Page 102 of Verses

“No need to be sorry, bird. I did too. We’ll make up for it now.” Turning some dials on the grill, Wolf reached for the platter by his coffee cup, picking up the steaks with the tongs and putting each on the platter.

“Those look better than last time.”

“A damn sight better. Would you mind carrying my coffee in for me?”

“I’d love to.” I picked up his cup in my free hand and Wolf walked to the door, platter and tongs in one hand. He opened both doors for me and stood aside for me to pass before following me in.

As I set his cup down on the kitchen counter, he said, “You might want to get dressed…because when you take your coat off, I’ll be seeing you in that shirt again—and we might not make it through breakfast.”

I laughed. “Don’t they say self-restraint is good for the soul?”

“Probably some shit like that.”

Thinking about feeling Wolf inside me again caused me to ask, “Can I brush my teeth really fast? Do you have some toothpaste I could borrow?”

“Before or after we eat?”

“Well…in case we don’t make it through the meal like you suspect, I’d like to have fresh breath.”

The way his pupils grew wide told me everything I needed to know. But he was almost gentlemanly when he said, “Yeah, there’s toothpaste in my bathroom in the medicine cabinet. Help yourself. I don’t think I have an extra toothbrush, though.”

“I’ll use my finger. Be right back.” And I did. It took me no time to find the toothpaste. With an index finger, I scrubbed my teeth and also ran it over my tongue before cupping some running water to rinse out my mouth. By the time I was back in the kitchen, Wolf had set the table in the dining room. “Need any help?”

“Just taking salad dressing to the table. I have ranch, Italian, and shiitake mushroom dressing. Which one do you want?”

“Hmm. I guess I’ll take ranch,” I said, picking up my coffee while Wolf put the bottle of dressing on the table. I followed him back into the dining room and asked, “Where do you want me to sit?”

“Either one.” Both settings had a plate with a steak and baked potato, and a bowl of salad on the side.

I sat at the spot farther from the kitchen. “Thanks, Wolf. This looks really good. I didn’t know I was this hungry until I smelled the food.”

“And you’re really going to be dressed like that during the whole meal?”

Was he genuinely upset? I couldn’t tell—and, if he was, I’d go ahead and put my clothes on, chalking it up to a difference in our ages. But I said playfully, “Look, when I sit here, you won’t seemy legs.” And after plopping down in the chair, I scooted myself close to the table.

The twinkle in his eye told me he wasn’t bothered at all. “Yeah, but I’llknow. And you’re wearing my shirt to boot.”

I laughed. “But if I take it off, you won’t eat your steak.”

He raised his eyebrows, a smile in his eyes, and sat down. “You’re right. And I’d really like you to eat the steak while it’s warm.”

There would be no stopping me now. Picking up the bottle of dressing, I said, “I thought older guys were supposed to have more self-control because of their age, right? Is that just an urban legend?”

It was his turn to chuckle. “I do in a lot of regards—but you’ve made me feel like I’m eighteen years old again—meaning you’re dealing with an eighteen-year-old kid who has no fucking restraint because he can’t stop thinking about wanting to bend you over this table and fuck the shit out of you.”

My eyes grew wide but I laughed as I set down the dressing and split my baked potato with the knife beside my plate. “I think I’m okay with that, actually. I’ll take you any way I can have you.”

Once again, he arched his eyebrows, sending a shiver down my spine. “Well, then you better eat up because I think we’re gonna have a workout this morning.”

All I could do was grin and raisemyeyebrows back. At least I knew what dessert would be.

As I buttered my potato, Wolf asked, “Are you okay with coffee or do you want something else to drink?”

“No, coffee’s fine.” I handed Wolf the butter so he wouldn’t have to wait on me any longer. “Everything looks and smells so good.”

“I’m not much of a cook, but this is one meal I can make right. Every once in a while I’ll make something else to go with it, like beans or corn on the cob, but this is my one no-fail meal.”

“You can’t sayno fail. Not after last time.”

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