Don’t get me wrong, I want her there, but we’re not there yet. She needs to know that it’s her. Her company and her time that I’m after. Anything else she gives me is just a bonus. After all the stories she’s told me, I refuse to be another man who takes from her. Not if it’s something she’s not willing to give. In the meantime, I’ll keep jacking my cock like fifteen-year-old me.
At exactly five, there’s a knock at the door, and if I wasn’t living it, I wouldn’t believe that my heart actually skipped a fucking beat just knowing that Ramsey is standing on the other side.
Abandoning the groceries, I rush to the door and pull it open. She smiles and holds up a small container. “I made cookies.”
“You didn’t have to do that. I picked up a chocolate cake at the grocery store, but homemade cookies sound much better. Wait, what kind of cookies?”
“Peanut butter. Oh. You’re not allergic, are you? Crap, I should have checked,” she mumbles the last part.
“No. I’m not allergic, and peanut butter cookies are my favorite.”
“You’re just saying that.” She laughs.
“Come on in. I can prove it.” I step back, allowing her room to enter my house. With my hand on the small of her back, because I have to touch her, I lead her into the kitchen. When we reach the island, I grab her hips and lift her up, causing her to laugh.
“A chair also works,” she says with a giggle. The sound wraps around me like a warm embrace, and it fills the silence of this big empty house. It’s a sound that I could find myself craving if I’m not careful.
“Maybe.” I shrug. “But if you’re sitting in a chair, I’d have to bend to do this.” I lean in and press my lips to hers. It’s just a peck on the lips, but it lights me up inside all the same.
“Hmm,” she responds. “I think I can see the merit.”
Playfully, I squeeze her side before stepping away from her. I have dinner to cook. “How was your day?”
“It was good. I ended up covering a shift for an early morning meeting in Harris for the catering company. It was just eight to noon. After that, I came home and showered and read a book.”
“Today was supposed to be your day off.”
“Yeah, but they needed me, and I didn’t have anything going on. I didn’t mind.”
“You work too hard.”
“Hello, pot.” She laughs. I just nod and laugh as well, because she’s right. “How was your day?”
“Good. Short, which is new for me.”
“You don’t leave early often, huh?” she asks.
“Never really.”
“And yet you did today?”
“I did. I was excited to see you, and I wanted to stop at the store to get what I needed.” Reaching into my back pocket, I pull out my phone and dial my sister Piper. I was going to call Palmer, but I don’t need her gloating. My mother is out of the question. I keep waiting for her to get wind that I’m seeing someone. She’ll have our wedding planned in no time, so my middle sister is the winner.
“Hey, everything okay?” Piper greets me. Her voice is loud over the speaker. I made sure I used the speakerphone so Ramsey can hear our conversation.
“I’m fine. Everyone is fine. I have something to ask you, and I need you to just roll with it and answer honestly.”
“Have you been drinking?” she asks. “Have you finally worked yourself to the brink of alcoholism?”
“No. I’m not drinking, and I’m fine. I just need you to answer something for me.”
“Okay.” There’s caution in her tone.
“What are my favorite cookies?”
“Peanut butter. Why? Are you planning on having Mom make you some and then hide them from us again?” She laughs.
“No, although that’s not a terrible idea,” I tease. “I’m on a date, well, dinner at my place, and she made cookies. I told her they were my favorite, and she thought I was just telling her what she wanted to hear.”
“Hold up. You’re not at work? You’re on a date? Dinner at your place? Who are you and what have you done with my brother?”
I start to smart off but decide to answer her rapid-fire questions. “No. I’m not at work. Yes, I’m on a date. Yes, we’re having dinner at my place, and I’m still your brother.”
“What’s gotten into you? I’m impressed.”
“Ramsey.”
“What? Ramsey? Palmer’s Ramsey?” she asks, confused.
“She’s my Ramsey now, and yes, she’s one and the same. Now, I need to get off here so I can make dinner for her and eat some of her cookies.”
“I hope you literally mean the cookies she made you.” Piper cracks up laughing.
“For now. Love you,” I say, hitting End on the call and placing my phone on the counter. “Do you want something to drink?” I ask her.
She’s still, so still I’m not sure she’s even breathing, and her mouth is hanging open. Her gaze searches mine, looking for what I’m not sure. Finally, she clears her throat. “No. I’m okay for now.” Her cheeks are tinted pink, and I smile inwardly. Good. She got the meaning behind my words.
I nod and begin to unpack the groceries.
“You’re not like them.”
“Like who?” I open the pound of ground beef and place it in the pan.
“My dad. Robert. They’re both lawyers too. You’re not like them.”
“No,” I agree. “I’m not like them.”
“I know it’s wrong, but I guess I always thought all lawyers were like them. Ruthless. Heartless.”
“Not this one.”
“Every lawyer I’ve ever met has been like them. Until you.”
“Are you trying to tell me I’m special?” I glance over my shoulder at her and wink.
“Maybe. To be honest, I’m not sure. I guess I just wanted you to know that I know you’re not like them. My father never once in my entire life ever treated me with an ounce of the respect that you do. And Robert, he was my father’s golden boy. He was allowed to do whatever he wanted.”
Turning the burner down on low, I move to stand between her legs. I lift her hand and press my lips to one wrist and then the other. “They didn’t deserve you. Neither of them.” I kiss the corner of her mouth and step away, back to the stove before I say fuck dinner and carry her to my room. I’d show her how she deserves to be treated.
“What can I do to help?”
“Nothing. I bought the noodles that you don’t have to boil. So once the meat is done, all I have to do is assemble it and pop it in the oven.”
“I feel bad just sitting here while you do all the work.”
“Fine. You can grab the lasagna pan. It’s in the cabinet beneath the island.” I hear her feet hit the floor as she hops down, and the sound of the pan being placed on the island. She comes to stand next to me, leaning her back against the counter.
“Palmer texted me earlier. She said you’re getting some prints from our photo shoot. She wanted to know if I wanted any.”
“Yeah, I asked her to send me copies of each and that I might want to make a few bigger versions. I just need to decide where I would put them.”