9. Banana Pancakes

CHAPTER 9

BANANA PANCAKES

JACK JOHNSON

Loud panting pulls me from sleep and I panic, ready to swing at some motherfucker in my room. Luckily, I open my eyes first. This isn’t my room, and the motherfucker in questions is a beautiful white and brown pit standing across the room, watching me.

“You’re cute,” I mumble sleepily against the pillow. I’m exhausted, but my body feels incredible and the night‘s adventure comes back to me. I find cold, empty sheets next to me. When I power up my phone, I’m shocked to see that I’ve slept through the morning. No less than fifteen texts from my mother and sister flood my phone.

I’m fine, I promise. Sorry!! I slept at a friend’s house and didn’t hear the phone!!

Daniella

HOW DO WE KNOW IT’S ?YOU?

TELL ME SOMETHING ONLY REN WOULD KNOW!

Shut up, I haven’t had coffee yet, you lunatic.

Daniella

Oh, yeah, that’s you, alright. My bad.

You watch too much true crime.

Daniella

It keeps us alive!!

What time are you coming home?

Mama

DANIELLA DO NOT USE THAT IMAGE!

I’ll be home when I’m home. I’m turning the phone off now to save the battery.

I’m still smiling when Chase comes back into the room, whistling. He’s wearing lounge pants that hang low on his hips, giving me an eyeful of sculpted perfection. I follow the trail of his six-pack, take in that deep v, and can’t stop staring at the patch of hair that disappears into his pants.

Holy shit, I slept with that! Actually, I rode that man like my life depended on it.

The tray he’s carrying smells like bacon and coffee that pulls me out of my memories of last night. I like bacon and coffee more than I like dick. Maybe.

“Morning! I told the dogs to let you sleep.”

“What’s all this?” I ask as he sets the tray down. There’s a bowl of sliced fruit, a French press of coffee, pancakes, eggs, bacon, and a beautiful sunflower.

“I woke up early and figured you’d be hungry after last night, so…” He gestures to the tray with a big smile. “Hangover curing breakfast.”

“Where did it all come from?” I pick up a piece of bacon, examining it.

“Uh, the kitchen? The sunflower came from the neighbor’s yard, and he’ll probably yell at me about that later, but I don’t give a fuck. He’s an asshole.”

“What time did you make the chef come in for all this?” When we pulled up to the house last night, the size of the house surprised me. I expected twenty bedrooms and its own zip code for how famous he is. What he carried me into was not that at all. Yes, there’s a pool and a three-car garage, but it’s almost modest for Los Angeles. It’s still five times bigger than my place, but it’s kind of cute.

“He’s been here all night.” He bows with a flourish. “Chef Cooper, at your service.”

“You did this? Seriously?” Everything sits on the plate like he’s serving this in a five-star restaurant, not on his giant, comfortable bed that I never want to leave.

“Yeah. I, uhm, I cook. I picked it up a few years ago. It helps with anxiety.” He pops a piece of bacon in his mouth and leans in to kiss me. It’s gentle and sweet, the way his lips linger near mine. “I’ll make you something else if this isn’t what you want.” He pulls back, shock on his face. He wipes his mouth, looking like he’s about to freak out. “Wait, are you, like, vegan or gluten-free or anything? Jewish? I should have asked that before I kissed you. Hell, before I started cooking all this?—”

I grab both sides of his face, and his eyebrows shoot up, but he stops talking. “I love bacon. I also love pancakes. But I need at least half a cup of coffee before you can start freaking out over small stuff.”

“Yes, ma’am,” he chuckles, relieved. Breaking off another piece of bacon, he holds it out and places it on my tongue.

“Holy shit. This isn’t bacon. This is heaven.”

He puffs out his chest. “It’s got a little brown sugar and…never mind, you don’t care.” He bounces into the bed. “Okay, coffee! I, uhm, wasn’t sure what you take in yours, so there’s like three different creamers, honey, sugar, and some other stuff.” He bites at his bottom lip, trying not to look at me.

I pour a cup and look at him as he watches me. When I set the pot of coffee down, he goes to reach for it and I swat his hand away. “You made me breakfast. I can at least pour you a cup of coffee. How do you like it?”

