Page 57 of Free Me

Stef:Nah. I have it.Kissing_heart emojiBe there asapheart emoji

Me:love_you_gesture

The light turns green and I hit the gas, excited to have the day off, and feeling not an ounce of guilt.

20

Stef

GettingatextfromBlake in the middle of the morning isn’t that rare. Occasionally, he sends me a quick message between meetings to tell me he’s thinking about me or to ask about our plans. What he’s never done is send a text asking me to play hooky. I’m so proud of him right now I could cry. It’s proof that he’s internalized and implemented the work-life balance we’ve been focusing on for the past few months, and there’s no way I’m going to tell him no.

I pull up my schedule and double check which clients I have this afternoon. I can’t reschedule the physio session with the ballet company. They’re my next appointment and one of my biggest clients. After that, I’m meeting with a new client, and I definitely have to be at that appointment. But I should be able to reschedule my afternoon. I make the calls while driving to the university, and by the time I pull into the parking lot, my afternoon is free.

A few minutes after 1:30 p.m., I’m parked in Blake’s driveway, grabbing the bags of food, and heading into the house. “Blake, I’m here!” There’s no reply, so I set the food on the kitchen counter and check his bedroom. When I find it empty, I open the French doors, step out onto the balcony and look down at the patio.

He’s lounging by the pool in swim trunks and sunglasses, reading a book. He looks incredibly relaxed and it makes my heart happy. “Hey, handsome.” He glances up, and his face breaks into a wide grin. Okay, yes, we’ve been together for a few months, but his smile still makes my insides all melty and warm. “You want to come in and eat, or should I bring the food out?”

“Put on a suit and come down. This is my big plan for the day.” He gestures to the pool area and waves his book.

I lean my elbows on the railing and grin down at him. “If you’re trying to seduce me, it’s working.”

“Excellent. Step one in my evil plan is complete. Now come down here. I missed you.”

“Be down in a sec!” I hurry inside, strip out of my work clothes, then slather myself in the sunscreen that smells like coconut. Blake loves the scent, andIlove how he nuzzles my neck when I use it. I pull on my tiniest black and white print swim briefs, grab a beach towel from the closet and the food bags from the kitchen counter, then hurry down to the game room and out to the patio. “Should we eat at the table or on the loungers like heathens?”

Blake glances up from his book, and his eyes lock on my tiny swimsuit. I do a slow spin, giving him a good view of my ass. “Like?”

He pulls his sunglasses to the end of his nose and peers over them. “That’s new.” His voice is thick with lust, and gods, I love it. Mission accomplished.

“It is! And it’s so adorable!”

Blake licks his lips. “And so tiny.”

“I had a feeling you might like it.” I skip past him to the table and deposit the bags.

Blake practically growls, grabbing my hips the moment I put the bags down. “Come here.”

I laugh as he manhandles me, hauling me close and inhaling my skin. He drags his nose across my abdomen and my cock stirs, eager to join in the fun. But my stomach growls with hunger. “Mmm. I’m fully on board with whatever you’re planning here, darling, but we should eat before the food gets cold.”

Blake bites my hip. “We can heat it up.”

My laugh quickly turns to a gasp as his tongue teases above the edge of my suit. It’s all I can do not to press his head a few inches lower. “Blake, darling, I have souvlaki and Greek salad.”

He hums and sits back, waggling his eyebrows at me. “You know I love Greek.”

I snort at his double entendre. “As do I, my darling. So let’s eat.” I wink at him. “Then we caneat.”

His chuckle warms every part of me. Pushing to his feet with a sigh, he gestures toward the table. “If we must, we must.”

“We must.” I press up on my tiptoes and pucker my lips.

He obliges me, but turns my expected quick press of lips into a lingering kiss that curls my toes and has me second-guessing my stance on eating first. As I’m about to give in, he lets me go and pats my backside. “C’mon. Let’s feed you so we can move on to other enjoyable things.”

I sigh happily, pulling containers out of the bags while Blake goes inside to grab us some bottled waters. When he returns, I have everything arranged. He sets down my water and pulls his chair closer to mine, laughing as he picks up the packet of cutlery. “I see we’re using the good silver.”

I nudge him on the shin with my foot. “Shush. Now we can throw everything away. No dishes!”

I try to kiss his cheek, but he turns his head at the last minute, and I kiss his mouth instead. Not that I mind. He smiles against my lips, playful and relaxed. “Mmm. Dessert first. I approve.”

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