Chapter 14

I staredat the closed door for far too long after Gerald disappeared behind it. When he ran into me as he came out of the bathroom, I was shocked that I’d slept through his arrival. That was my initial thought.

Then he stepped back, and I realized he wasn’t wearing anything. Correction: he was wearing a towel. A towel. That was it.

I’d thought Gerald attractive at our first meeting. There was no denying it. But a very naked version of him — total spank bank material. I ate up every delicious inch of him as I stood there like a silent voyeur.

Him rushing away gave me the perfect angle to take in the curve of his ass. The towel couldn’t hide how generous his genetics had been with that part of him. I nearly bit my fist when my mind decided to take on the vision of him bent over, his ass on display.

Not wanting to get caught, I took off for the kitchen. Coffee. I needed some coffee.

I went about putting together a pot while I listened for any sign of Gerald coming out of his room. My skin felt like it was on fire after the encounter in the hall. I worried I’d combust the minute we were in the same space again.

This tension wasn’t doing me any favors. I had to restart the coffee making process because I completely forgot a filter. As I was cleaning up the mess, I heard the door down the hall open. I cursed myself for the way I jolted at the noise.

When Gerald rounded the corner, his eyes widened. I’m sure it was because of the scene. Coffee grounds covered the still mostly empty countertop. I had a wad of paper towels in hand filled with coffee grounds. Some had even made it on the floor. It basically looked like I’d used the damn stuff as confetti.

“I’m still a bit tired. Flubbed this a little, it seems,” I said to break the ice.

It was then I realized there was something more dangerous than a shirtless Gerald. It was an amused one.

His lips tipped in the corner, and his eyes sparkled with humor. They fucking sparkled.

Goddammit.

These observations brought about feelings that weren’t doing me any favors. I had to get ahold of myself so I wouldn’t clue him in to my turmoil.

I didn’t understand where they’d even come from. Sure, I’d been over the idea of me and Danielle for a while. Even before finding out she was cheating on me, I knew we weren’t going to be forever. I think it was why I caught on to her ways. Because her actions were clearly visible once I opened my eyes.

Still, I wasn’t that far removed from the actual end of my engagement. It wouldn’t do me any favors to obsess over someone I had no possible future with. I needed to work on myself, focus on my career, and then eventually someone would show up. That’s how these things were done.

“I’ll take care of that,” Gerald said as he motioned for me to move. I did so on autopilot, then watched as he easily and quickly disposed of the mess. “Any particular way you prefer it at home? I can say that I’m not skilled enough to make an Americano. Not yet anyway.”

That shook me from my stupor. “Oh, no. You don’t have to work on that. It’s just what I grab when out and about. At home, I drink it with a touch of cream and sugar. Occasionally, I’ll add those fancy syrups.”

He gave me a nod, then motioned to the counter. “Go have a seat. I’ll have something for you to eat shortly. And your coffee will be ready even sooner. Do you mind if I make something for myself too? I was in a hurry this morning.”

I took the seat he told me to as I shook my head. “Be my guest. You need to eat too.”

“Thank you.”

After our brief exchange, I watched him cook with fascination. Every so often, he’d double tap a door or mumble something under his breath. It was cute. I had a feeling it was more to remind himself where things were, but in my head, it was more a nervous action to avoid looking at me — which he didn’t do at all while working. Not even when he brought over my perfectly made coffee.

He only glanced my way after he moved around the counter and set two plates down. They were identical with an omelet, some toast, and a handful of fruit. It looked delicious. My stomach let out a loud growl, which made me blush.

Gerald laughed softly. “Let’s not waste any more time. Please, eat. It”ll make me feel less awkward about devouring my own plate.”

Again, I did as he asked. It was impossible not to when he was taking such good care of me. He watched me take the first bite, and only after I approved with a fierce head nod did he dig into his own food.

We ate together in silence. It wasn’t an uncomfortable one though. More like we were enjoying the simple pleasures of life, a breakfast with someone you enjoyed spending time with.

Some might have said it was the newness of things that made us work together. With time, one of us would likely annoy the other in some way. All relationships had their moments — whether romantic or not. My own brother could become a nuisance if I allowed his antics to bother me.

Gerald had his demons. I knew there would be things that created tension between us eventually. Things other than one of us winding up half naked. That had already proved to be a problem.

“That was delicious,” I told him once I finished.

“Thank you.” He tilted his head my way.

