24. Chapter 23
Chapter 23
Doug
S he found a babysitter . I had no idea how she’d managed to find an overnight babysitter so late in the game, but I wasn’t going to question my luck.
I only had about ninety minutes before Beth arrived, so I headed home and got to work. I’d done most of the cleaning and decorating the night before, so all I needed to do was take a quick shower and start prepping the food.
Before browning the chicken for the cacciatore, I lit the lavender candle I’d bought for the bathroom. Not knowing much about scents, I’d chosen lavender sage thinking Beth would like the light floral scent. As a bonus, the sage prevented the lavender from being obnoxiously strong.
The kitchen filled with the rich smell of chicken as I browned it. I chopped the onion first, knowing it’d make my eyes water. Then washed my hands and face before chopping the celery, peppers, and mushrooms. When the chicken was done, I plated it and put it in the microwave while I cooked the vegetables.
One of the things I liked about this recipe was it was all done in one skillet. One large, heavy cast iron skillet. Once the veggies were soft, I added in the tomatoes, tomato sauce and paste, a cup of the red wine I’d be serving with dinner, and some fresh herbs. And lastly, I placed the chicken thighs in the sauce and set the timer for forty-five minutes.
While it simmered, I made sure the apartment was picked up and turned on my country music station on Pandora. Then I checked my watch.
Beth should be here any minute.
I couldn’t remember the last time I felt this nervous about having a woman over. Had I ever felt this nervous?
A few minutes later I got a text from Beth, she had just parked and was on her way up to my second story apartment. I opened the door as she reached the exterior landing, a huge stupid grin plastered on my face.
Her smile was more on the shy side, and her cheeks were pinker than normal.
I spotted the large purse in her hand as I greeted her, but no overnight bag. Did she change her mind? It didn’t matter; we’d still have a good date with a great meal.
“Come in.”
Her grin turned to a broad smile as she walked into my apartment. She was close enough for me to smell her perfume, a bright, fresh, floral scent reminding me of a spring morning after a rainstorm.
Beth looked around as I hung her coat on a peg near the door. From our position near the door, she could see most of my apartment. The open floor plan felt like a studio, except I had an actual bedroom. The kitchen was separated from the rest of the space by an island, creating a galley style kitchen space.
“Want me to hang your purse too?”
She shook her head as she walked towards the table, inhaling deeply as she did. “It smells amazing in here.”
“Thanks, I’m making chicken cacciatore.”
“Wow, that’s impressive.”
“Try it before you compliment me.” I laughed.
“Is this your first time making it?”
“No, I’ve made it before.”
“Then I’m sure it’ll be delicious.” Her smile lit up my kitchen, outshining the candles I’d lit on the table.
I changed the subject. “I’m glad you were able to find a replacement sitter.”
Her nervous laugh before answering was unsettling. “You might not be when you hear who it is.”
“Yeah?” I asked, thoroughly intrigued.
“Meg and Jack volunteered to a slumber party with Chase.”
That explains her nervous laugh . I wasn’t surprised Meg had volunteered. She loved Beth and wouldn’t want her to have to cancel her plans.
“Ahh, so they know you’re spending the night out.”
“They do.” She blushed as she reached into her bag and brought out a bottle of wine.
I laughed, curious about what else she had stashed in her purse. “You didn’t have to bring anything.”
“I know, but my Mom taught me to never go to someone’s house empty handed.”
I could appreciate that; my mom had taught me the same thing.
“Thanks. Want me to open it? Or I can pour you a glass of the red I have open for dinner.”
“That sounds nice, let’s save this for later.” She lifted her purse. “Where should I put my overnight bag?”
Overnight bag ? I thought it was a purse. I pointed to the bedroom, just down the hall. “The bedroom’s fine. Bath is on the right.” She still plans on staying .
As she walked the short hall towards my bedroom, I took a second to appreciate how good she looked. Her short black skirt hung just below her knees, swishing back and forth as she walked. Her floral yellow button-down shirt displayed just a hint of cleavage. I can’t wait to kiss her neck as I undo those buttons .
Reluctantly, I turned away and adjusted myself before pouring her a glass of wine. Then I topped off mine before checking the timer. "Dinner would be done in about thirty minutes."
I grabbed the small appetizer plate from the refrigerator and set it on the table along with two small plates. I'd gone all out to impress Beth.
“Sorry it took so long, I wanted to wash my hands.”
“No worries.” I handed her a glass and lifted mine. “To finding a babysitter at the last minute.”
Her smile lit up her whole face as she said, “Cheers.” We tapped our glasses and sipped our wine; a Chianti Classico.
I didn’t know much about wine so I Googled what red wine would pair well with the chicken cacciatore and had the friendly salesperson at the wine shop help me pick out a good one. I bought two bottles since I had to use a quarter of the first bottle in the dish.
“Your place is nice.” She looked around. “Not quite the man cave I was expecting.”
“Thanks. I’m not a neat freak, but I don’t like clutter.” I didn’t tell her I’d gussied up the place over the last three days. Hell, the throw pillows probably still smell new.
