Chapter 9 #2
It all starts with just one dinner.
brENNA
Now this is what I call a surprise.
I’ve been absolutely going crazy locked up in this room. So much so that I’ve started talking to myself.
It’s quite an adjustment going from being in a house with dozens of people to being somewhere where there is just one, and that one person would rather stare into fire than have a conversation.
So for him to invite me to dinner is a shock, to say the least. He did it in the most unconventional way possible, but I understood him.
He’s not used to this either. At least he’s making an effort. If he can try, so can I.
I quickly run a brush through my hair and throw on a simple sundress. It’s a little colder than normal here in the house, but it’ll do for now. I swipe some lip gloss on my lips, pinch my cheeks a little bit, and walk out.
I can smell the food wafting down the hall, and my stomach growls angrily.
I’ve been eating, but I did my damndest to come out of my room only when I was sure Cormac wasn’t around.
Either he was in his room or in the parlor room.
He could lose himself for hours in that parlor room.
I ate what I could put together quickly.
Cold cut sandwiches, a bowl of cereal, microwave food.
It wasn’t good, but at least I didn’t have to go to bed hungry.
Now that there is an option of something else, I’m almost hopping with joy.
I stop in the kitchen, but I don’t see anything there.
“Cormac?” I call out for him, unsure where he is.
“Wife.” His deep voice sounds behind me. My stomach stops growling for food, and now the butterflies take hold. Did he just call me wife? Why the hell was it so damn sexy?
My cheeks burn with blush as I take a few steps in his direction. He doesn’t touch me, but instead steps to the side and gestures with his hand that I should go in the next room.
There is a sliding door that I have to move to the side. It’s a dining room.
I can’t help the gasp that pops out of my mouth when I get a clear glimpse of the room.
I’d seen it a few times during my explorations of the home, but Cormac has turned this into something I wasn’t expecting.
All of the candles are lit. The drapes are pulled to the side, allowing the moonlight to come streaming into the room.
The table is full of foods. All in pretty platters, piping hot, waiting to be devoured.
He walks to the side of the table and pulls out a chair.
This is a first.
I know Cormac, the monster. Cormac, the hermit. But this one, Cormac, the gentleman, is the best of all.
“Thank you,” I whisper.
“You’re welcome,” he replies after he clears his throat.
I sit in the chair, and he pushes it in for me.
“I didn’t know what you wanted to eat.” He shrugs as he looks down at the table. Seeing him like this, unsure and polite, is doing things to me.
“It all looks good. Did you cook this?” I ask, even though I already know the answer. The kitchen was way too clean for him to have been able to cook all this.
“No, I ordered. I’m not a good cook.” He grumbles and looks away, as if that’s something to be ashamed of. In this day and age, food can be ordered from anywhere and be brought right to the door. People don’t need to cook anymore.
“That’s okay. I can cook well. Maybe tomorrow night I can cook you something.”
“Tomorrow night?” he questions, his eyebrows going up in surprise.
“Yeah… I think we can make this an everyday thing, don’t you think. Like you said, we both have to eat, and it’s not like I’m going anywhere. What’s the harm in eating together.” I give him a smile and watch as he lets out a breath in relief.
“Okay, that sounds good.”
We both are there staring at each other for a second, until the tension gets too strong. “Why don’t we get started. We don’t want it to get cold.”
“Yes, that’s right. Let’s start.” He reaches for a plate as if he is going to serve me, but I stop him. I don’t need him to serve me; we can work together.
“How about we just grab what we want. There’s a lot of options. I want to taste a little bit of everything.”
Cormac nods and sits. Seconds later, we are both digging into the plates of food.
The food tastes like heaven on my tongue. I don’t know how they make these pastas here in America, but it doesn’t taste anything like this.
I’m sure my lips are a mess as I slurp up some spaghetti and chomp down on a piece of breaded chicken breast.
“Do you like it?” Cormac asks.
“It’s so good. This is the first time I’ve had a meal from America that I didn’t make.”
He nods and sighs before he puts his fork down and rubs the back of his neck. He’s uncomfortable about something.
“About that. What do you normally eat? You’ve been here for weeks, and since I see you haven’t passed out from starvation I know you’re eating something. What do you eat here?”
“I can take care of myself.”
“You can, but I’m supposed to be taking care of you. It’s my responsibility.”
He’s coming from a good place with this. I’m not going to ruin it by saying I’m my own responsibility.
“Usually, I eat whatever I can put together quickly. There’s some corn flakes in there. Sandwich meat. Things like that.”
“And that is what you’d prefer? I saw you cooking something once. I wasn’t sure what it was, but if you like to cook I can get some things in here for you.”