“Uhm, black. When it’s hot anyhow.”

“Gross! How do you drink that?”

“Used to it, I guess.”

“Next time, I will make the coffee. I’ll add a little cinnamon like Mama does and change your whole life.”

“Next time?”

“You’re not a dud, Chase Cooper.” I grin and hand the cup over to him and pour myself a cup. I take a sip before I set it off to the side of the tray and pick up a strawberry, holding it out to him. “We should talk about this, though.”

“About breakfast?” he jokes as he leans in to take the fruit from me. “I thought I’d feed it to you, you know..”

“Well, surprise, I like being in charge.”

“Yeah, and you’re fucking good at it, too. What do you want to talk about?”

He bites down on the strawberry and some of the juice drips down my fingers. He takes my wrist, licking lazy circles along my fingers until they’re clean. He never breaks eye contact when he turns my hand over and kisses the palm, my wrist, and works his way up to my elbow before he stops and looks at me with those sparkling blue eyes. I have the urge to cover myself in strawberry juice and let him clean off every inch of me. The devious smile on his face says he’s thinking the same thing.

“After breakfast, I can give you the grand tour. We can screw our brains out all over the house. Or we can stay here in bed.” He holds out another piece of bacon and he kisses me again after I eat it. His mouth lingers a little longer than before, and it makes my heart flutter.

“Are you going to do that after every piece I eat?” I ask in a breathy voice.

“Yeah, I am. I’ve never had bacon taste this good before, and I can’t get enough.” He moves the tray to the side and crawls over me until I’m forced to lie back on the bed. Nipping at my ear, his hand slips up my shirt. “You look so fucking good in my clothes. But you look better out of them.”

“Breakfast will get? cold.” He steals my breath in a kiss as my skin catches fire against his lips. “And spill all over your fancy bed.”

He pinches my nipple while his deep laugh vibrates between us. “Ms. Silva, I’m sure my breakfast will stay sweet, hot, and soaking fucking wet for me. And I won’t let a drop of it hit the bed.” His mouth slides down my jaw and I want him inside me again. His fingers dance down my body, and he gives me a needy groan when he finds no lace to work around between my legs. He teases my entrance until the echoing clatter of dishes and hot, panting breaths interrupts us. Chase shoos the dogs off the bed, but the big pit bull wants none of that, and lays down next to me, his head on my chest as he looks up at me with big sweet eyes.

“They want bacon, too, Chase.”

“That isn’t all he wants. Hey! You cock-blocking fuckers are in so much trouble!” He can’t even keep a straight face as he tries to correct them and ends up with the little boxer running away with a pancake. “Lulu! I already fed you!”

“Aww, they’re jealous that you don’t kiss them like that after they eat bacon, huh, little guy?” I tease as I take the pit bull’s gigantic head in my hands. He licks my face and I can’t stop giggling. “You are one big ass dog!”

“Pongo, come on, man. You can’t steal my girl like that already! Here, bacon!” He tosses a piece toward the end of the bed and pulls me up as soon as Pongo jumps away. Once I’m upright again, he hands me my coffee. “I’m sorry. They get excited when new people come over. I managed to save your coffee, though.”

My girl? He’s called me that twice now. I’m worried this has already gone too far. Time to ease him into a conversation I don’t want to have.

“They’re both cute as hell. What are their names?”

“The big one is Pongo. He’s the oldest. A guy pulled him out of a local shelter and trained him as a…well, he’s, uhm, he’s a service dog.” His hands knead together as he stares down at the sheets. It’s like he’s preparing for me to ask why he has a service dog, but I won’t ask. He’ll tell me when he’s ready.

“Well, he’s the cutest little bacon thief, isn’t he? And the other one?”

“The pancake thief is Lulu. I rescued her about three years ago. She had puppies not long after I got her, and we ended up giving one to Jamie and his wife. Dani wanted one, but your mom said no.” He stops, scratching the stubble on his jawline and chuckling. “God, that’s still so weird. You’re really Dani’s sister, huh?”

