Page 27 of Lily
As she walked out of the room, Lily looked around the hallway and frowned. She couldn't remember which way they had gone the night before. She had been exhausted by the time Sam had declared it was past her bedtime, but thankfully the clinking of silverware saved her from wandering too far in the wrong direction. Turning toward the sounds, she was happy to find the staircase and descended the stairs; the smell of cooking bacon hit her nose halfway down, and she sighed happily.
She was still smiling when she entered the kitchen and saw Sam cooking. He looked up when she entered the room and smiled at her. "You're awake."
"What time is it?" she asked, wiping at her eyes.
"Just past nine."
Her eyes widened. "That's so late. I never sleep this late."
"Is it bad that you slept this late?" he asked, flipping the bacon he was cooking onto a plate. She paused, considering that. She didn't have anywhere to be other than a shift later that afternoon, and that was still hours away, so the extra sleep wasn't a bad decision, not when she'd had such a hard time getting any rest over the past months.
"Well, no," she finally answered, biting her lip and shrugging. "I guess not."
"You have to take care of yourself, Lily. It's important."
"That doesn't mean it's easy," she pointed out, approaching the counter and taking a seat when Sam set a plate down.
He poured her a glass of juice and hummed. "I know it's not, but we'll work on it. You still want that, right?"
Her head snapped up at this question. "Yes, of course! Why wouldn't I?"
"I just want to make sure you aren't having second thoughts. It's a big decision."
"I know, and I don't know why, but I haven't listened to my gut in a very long time. I think it's time I changed that."
"Oh? And what's your gut saying about me?"
"That I can trust you. And I want to, trust you, I mean." She swallowed hard and looked down at her plate that was heaped with plenty of nutritious and yummy food that she hadn't taken the time to enjoy lately.
"I like your gut," Sam told her, and she giggled.
"Oh yeah?" She toyed with her fork and swung her legs. The effect he had on her was almost instantaneous. The way he had her relaxing enough to let her Little out was something she had never experienced before so quickly and with someone she had just met, but with Sam, it just seemed right.
"Mmhmm, so much that I'm going to insist you eat a hot breakfast.
She turned her eyes to the eggs, pancakes and bacon on her plate. It was a feast, and she was grateful to have someone willing to prepare it for her.
"Thank you for my breakfast."
"Anytime, sweet girl."
"Eat your breakfast before it gets cold." He tapped her thigh lightly, and despite the light touch, Lily could sense the warning in it. Unexpected heat overtook her, and she had to cross her legs to sit still. Memories of the previous night, when they had been just like this, side by side at the bar counter, came flooding back, of when he had come close, had tipped her head back and nearly kissed her. Oh, why hadn't he done it then?
She frowned at the thought. Sam's hand on her thigh grounded her in the moment, and she blinked, looking at him in surprise.
"Breakfast, little girl." His fingers tightened on her thigh, and she flushed at the increased pressure. She wanted his hands all over, she wanted to put her hands all over him, wanted to explore every inch of his body but…
"Is our relationship going to be sexual?"
They had never discussed it. And the question exploded from her so suddenly that Lily didn't have a chance of stopping it, not that she wanted to. She had questions, and she wanted answers. It was better to not fantasize about her caregiver and what she wanted to do if given the opportunity to get her hands on him now rather than later.
"Do you always blurt the first thing that crosses your mind?" Sam asked and took a bite of his bacon.
"Not usually," Lily admitted and then added, "but it's hard around you because my Little comes out more with you."
"I've noticed that. I like it."
"But?"
