We’ve got cheese,” I tell her, raising the bag of shredded mozzarella. “What are you thinking?”
“Homemade pizza.” She holds up a couple of packages of dough and a jar of sauce.
“Yes. I think there’s a pound of hamburger thawed out that needs to be used too. We can brown that and use it.”
“Perfect.”
We get to work making a late lunch. Courtney handles the dough and sauce, while I brown the hamburger. Once we have the pizza in the oven, we quickly clean up.
As soon as the last dish is dry, I lift her by her hips and set her on the counter, stepping between her legs. “That was a lot of work. I think I’ve earned a kiss.”
“You think so, huh? I did just as much work as you did.”
“Then we should kiss each other.” I breathe against her lips before kissing her. I force myself to keep this one slow. It’s been an incredible day, just lounging around with her, and I want it to stay that way. I don’t want this to turn hot and heavy. Okay, maybe that’s not true, but it’s not going to be. Slow and sweet, that’s the theme for this afternoon, and I’m sticking to it.
We kiss as if we have all the time in the world, and right now, we do. When the timer goes off, telling us the pizza is ready, we pull apart. I’m glad we set it; otherwise, I’m certain our creation would be burnt to a crisp, and we’d be back at the drawing board looking for something to eat.
I make us both a plate, and we carry them to the living room, settling back into our nest we’ve been living in on the couch to eat.
“This is really good. I would never have thought to put hamburger meat on it.”
“Stick with me, kid.” I wink at her, and she grins.
“Show me your ways, ole wise one.”
“I’ll show you something,” I say, winking at her, and her laughter shakes her entire body.
We eat as we talk and laugh, just enjoying spending the day with one another. While standing at the sink a little while later, rinsing our plates to add them to the dishwasher, I glance outside. “Looks like the rain has stopped for now.”
“Finally,” Courtney says dramatically.
“How about a walk around the property? There’s a small creek in the back. I’m sure it’s muddy from all the rain, but I can still show it to you. When it’s not raining, the water is usually crystal clear.”
“I’m in. We’ve been cooped up in the house for far too long.”
I step behind her, where she’s starting the dishwasher, and wrap my arms around her, burying my face in her neck. “I kind of like being cooped up with you.”
“Yeah,” she agrees. “However, some fresh air will do us some good.”
“Agreed.” Taking her hand in mine, I lead her to the door, and we slip on our shoes. Flip-flops for her and a pair of slides for me. Our feet will get wet, but who cares? It’s June in Georgia. It will probably feel good.
I lace her fingers with mine and lead her around the back of the house.
“You know we still need to go shopping for all the things you need,” she tells me.
“We do.” I laugh. “I hate shopping.”
“Well, I can’t just pick out everything on my own. It has to fit your taste. This is your house.”
“I’m not picky, Court. I’ll be happy with whatever.”
“Well, we should at least make a list of what you need, or think you need. We can start there.”
“I’m not exactly sure. Curtains, dishes, shit for the kitchen, stuff like that.” I’ve lived here for a while now, and I’m still in need of all that stuff. I have the bare necessities and that’s it because I hate to shop. I know my sisters-in-law, my cousin Ramsey, or my mom would help, but I wanted to do it on my own. Well, without my family holding my hand. Courtney is perfect for the job.