The next morning, I was so happy and sated, I didn’t want to get out of bed. But Chase’s rumbling stomach forced us both to abandon the kissing and get up. I cleaned myself in the bathroom first, then wandered through the loft to the kitchen to see what I had to offer. Chase took a little longer, but soon joined me as I pulled eggs and milk out of the refrigerator.
“What are we making?” he asked on a yawn, then shot me a sleepy grin. “And is there coffee?”
I nodded toward the single-cup brewer on the end of the counter and the deep red mug I’d already set there for his use. His expression turned grateful, and I couldn’t help but lean over and kiss his cheek as I walked by.
“When you’re done making your cup, there’s a waffle iron in that far cabinet. Would you get it please?” I pointed to the cabinet with my elbow, then set things down on the counter. I turned toward the pantry to retrieve the dry goods.
Chase made a yummy noise, and my dick perked up. I resolutely told myself it could have its fun after we were fed and Chase’s stomach no longer interrupted us. It didn’t seem to care about my warning when I turned in time to see Chase reach in the cabinet. He was wearing only his boxers, and as he bent, they stretched tight across his gorgeous ass.
It was my turn to make a noise.
With a salacious, wicked smirk, Chase straightened, then shook his ass as he sauntered closer with the appliance. As soon as he was close enough, I snagged the back of his neck, yanking him in for a kiss. We pulled apart when we started panting, and grinned for a long moment before we went back to our tasks.
After I assembled all the ingredients, I mixed the batter. Chase stood close, watching me and humming along to a song on the radio. I hadn’t realized I’d turned it on, but I must have out of habit. I hated silence, and since it was just me in the big loft, it was often too quiet for my liking, so I almost always had a radio or TV playing in the background.
A faster pop song came on and Chase started dancing, just a motion of his hips to the beat, but I was entranced. When he noticed my attention, he ramped it up, really dancing, and I increased the radio’s volume. He grabbed my hand, playfully kissing it, and I abandoned my batter to let him pull me into his arms. We danced right there in my kitchen, wearing only boxers, and it felt great.
He spun me away from him, then back, and when I was in his arms again, I leaned close. “Want to go to a ball with me?”
Chase threw back his head and laughed, grabbing my hips and pulling me tight against his pelvis. “Sure, Eli. You got it.”
I laughed a little, too, but made sure I could catch his attention. When he viewed the look on my face, he stopped dancing and stepped back so we could properly see each other. He studied me a long moment, and I saw the instant he realized my question had been serious.
“What are you talking about?”
“For the kids at Josef’s House,” I explained, mentioning the LGBTQIA youth center, which had been my first endeavor after receiving my inheritance. Its residence housed twenty-five homeless youths, most who’d been kicked out of their former residences because of their orientation. Another twenty-five or so attended programming in the afternoons and on weekends.
“What about them?” Chase cocked his head to the side, looking so much like a confused puppy I wanted to ruffle his hair.
“It’s an alternative prom. Of sorts. I mean, a lot of them don’t attend regular high school. But even the ones that do, it’s not always safe to bring a date of the same sex. Or wear an outfit that matches the inside and not the outside, you know? Even when the school says it is. So we’ve organized a ball so they can dress up fancy and party like any other teenager.”
“That’s awesome.” Chase grinned widely. “When is it?”
“Three weeks from Friday.” I stepped in close, wrapping my arms around him and swaying to the music when a slower song came on. “So how about it? I’m chaperoning. Will you come with me?”
“Hell fucking yeah.” Then he kissed me.
* * * *
For the third Tuesday in a row, we had dinner at Michelle’s. Chase ordered the meatloaf every time and I didn’t know how he wasn’t sick of it, but he assured me he wasn’t. Tuesday wasn’t the only day of the week I saw Chase—we spent most nights together, and any part of the weekend he wasn’t working—but it was fast becoming my favorite. It was like an unspoken rule that we would eat at the diner, and I liked that we had a “date night.”
Michelle brought out the coffee without even asking, with creamer for me and sugar for Chase. She paused only long enough to find out if we wanted dessert, and even though I was too full, Chase enthusiastically said “yes” this time.
“She didn’t ask you what you wanted,” I commented, watching the petite beauty saunter away.
Hearing Chase laugh always warmed a part of me, but I had no idea why he was doing it now. He casually stretched across the table to take my hand and play with my fingers. “She doesn’t have to ask. She knows I’m going to want whichever cake or confection she’s made. And I mean that literally. She’s a baking genius, and she plays with recipes and makes them her own. It’s great.” He gave a happy sigh.
“I’m sure it is. I’ll have to steal a bite.”
Chase’s smile grew tender. “You don’t have to steal. Whatever I have is yours.”
My breath caught for a second. It was too soon for him to mean that like I thought he did. Really too soon. But Chase was looking at me so intently, his face serious even with the tender smile, that I didn’t know any other way to take it. He lifted my hand to his mouth and kissed my fingertips.
“Just gonna put this out there, okay? The way I feel about you is just so damn intense and…” He floundered for a second. “Deep. So I’m all in. I want to see where this goes.”
“Me, too,” I breathed.
“Good.” Chase sat back, then glanced toward the kitchen and moved his cup out of the way. He didn’t let go of my hand even as Michelle brought over a decadent-looking éclair drizzled with white, dark, and milk chocolate. Only reason my mouth didn’t water at the sight was because I was so full of frittata.
Chase didn’t touch his dessert, though, but just kept staring at me. “So we’re doing this?”
It took me a second to figure out what he was talking about. The éclair had been that distracting. But I smiled at him, making sure to put all my intent and affection into the expression. It must have worked, because he relaxed and gave that huge grin again. I picked up my coffee without breaking his gaze.
“Yes. We’re dating with intent.” I tried for playful and Chase laughed. “I love spending time with you. You make me feel good and safe and happy and horny, and all those amazing things. I want to see where it goes, too.”
Chase’s face lit up, then he stood enough so he could lean across the table and kiss me quickly. I couldn’t get the ridiculous grin off my face. I’d been attracted to him from the moment I saw him, but it had only grown as we spent time together. The expression he was wearing right now was one I lived for.
And then he offered me the first bite of the éclair, and I knew he was truly serious.