“You were watching me?” I question, my eyebrows hitching up.
“Yes.”
The inferno inside of me rages even higher. God, just knowing that he’s been hiding in the shadows watching me makes me want to purr with happiness. I’ve really been getting to him.
“I do like to cook. I’d like if there were more fresh things in here for me to make.”
“Do you have anything in particular you want me to get?”
I tilt my head before I take a bite of warm, buttered bread. “I’ll make a list.”
He smiles at me again before focusing on his own food.
The dinner is more of that. He asks me questions about myself and my preferences.
What I would like in the house. What he can get for me.
It’s really showing a different side to him than I knew was there.
By the time we are both finished, I feel like he knows more about me than I know about him, and I want to fix that.
Problem is I don’t want to have to wait until our next meal to drill him.
I wonder just how far I can push this.
I use the napkin to wipe at the corners of my mouth and push my plate away from me.
“I’ll clean up. You don’t have to worry about that.”
“Thank you. I appreciate the meal. It was wonderful… the company as well.”
He smirks again, only a grunt in response.
“Actually, I have another request.” I look up at him, keeping my voice light and polite.
He presses his mouth together and trains his eyes on me. “What is it?”
“This was a great meal but very heavy. Do you think we could go outside and just take a walk.” I see him gearing up to tell me no.
His shoulders tighten and his fists clench on the table.
“Not outside the gate or anything. Just right here on the property. Maybe by the hedges. Some fresh air and exercise is all I’m asking, and you’ll be right there with me. ”
I wring my hands together under the table. It’s such a small thing, but I know for Cormac this is a monumental ask. I’m still not sure what his aversion to going outside is, but I know he has his issues with it.
“Just for a little while.” He finally concedes, and I clap my hands before I push up from the table and reach my hand out for him to join me.
He looks down at my hand and then back up to my face, as if he’s unsure. A small tremble races up my body when he finally grabs hold.
I want to run for the door, but I keep my steps slow as we walk out, hand in hand, to the backyard.
He stiffens the second we make it to the steps that lead outside, and I rub my thumb along his finger to let him know that I’m right here with him. When he releases a breath and we continue on, I start to feel a bit of pride for him. He’s truly working so hard for this.
The minute my feet touch the grass, I hear the soft padding of paws coming in our direction. The dogs aren’t tied up or anything, and they are coming right toward us.
I yank myself back, trying to get back to the house, but Cormac holds me steady.
“They won’t attack you unless I give the order. They are just curious.”
“That doesn’t look like a bunch of curious dogs. They look like the hounds from hell.” My words come out shaken.
He chuckles slightly before pulling me forward. The three dogs pad right over to me, and I stand stock-still as they look up at me before pressing their noses against my bare legs and against my hips. The doberman manages to find his snout under my dress, and I giggle, trying to get him away.
I reach down and pet him. I’m surprised when, in the most unexpected manner, he licks my palms and fingers, probably trying to get whatever leftover food is there.
I laugh a little harder as I bend and start giving all of them love. They bark and jump around when they realize they are getting attention. I don’t know for sure, but I doubt Cormac comes out here just to play with them very often.
He’s right, though. These dogs aren’t beasts. They’re just very well-trained soldiers.
“Oh, crap… well now I love them.” I sigh, shrug, and stand up next to Cormac with an even wider smile on my face.
“Yeah, they’re good boys.”
“Do they have names?”
He points to the two rottweilers. “Ash, and that one is Brim. This guy here is the youngest.” He points to the doberman. “He’s Ember.”
Ember? Brim? Ash? All of them have names related to fire. I’ll have to dig more into that later.
“Ember is my favorite, I think.” I reach down and rub my hand over his head once again.
“Don’t tell them that. They’ll get jealous.” He grumbles playfully before he tugs on my hand and we start walking along the very outskirts of the property.
While we are walking, the dogs follow close behind.
Every once in a while they run off to play with something before coming right back.
While we walk, I do my best to dig into Cormac’s life.
I find out about his life and his brothers, one of whom I find out is still in prison.
There are certain topics he doesn’t like to talk about, like his childhood or his mother, so I steer clear of those.
I’m surprised when he tells me that he doesn’t really have a passion, nothing he likes to do more than anything else, or the fact that he’s never had a girlfriend. I’m sure it has something to do with the scar on his face, but I don’t pry about it.
By the time we make it all the way around the house, my legs are hurting and I’m starting to get way too cold, but I don’t want the night to end. Instead, I want to spend more time with Cormac. More time breaking down these walls that he’s spent all his life building up.