We nibbled on cheese, meats, and crackers and talked while we waited for dinner to finish simmering. When the timer went off, I excused myself and checked the chicken. Thankfully, it was done because I was starving. I hadn’t eaten much of the appetizers because I didn’t want to be too full to enjoy one of my favorite dishes.
I heard Beth’s chair slide back before she asked, “Anything I can do to help?”
“You can open the second bottle of wine; the corkscrew is in the drawer.” I nodded in the direction since my hands were full.
I felt my body relax as we worked together in my tiny kitchen area; me plating our meals, Beth opening the wine. Everything else we needed was already on the table.
“It smells so good. Looks good too. I can’t wait to try it.”
I wasn’t prone to blushing, but her compliments were enough to bring color to my cheeks.
I waited for her to take her first bite. When she did, she closed her eyes and made mmm sounds as she slowly chewed.
I blushed for an entirely different reason and turned my attention to my plate to avoid embarrassing myself.
As we ate, I told her about falling in love with Italian food while stationed in Italy and taking a cooking class while I was there.
“Did you always like cooking?” She asked.
“Yeah, my mom taught my sister and I how to cook when we were young. She never really got into it, but I did.” I sipped my wine. “How about you, do you like to cook?”
“I do, though I don’t get to cook as much as I used to.” She paused, a far away look in her eye, which cleared after a few seconds. “My mom taught me.”
After a few minutes, Beth changed the subject when she asked, “Do you miss Chicago?”
Do I? I thought about it before answering, “Not really.” I refused to dwell on why. “I might visit at Christmas.” I laughed as I thought about December in Chicago.
Beth raised an eyebrow in question.
“Chicago winters are be brutal, so it’ll be a shock.”
“I’ve heard it doesn’t take long to acclimate to warm southern winters.”
“It doesn’t. When I went back last year it wasn’t too bad because I’d only been gone a few months, and December is a mild. Luckily, I missed the harsh January and February storms last year. Well, I wouldn’t say I ‘missed’ them as I was enjoying the mild Texas winter.”
“We rarely get snow here, and winter storms are even rarer,” she said softly.
I saw pain cross Beth’s eyes. I hadn’t meant to remind her of her Phil’s death.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to-”
“It’s okay.” Beth smiled as she reached over and placed her hand over mine, squeezing it when I laced my fingers with hers. “Really, it is. I don’t want you to feel like you have to be careful about what you say.”
“Okay, just promise me you’ll let me know if you don’t want to talk about something.”
“I promise.” She looked down at her lap, then back up at me. “Thanks for understanding.”
“You’re welcome.” Feeling like the conversation was over, I stood. “Why don’t you go to the living room and relax while I clear the table.”
“Do you want help?”
“Nah, I got it. Want more wine?”
“Sure. I’m getting more water. Want more?”
“Yeah, thanks. The pitcher is in the fridge. The tap water here isn’t great.”
After refilling our glasses, Beth went to the living room and got comfortable on my couch. She looks good there . I made quick work of clearing the table, neatly stacking the dishes after rinsing them. I’d usually wash them right away, but they could wait, I’d rather spend time with Beth.
We talked for thirty minutes or so, before I asked her if she wanted dessert.
“You bake too?”
“No,” I chuckled, “my cooking skills don’t translate to baking. I bought a cheesecake.”
“Sounds good, but I’m still pretty full.”
“I’m glad you enjoyed dinner.” I brushed the hair off her face and tucked it behind her hair. “You look beautiful tonight.”
She blushed and looked down at her lap. “Thank you.”
I put my wine glass on the coffee table, then took hers and did the same. I was dying to kiss her, but didn’t want to risk spilling the wine. Not that I cared about the wine, or my old couch, but I didn’t want anything interrupting us.
I reached up and cupped her face, my thumb gently caressing her lower lip and cheek. She turned into my hand and released a soft sigh that sounded like a purr. I leaned forward and brushed my lips against hers. The scent of her perfume filled my nose. I didn’t know the name of it, but the scent was now burned into my brain and would forever be associated with Beth.
Her soft lips opened, inviting me to deepen the kiss.
I slid my tongue along her lower lip before she opened them further and her tongue darted out to meet mine. I could taste the wine on her tongue.
Our kiss was slow and exploratory. And hot as hell.
It’d been a long time since I’d kissed someone like this. Not rushing in, but letting the passion build slowly. Only my dick didn’t get the message. It was already hard and getting harder by the second.
Beth slid her hand up my arm and around my neck, pulling me closer, demanding more. I was happy to give it.
She paused for half a second, just long enough for me to feel it, but not long enough for it to be a request to stop, when I put my other hand on her thigh.
I could feel the warmth of her leg through her skirt, then because I wanted to feel that warmth with nothing between us, I bunched up her skirt and slowly slid my hand under it, stopping just above her knee.
I rubbed small circles on her inner thigh but didn’t move my hand any further. I wasn’t going to rush things with Beth.
Beth clutched my neck with one hand while the other slid to my waist, just above my beltline. She fisted my pale green polo and pulled.
Wanting tonight to be special, not rushed, I pulled back so we could catch our breath.