Chapter 3
CHAPTER THREE
Nash
Okay, so maybe the fake snow was a little over the top. But after discovering it online, I couldn’t resist.
A delivery at that early hour wasn’t the kindest thing to do, but it was an easy way to offer her a date. How could she say no to a steak dinner?
besides a little online research led me to her food blog and while I didn’t stay up all night reading it or anything (who had time for that?) I discovered a good steak dinner was one of her top favorites.
Considering one of my buddies dropped me off fresh cut ribeyes often, I’d gotten pretty good at cooking them. Perfected it, actually.
After a few hours decorating in the yard, I headed inside to work and prep dinner. I invited Aubrey over for seven, so I had plenty of time to boil the potatoes and marinate the meat.
I showered, trimmed my beard, dressed in jeans, a tight t-shirt and button down, and patted on my best aftershave.
At exactly six fifty-eight, my doorbell rang and when I opened the door, my mouth dropped.
holy shit.
if I thought she was pretty before God damn, did I think she was gorgeous now.
“You clean up nice.” I said as I ushered her inside, her scent even stronger than it usually was.
“As do you,” Aubrey pierced me with her gaze, her tongue darting out between her lips.
I helped her with her coat, revealing a sexy black dress, the skirt falling just above her knees. Her curves filled the dress stunningly, and my dick, the one making his presence known a lot lately, throbbed in my pants.
Jerking off twice in the shower didn’t seem to help much, apparently.
Black nylons covered her legs down to her strappy sandals and a sheer black cardigan covered her bare shoulders. Her beautiful chestnut tresses hung down her back and simple earrings, and a necklace completed her look.
It was better than my dreams.
I cleared my throat as I led her to the kitchen. “Would you like something to drink?”
“Sure. I like your Christmas tree.” Aubrey said, as she pointed to my tree in the living room.
It was pretty much the extent of my decorations inside, but I went all out, with several strings of lights and lots of ornaments.
It was always a fresh balsam pine tree and one of the largest ones the lot had, filling up the bay window in the front.
“Thank you. It’s usually the only decoration I put up.”
Aubrey’s mouth fell open. “Says the guy who challenged me to a contest?”
“Yes, but look how detailed it is. When I go in on something, I focus on one thing and give it my all.”
“Is that so?” Aubrey chugged half her wine, and I watched with amusement. “Then, tell me Nash. What’s the thing you focus on when it comes to relationships?”
Ah, I see the wine was giving my gorgeous girl some liquid courage.
“That’s a good question, Aubrey. To be honest, I don’t know. And I think that’s because I haven’t found the right person yet.”
“Good answer.” She swallowed the rest of her wine in one large gulp before holding her glass out for more.
“Is someone a secret lush?” I teased as I poured her more.
“Just preparing myself for your cooking,” Aubrey teased back, and I wanted to kiss her sexy plump lips. “What’s on the menu besides steak?”
I sipped my beer before moseying over to the stove. It was time to bring it all together and make the magic happen.
“Get ready to find out.”
While Aubrey watched, I seared the steak, drenching it in butter. I mashed my potatoes after adding butter and cream, threw the bread in the toaster, and took out the salad from the fridge.
“Wait until you try my garlic brown butter sauce and my whipped mashed potatoes.”
“It smells delicious, thank you, Nash.”
“It’s the least I can do for waking you up early.” I said as I began plating our food, starting with the salad and bread first.
The steak rested as we chatted and ate. “A man who can cook is always a good thing. Did you teach yourself?”
“No, my mother and grandmother. My mom was a single mom and while she worked a lot, she always made the time to teach me life skills. I spent a lot of time with my grandmother, who showed me how to cook along with my mom.”
“Aw, that’s amazing. I bet your grandmother knew some good recipes.”
“Yeah, she did. She was Italian and always shared her secret recipes passed on from her mother.”
“You must know how to make a great meatball then. Or lasagna maybe?”
“Both. And an even better eggplant Parmesan.”
“Oh, my God, stop. Can I marry you right now?” Her cheeks turned crimson red as soon as the words slipped from her sexy lips, but it was too late to take them back.
“Would it be crazy if I said yes?” I said merely for shock value, but a risky daredevil part of me didn’t care. I wanted this woman so fucking bad. I didn’t know how much longer I could hold back.
“Yes, kind of.”
We both laughed and clinked glasses in a cheer.
Over the steak and potatoes, we learned about the other, how she grew up with two parents and a younger brother she talks to occasionally.
She talked about her best friend Pip and how long they’ve been friends.
She told me how she’d always loved Christmas ever since she was a little girl and she loved classic movies and books.
And then when we ended up on the couch together, half drunk and stuffed full of food, we moved onto our decorating competition.
Aubrey licked her lips, something I’ve noticed she did often, and my cock reminded me it was there, as it had been doing a lot of lately. “Why don’t we call it a truce?”
The three beers I consumed buzzed through my head, making my thoughts woozy and unclear. “A truce? Now why would we do that? We haven’t finished yet.”
“I don’t want to compete against you, Nash. I want to kiss you.” The words slurred a bit.
The alcohol fused sexual tension throbbed between us.
“Would you be saying that without the wine?”
Aubrey moved closer to me on the couch, abandoning her glass on the side table. “Yes. The wine just gives me courage to actually make a move.”
“Good. What are you waiting for, then?”