“I did.” I patted his face, liking the scratchy jaw he’d undoubtedly shave later. “Is that okay?”
“You’re asking for permission to feed me?” Laughing, Levi headed to the table in the nook.
“Well, not everyone likes breakfast…” I hedged. Didn’t want to admit I’d been hoping he wouldn’t make a fast exit.
“I do. Any meal I don’t have to cook is a good one, but my mom and grandma always made big breakfasts on the weekends.” His face took on a wistful expression I knew all too well. “Later, I missed those meals a lot with all the weekend track meets.”
“So did my mom.” I set the food on the table between us. “Weekdays I’m all about something fast and microwaveable, but I do like cooking on weekends, even just for myself.”
“And me.” Levi gave a happy wiggle as he helped himself to some bacon and pancakes. “And it’s nice of you. Sweet. But, I believe it’s supposed to be my job to make you breakfast, or at least coffee.”
“It’s your day off,” I reminded him as I grabbed my coffee mug from the counter and a little pot of hot water I’d made for him. It was one of those pot-and-cup combos that Mom had left here, and it was nice to get a chance to use it again. I set it in front of Levi, along with a box of various random teas. “And here’s my selection of tea, since you don’t do coffee.”
“Ooh, a choice!” Grinning, he thumbed through the selections before settling on something purple that one of the sisters-in-law had brought last time I’d had the family to dinner.
I took the chair opposite him and filled my own plate. “You’re easy to please.”
“Yeah, I am.” He gave me a meaningful look as the blanket dipped, exposing one bare shoulder. “You ruined my plans.”
“I did?”
“I was going to wake you up by blowing you again.” He waggled his eyebrows at me as I made a strangled noise. “And look at you. All shy about sex when you were the one right out of the Filthy Daddy Handbook last night.”
“That’s a thing?” The back of my neck heated.
“If there isn’t, you could write it.” He took an emphatic bite of bacon, and I had to laugh.
Still smiling, I cut my pancakes into pieces and tried to sound all casual as I added, “For the record, I’d be cool with that as a wakeup. Sometime.”
I couldn’t help but hope there would be other Saturdays, other chances to wake up with Levi. I wasn’t ready to be done with him yet, that much was certain, and each time we had sex, another dozen fantasies sprang up.
“We’ll have to try that sometime.” Levi grinned broadly at me before giving up on tugging the blanket into place and letting it pool in his lap.
Damn. He was so beautiful there in the morning sun, light-brown hair glinting, pale skin, smattering of freckles, dusting of chest hair, pale-pink nipples, and lean muscles. And that smile. Always that smile.
“Is that you inviting me to sleep over again, Joe?”
Even in the face of his dazzling grin, I still measured my words carefully. “If you’d like. Last night was…”
“Amazing. And not just the sex.” Levi’s expression was even warmer than the melted butter, and I exhaled softly, glad we were in agreement there, glad I hadn’t pushed him too far. “So, yeah, I’ll be back. Until you get sick of me, that is.”
It wasn’t me who was going to get tired and move on, but I still nodded. “Might be waiting a while for that.”
“Good.” He took another bite of the food. “And wow, these pancakes are amazing. Another recipe of your mom’s?”
He could talk easily about her, unlike others in my life, and he didn’t speak in hushed tones or assume I’d rather not mention her. Much as hanging out with my dad was fun, it was nice to spend time with someone where I could share my memories more easily.
“Yep. Her secret was sour cream. These days, I add yogurt to be a little healthier, but I use her other trick of adding some whole-wheat flour for a heartier taste.”
“Nice. Next time wake me up so you can show me how to make perfect circles like this. My last try at pancakes they were all squiggly.”
“Will do.” My chest expanded, warmth seeping into muscles which had been tight a very long time. “You still up for helping at the housing site today?”
“Yup.” He stabbed another bite, eating with the sort of gusto that made my chef’s heart happy. “Bring on the painting.”
“I don’t think I have anything near your size here, but we can stop by your place if you want to change.”
“I do. Can’t see going commando all day.”
“Hey, I like that image. But I’d like it more if you put on another of your sexy secrets for later.”
His cheeks immediately went rosy. “You’re assuming I have a bottomless collection.”
“Am I allowed to add to said collection?” I wasn’t entirely sure where to go shopping for such things, but for him, I’d figure it out. There was an upscale adult store in town. They might be a place to start.
“Are you auditioning for the sugar daddy role now too?” Levi laughed, but his tone was more speculative.
“Nah. Just a friend who likes how your ass looks in something sheer and high cut.” Taking care of Levi, cooking for him especially, was intensely rewarding. And God knew I loved the sex, and the Daddy thing turned my crank in ways I’d never expected, but I didn’t delude myself about my ability to keep a guy like Levi long-term.
“I like those kinds of friends.” He smiled smugly. “And I’ll see what I can find at my place. Is there time for me to take a fast shower? I’m pretty sure I still smell like sex.”
“I like you smelling like that. But yes. This is a volunteer gig and the hours are pretty flexible. The site is going to be housing for low-income, veteran seniors, so plenty of retirees like Dad have been helping out. Some of them tire easily, so people will come and go all morning. Let’s finish here, and then we can get you that shower.”
“Sounds good.” His gaze was warmer than the still-steaming coffee. “Too bad you already showered. We could have showered together.”
“Hah. There’s time for you to shower. Not sex.” As comfortable as I was with a half-naked Levi in my space, I still wasn’t the most comfortable stripping down in front of him. His body was perfection, and much as I tried not to care about my own looks, I was still more self-conscious than I liked.
“Mean Daddy. Maybe later.” He winked at me before finishing his food.
After we cleaned up from breakfast, he put on his clothes from the night before for the ride to his place. Once there, he headed right for the shower. I puttered around, watering his plants and straightening the couch cushions before playing around on my phone, looking at underwear choices that might surprise Levi later in the week. I’d have to see if I could work in a visit to that store this week.
I quickly closed the browser when Levi emerged with wet hair and a fresh shave, wearing old jeans and a T-shirt suitable for painting duty.
We made it to the site right as a group of volunteers were setting up the coffee and donuts station, and my dad was holding court with a number of his fellow retired construction buddies.