Page 160 of Awakened
Rounding the corner to the living room, I froze. The lights were dim, Best in Show was paused on the TV, and bowls ofpopcorn and candy littered the table. Blankets and pillows covered the couch, and my favorite sweatshirt was thrown over the arm of the chair.
“What the fuck?” I walked through the living room and into the dining room. In the middle of the table were candles burned down to stubs. Glasses filled with dark red wine flanked empty plates. As I smelled the bouquet of wildflowers on the other end of the table, I muttered, “I’m in theTwilight Zone.”
A loud crash came from the kitchen, and I cautiously took a step that way. “Michael? Are you and Sarah doing some kind of freaky couple thing? Am I gonna see your ass again?”
I slowly peered around the corner and let out a sigh of relief. A very lovely ass clad in dark denim greeted me from in front of the oven.
“Seth?”
He swung his head up at my voice, knocking into the countertop. “Shit. Hey, Les.” Marinara and flour covered his shirt. The counters and floors hadn’t fared much better. It looked like Seth had picked a fight with the pantry and lost.
“What are you doing?”
He started to tidy up the hopeless mess, his gaze not meeting mine. “I, uh, thought I would do something nice for you.”
His lack of eye contact annoyed me, so I asked, “By destroying my kitchen?”
That got his attention. He looked at me, then around the small, messy space. “I, well . . . fuck.” He dropped the dirty towel on the counter and grabbed the back of his neck.
I laughed, pulling a clean rag from the drawer and tossed it at him. “You’re fine, Seth. This place looks like a disaster zone anytime Sarah and I cook. But seriously, what is all this?”
Seth’s face relaxed as he walked around the countertop. Taking my hand in his, he led me back to the living room.
“After we talked, I thought about what you said. You’re absolutely right. We need to rebuild our friendship, so I came up with this.” His hand swung toward the room. “We’ll start here with aChristopher Guest movie marathon and lots of snacks.” His eyes landed on the sweatshirt. “I found what used to be your favorite sweatshirt for our movie nights in your closet. I’m surprised you still have it.”
It was my turn to be flustered. “Well, there was no point throwing it out just because you were an asshole.” It didn’t hurt that it was huge and soft and may or may not remind me of the night he took it off and gave it to me because I was cold.
“Mm-hmm. Anyway, this is phase one. Phase two is through here.” He tugged me toward the dining room. “I made your favorite, lasagna, but that was four nights ago. I wasn’t sure when you would be back, and Sarah was crashing with Michael. Grandma texted when you got here, so I hustled over to pop a new one in the oven.”
I stared at him, fully ready for the alien hosts to appear. “You’ve been waiting for me—here—for all this time?”
He took a step closer, nearly chest to chest. “I told you, I’ll do anything. I’m not running anymore. I’ll be here waiting until you’re ready. No pressure.” He kissed the tip of my nose and took a step away. “I collected these flowers on the drive down here. I know how you hate store-bought.”
I robotically nodded. “It’s a waste of money.”
He smiled, clearly pleased with my stunned response. Leading me once more into the kitchen, he dropped my hand. “And here is where I’ll be making you blueberry pancakes. A lot of shit has gone down, and I know they’re your favorite comfort food.” He turned his back to me to rinse the berries already in the strainer. “You just go into the living room and get cozy. I’ll be right in.”
Ignoring his request, I touched his shoulder, and he jumped.
“Shit! You scared me. Do you need something? I have cokes in the fridge and whiskey in the living room if you need a drink.”
Shaking my head, I pushed up on my toes. “I don’t need a drink.” I pressed my lips softly to his, but he didn’t respond.
I snorted and fell back on my heels. “Not this again. There’s no way I misread the situation.”
Seth’s eyes lightened with understanding. “No, you didn’t, but friends first, right? I don’t want to rush you or have you regret anything. This is supposed to be about getting your mind off everything for a little while, not me trying to win you over.”
I cupped his cheek with my hands. “That. That right there is why I could never regret this.”
Pulling him down to me, I kissed him more firmly than before. This time, Seth responded. His full, soft lips moved with mine as his hand wrapped loosely around my throat. Opening my mouth slightly, I traced his bottom lip with my tongue. He tasted like the best marinara sauce in the world. As our kiss grew more demanding, the hunger in my belly exploded. I needed more.
Seth used his hold on my neck and hair to tilt my head. He thoroughly dominated my mouth, his tongue caressing mine as his hips pinned me to the countertop. He swallowed my moans, his chest vibrating with a hum while I melted into him.
My lungs burned for air as I broke away. Panting, trying to catch my breath, I twisted Seth’s shirt in my hand as he continued to kiss me. Every fiber of my being was hyperaware of his closeness, his touch. In my mind, I’d played this moment out so many times. In my dreams, I’d experienced forever with the man slowly driving me dizzy with lust.
Seth’s mouth moved to my neck, teeth scraping, tongue soothing, lips marking the path. He untied the belt on my robe. As it fell open, he leaned back to look at all of me. “You are—” He kissed my forehead. “The most—” He kissed my nose. “Beautiful—” He kissed my cheeks, his hands traveling under the robe to my back, bringing me closer. “Woman I’ve ever seen.” His lips finally met mine, and he made them his.
I wedged my hands between us, eager to pull off his saucy shirt. When his bare torso came into view, I nearly lost it. He was better than I remembered. My fingers traced the black lines of his tattoos, my mouth following the path they made.