I wiped my mouth, then continued, “I’m usually up around this time in the morning to eat and have my coffee. I’m not picky about what you make. As for lunch, I tend to eat takeout at the office. Dinner is either takeout, or in the past the chef made something. How would you feel comfortable moving forward?”

He turned to face me head on. Our knees brushed as he shifted, and a current of need roared through me from that single point. I fought to bury my reaction beneath my focus on his response.

“I’d like to be able to work on a variety of dinners. As I said before, I have several recipes. Lunch is up to you. I can coordinate having something delivered to you at your convenience. Or I can deliver meals to you during your lunch hour. I’m open to what works best.”

“You’d deliver them?” I questioned, unsure if I heard him correctly.

“Yes, I could. Some of the recipes are for large quantities, as they were needed that way for the ranch staff. Most will translate to smaller portions, but some won’t. There will be times I have extras you could use for lunch. I could bring them to you, so you don’t have to cook. Or if you’re wanting takeout, I could go pick it up and deliver. That’s what a personal assistant would do, right?”

“It is.”

“Then it’s part of my role too. We could make a weekly plan if you like. Maybe later this evening. Today needs to be settled first though. Did you have any idea what you wanted today? Takeout would be best for lunch. I’ve already settled on what dinner will be.”

The confidence with which he spoke was astonishing. It was like giving him the list of tasks changed him. I remember he was the same way the day before when handling the move. Part of me thought that was purely for show. Like he knew Danielle was listening and watching everything, so he was turned up to a hundred.

But of course, that’s just who he is. Could he be any more perfect a fit for this role?

“Let’s do Costello’s for lunch. It’s Italian. I tend to get the chicken parm, but I’m open to whatever they have as the special of the day. Nothing they make tastes bad. You should get yourself something too. That way, you have an idea of what you like for the nights we grab it for dinner.”

He frowned. “Oh, I figured I’d make myself something then.”

I froze. He couldn’t be insinuating what I thought.

“Why would you do that? Do you assume you’re not going to eat what I eat?”

Avoiding my gaze, he shrugged. “I’m used to a life where everyone ate together. I didn’t want to assume that was how you’d want it to be given there are only two of us.”

“That doesn’t matter. It would be more troublesome if I was eating a full meal, and you only had a sandwich or something,” I said, bewildered by his train of thought.

“Then we’ll eat the same. I’ll go over their menu to pick something before lunch. When is that anyway?”

“It varies. Today I’ll aim for noon. I’ll text you the address to the office and to Costello’s. Did you have any other questions for me?”

He shook his head. “That’s it. You go get ready. I need to clean this up, then I’m going to tackle the last of the boxes that didn’t get unpacked and work on my room.”

I didn’t have anything to say about that, so I took off to get ready. I’d only thrown on pajama pants and a t-shirt when I realized the time earlier. But now it was time to put on my work clothes.

Routine had me grabbing a suit, tie, and the shoes I needed without really paying attention. My mind was too wrapped around the idea Gerald had about him eating separately from me. He was treating his role as if he were subservient to me, which, to be fair, it technically was. Still, I didn’t want him to assume that stance. He needed to know I wouldn’t think less of him in any way.

If anything, Gerald was saving me a ton of time. I thought firing everyone meant my life would be a disaster. Instead, I feel like I’m thriving for the first time ever. I’m not worried about any of the engagement drama or whether Danielle will have signed us up to attend an event I didn’t want to attend. I’m not avoiding my own home by working late or simply going through the motions.

It’s invigorating.

By the time I’m done getting ready, Gerald has managed to clean up the kitchen. He unpacked a box of books onto one of the built-in shelves in the living room. I watched him turn my way, which is how I didn’t miss the look of appreciation he gave my outfit. He covered the expression quickly when he noticed how closely I observed him.

“I’ll see you at lunch,” I asked to confirm.

“Yes, sir.”

There it was again. That zing that nearly sent me tumbling to my knees. How could such a normal phrase send me reeling?

Obviously, I knew why. I’d been part of the BDSM scene in one way or another since I reached legal age. I’d had my fair share of lessons on what was what. My friend Tucker, the one who helped me find Gerald, is married to a man who runs a kink club. I’m not stupid about any of it.

But I tried really hard to pretend I was.

Because if I didn’t, I might do something really fucking stupid like tell Gerald how proud I was of him and how much I wanted to hear him say ‘yes, sir’ as I told him to suck my cock.

I left without another word. He didn’t need to see the way my body reacted. And I needed to get ahold of myself before I went to the office with a fucking hard-on.