Chapter 36
Chapter Thirty-Six
DAISY
I awoke to a slobbery kiss, and I was a little sad it wasn’t Kaia. I opened my eyes and smiled at Duke staring at me with big beautiful brown eyes and breathing disgusting dog breath in my face.
I kissed him on the nose and sat up, my heart warming even further at the sight of Kaia. She was naked, which, yay for me, but she was also holding a tray of delicious-looking breakfast food.
“What’s all this?” I asked.
She smiled and set the tray in front of me, shooing Duke away. He protested but obeyed my perfect girlfriend and fled the room. She kissed me before answering. “Good morning, baby. I wanted you to start the day off with breakfast in bed.”
I looked at the food and inhaled, smiling at the aromas that coated my nose.
She had made my favorite foods: blueberry pancakes, bacon and scrambled eggs, avocado toast with tomato and feta, and she had even cut up fresh blueberries and strawberries.
It all sat deliciously next to a tall glass of orange juice and a cup with a single red rose sitting in water.
If I wasn’t already in love with this woman, I would be now.
“Honey, you didn’t have to do any of this, but it looks and smells incredible. Come here.” I motioned for her to come closer so I could give her a proper good-morning kiss. I couldn’t help myself, and I made sure to squeeze her round and perfect ass.
She broke the kiss and I frowned, not wanting it to be over. “Eat your breakfast, sunny. I’m going to clean up my cooking mess, and then we can get cleaned up in the shower.” She winked, and I wanted to scarf down all the food so we could get there faster.
She kissed my forehead and smiled, leaving me alone with my breakfast and thoughts. I still had no clue what we were doing, but I didn’t care. As long as I was with Kaia, any day was a perfect one.
After breakfast, we took an extra-long and sweaty shower before getting dressed. She told me to wear whatever I wanted, so I decided on a green corset-style shirt with jeans. I wanted something simple that showed off the girls a little.
“Baby, you look so good.” I smiled when Kaia twirled in her outfit. She wore a powder-blue mini dress with a neckline that had me biting my lip. With the way she was dressed, I didn’t think she wanted to go out at all.
She said thank you and asked if I was ready to go. “Yeah, but where exactly are we going?” I pouted when she shook her head no. I needed to know! It was driving me insane, not knowing what was going on.
She sighed and smiled. “You know I can’t deny you when you make that face.
Fine, I’ll tell you. I thought we could go to Fired Up Pottery.
It’s very well lit, so we can still talk, if you want, and we don’t have to interact with anyone until we pay, and they have free food and drinks. What do you think?”
I smiled. “I think that sounds absolutely perfect.”
When we got the Fired Up Pottery, I didn’t know what I was going to pick.
They had plates, mugs, little jewelry boxes, and even items like a big lighthouse that lit up and everything, but when Kaia held out this mug that also came with a lid so you could take it to go, I knew it was the one.
She ended up going with the same one, and we headed over to pick our colors.
For the idea I had in mind, I went with a neutral, almost white color for the entire mug, and I wanted a cinnamon color for the handle and lid.
“What are you going to paint on yours?” I asked Kaia once we sat down. After we picked out our cups and paints and put them on the table, we went to get a drink and snacks. We got a bowl of pretzels to share and a water bottle each.
She smiled and shrugged. “Sunflowers.” She winked and I shook my head.
“Any particular reason?” I asked. I didn’t want to assume it was so she could be reminded of me every time she used it. She called me sunny, and my favorite flower was a sunflower, but that didn’t mean anything.
“I really like them. They are beautiful and brighten up the world. Especially mine.”
The way she was looking at me, I couldn’t help but think she was definitely not talking about sunflowers. I playfully rolled my eyes and took a sip of water, trying to cool down. We had just gotten there, and I didn’t want to get flustered and make us leave before we finished painting our cups.
“What are you painting on yours?” she asked.
My smile was soft with a hint of mischief and flirtatiousness. “Snickerdoodles. They taste delicious and I always need more.” She nearly choked on her water, and I mentally patted myself on the back. I loved that I could surprise her like that.
“That sounds cute.” Indeed. It would be adorable, just like her.
It took less than thirty minutes to finish our cups and take them to the counter to pay for them. Kaia already had her card out before I could even set my mug down. “Don’t even think about it. I asked you out.”
Damn! She knew me too well. Even though she did ask me out, I’d still try to pay my way. I knew she made a lot more money than I did, so I always wanted to make sure I contributed to our relationship equally. I didn’t want her to think I was using her for anything.
I only smiled in response. She paid, and we left hand in hand. When we got outside, she told me our cups would be ready in four days and she’d go pick them up for us. I kissed her cheek and tangled my fingers with hers as we headed home.
Duke was excited to see us, and I made sure to let him outside before taking off my coat and shoes. When I came back, Kaia already had my favorite mug and peppermint herbal tea sitting on the coffee table, with a heated blanket for us to share.
It was wild to think about where we were six months ago.
We were best friends, and Kaia had just lost her dad.
I’d offered her a room and now here we were, sharing a bed and integrating our lives together.
She walked around the house like it had always been our house.
Taking care of Duke, putting groceries away, cleaning, and looking pretty damn perfect doing it all.
If I let myself, I could get used to it.
I plopped down on the couch, closing my eyes and tossing my head back.
I was exhausted, even though we hadn’t done anything strenuous, unless you counted morning sex, which I definitely did.
I was just mentally exhausted. Having these strong feelings for Kaia and not knowing when to express them, or even how, were taking a toll on me.
Every time I even thought about telling her how I felt, I’d immediately think of her reaction and start panicking.
What if she laughed in my face? What if she ran away and I never saw her again?
I mean, I knew she felt a certain way for me, considering our current relationship status, but like and love were two very different things, and when faced with the possibility of like being the only feeling she had for me, I refused to ruin what we had and risk heartbreak.
I jumped when warm and tingle-inducing lips caressed my jaw, along with soft fingers tracing circles along my wrists. Kaia knew how to work me up with only a kiss and a soft touch.
I opened my eyes and turned to face her, my smile wide and filled with so much love. The softness in her eyes made me grab her chin and bring her in for a real kiss. Slow and filled with so many promises. Everything I couldn’t say I poured into that kiss.
She sat back so she had room to bring up her hands. “Did you enjoy yourself today, sunny?”
I nodded, glad I could share one truth with her. “I did. This has been the best first date I’ve ever been on.” I didn’t say how much I wanted it to be my last. That thought came out of nowhere and scared the hell out of me.
“This weekend is my turn to take you out,” I said with a grin.
“Just being with you is more than enough.”
I rolled my eyes with a smile at her cheesy lines.
“You deserve to be wined, dined, and sixty-nined, if you’re good.
” I winked, enjoying the sharp blush that surfaced on her cheeks.
“Okay, maybe not the wine or dine part. I have another idea, but the last part sounds rewarding for me as well. What do you say? Can I take you out sometime?”
She laughed when I rubbed my chin like a douche asking her out. “Yes, baby. You can take me out anytime you want. Let me take you to bed so I can end the date with a kiss on your lips.” She wiggled her eyebrows, and I bit my lip at the insinuation of her plan.
“That sounds like the perfect ending to a perfect date.”