He leans and tucks a strand of hair behind my ear, but before he can move in and kiss me again, I sit upright with a start. “Wait! THE puppies! Chase Cooper! Let me tell you, you started a damn war in our house for two entire weeks with that cute puppy bullshit. Texting her pictures at all hours. Not cool, jerk!” I smack his arm, but there’s no force behind it, and he just laughs.

It’s easy to forget he’s a movie star. Even with the awards in the case downstairs and paparazzi photos. Everything about him feels so different. Ever since we saw each other, there’s been a warmth and familiarity around Chase and that extends to his home. Like everything in my life fell into place all at once. As if I can picture myself living here and becoming a part of this. Maybe it’s because of his friendship with Dani, maybe it’s more.

He leans over again with that smirk. “Now, where were we?”

“Chase.” I stop him, holding my hand against his rock-hard chest. I want to tie him up and tease the sprinkling of hair that’s growing back after being shaved down for a role. But I have to let him down now before this goes too far. “You’re an amazing guy?—”

“Oh, no! Come on, finish your coffee before you get to the ‘but you are a dud’ part!”

“I need to be honest with you. I had an incredible time with you last night. But I can’t do this all the time. I’m a teacher, and I love my job. You’re a movie star. It’s going to get complicated even without my whole extra lifestyle thing.”

He nods, but I can see the hurt in his eyes. Fuck. I didn’t want to break his heart like this, not after the night we had. He’s silent for a while and I’m cursing myself for making it awkward. I set my coffee on the table next to the bed and move to get up, figuring I’ve worn out my welcome, but he stops me by pulling me back into bed.

“Chase—”

“Friends?”

“What?”

“Ren, I like you. I get that all of this is crazy and that we’re in two backwards realities right now, but it doesn’t mean we can’t be friends, right?” Before I can say no, he puts his finger over my lips and stops me. “Come on, please? I just…last night was the best night I’ve had in a long time. We don’t have to be more than that if?—”

I raise an eyebrow, challenging what he’s about to say. I’ve done this dance before, and it never goes well. We stay friends, but eventually, he wants more. When I say no, I’m a prude or a bitch. He gets angry and I get another hospital bill.

“Maybe with benefits?” He caresses my cheek; I’m losing this fight. “We’ll stop anytime you want to. We’ll keep it a secret. We can meet in seedy motels and dimly lit back alleyways. You can drive the Jag to some lonely hillside, climb on top of me, and get yourself off while your hand wraps around my throat.”

I should say no, but I don’t want to say no. “And when one of us meets someone else? Say a gorgeous costar with long, beautiful legs and a pair of big, fake?—”

“I won’t.”

“I might!” I try to make it a joke, but there’s hurt in his eyes again. He’s trying hard to hide it, but I can see right through him. “But when you do? Because you will. That’s what happens in friends with benefits, Chase.”

“No commitments.” He continues to bargain. “We can hang out and see how it goes. I promise I won’t do the jealous guy thing.”

“Chase—”

“Renate, I am literally begging you. We don’t even have to fuck. I mean, I’d like to, but we don’t have to. There’s something about you that’s…that’s… I don’t even know what it is. I’m happy around you. You’re easy to talk to. We have fun.”

I blow out a soft breath as I act like I’m thinking it over. I agree with him. There’s something, and I want to find out what. It could be a spark that lights a forest fire, or it could be a firework that burns hot and flies high, but falls fast and cold.

“Okay. Friends, possibly with benefits. No commitments.”

“YES!” He screams out, grabbing my face and kissing me hard. When he lets go, his face turns from eager to embarrassed, with a dusting of pink on his cheeks. He rubs the back of his neck. God, he’s cute. “I mean, yeah. Cool. It’s a deal. Super cool.”

I shuffle over closer and lean against him while we feed each other what remains of breakfast in bed. Occasionally, one of us will toss a piece of bacon to the dogs, who wait impatiently at the end of the bed. I still can’t shake the feeling that I belong here, that everything in the stars lined up just right to bring us together in that hallway.

Dani will assume her magic touch is what brought us together. I’ll never hear the end of it.