Chapter 13
THIRTEEN
Kay came home from work and the outdoor lights winked on from under the eaves of the house. She couldn't help but smile and turned her head to look up at the camera at the corner and waved.
It was a little cheeky, but she knew that Gibson would be watching.
He had the app on his phone and on the screen inside her kitchen.
And there was a screen inside the bedroom.
That thought put a smile on her face.
The same bedroom that they'd been sharing since they'd come home from Chicago. Sitting beside her on the plane, he'd held her hand and given her a shoulder to lean on when her thoughts tumbled around and around in her head.
And back at home, he'd done what he'd promised her even though she wasn't going to hold him to it.
He'd put up security cameras outside and inside the house. He'd put up motion activated lights as well.
But he hadn't stopped there.
Gibson had rebuilt the frames on every outer door before changing the locks to make sure that each door could keep people out unless they had a key.
Everything he'd done to make her house more secure had tightened the hold he had on her heart until she was sure she loved him.
How could she do anything less after he'd put in so much effort to ensure her safety.
That wasn't it, though.
He was determined to fatten her up too. Or that's what she told herself when he made her the most amazing meals.
Stepping out of the car, she lifted her nose in the air and breathed in the scent of something amazing and garlicky.
She'd always been a fan of garlic, but Gibson had a way with so many other ingredients that she was beginning to put on a little weight just because he had a way with food.
She'd considered picking up some flowers for the dining table in the house on the way home, but she'd been in such a rush to get home, she'd decided against it.
The nights when Gibson wasn't on shift at the fire house, he was at her home before she got home and there was always something amazing on the stove or in the oven. She didn't want to waste a minute getting home.
Before she got to the kitchen door with her key, it swung open, and Gibson was standing there in his jeans and a Henley shirt that made her instantly hot and hungry and not just for food.
"Welcome home, honey."
She rolled her eyes and climbed the steps into the kitchen. "What's for dinner, dear." She gave him a wink. "The moment I opened the car door I could smell heaven."
He lifted up his arms and leaned his face closer to his armpits and sniffed. "Huh, didn't realize that's what I was wearing today."
Kay gave him a playful shove. "Silly man."
As she moved past him, he gave her a soft open-handed smack on her butt.
"Go on, honey," he chuckled, "get showered and by the time you're done, dinner will be on the table."
She paused at the corner before she dipped out of sight. "This is so domestic."
She heard him call after her.
"It's part of the reason you love me!"
Kay stopped for a moment, just out of sight and nodded.
She sure did.
And she was going to tell him, soon.
She just wanted to plan it a little and make it really special because Gibson deserved someone making a fuss over him for a change.
Gibson loved watching Kay eat.
No, he didn't have a feeding fetish or anything like that.
But he loved to see her eat the meals that he'd prepared for them because the way that she enjoyed his food made him feel like a damn hero for putting food on a plate.
It was quite a bit different from cooking for the other firefighters who seemed to grumble over pretty much anything that he produced, just because they thought it was funny.
It kind of was, but he loved seeing her enjoy the food he made.
Just the sight of her wrapping her lips around a forkful of food that he'd made did more for him than anything else.
It got him hard.
Okay, so maybe he did have a food fetish of some kind.
That night, he'd made her a chicken piccata with lemon sauce and garlic bread.
He was beginning to know her eating habits as well as he knew her body.
She'd torn a piece of garlic bread in half and bitten off a mouthful of the buttery bread and moaned loud enough that his dick thickened in his jeans.
She continued on, cutting the chicken into thick bite-sized pieces and ate a few mouthfuls before she stopped to talk.
"No wonder people talk about firefighters and eating."
He nearly choked on the bite of food in his mouth, coughing to keep it out of his lungs. "What?"
"Sorry." Kay was laughing, her hand and napkin over her mouth. "It's something I heard on Top Chef."
He opened his eyes wider at that. "On what?"
"Top Chef." She sat back in her chair, bringing one knee up to her chest as she looked at him across the table.
"They were in Boston for a season and the chefs had to cook at a restaurant where.
.. I think it was an old fire station. And along with the hosts there were firefighters and police there. "
"Oh," he swallowed a bite and smiled, "I bet that was funny."
She shrugged. "You would know more than I would.
But I think they had some of each at the main table and a firefighter made a quip about the food being better than donuts.
And then a policeman said something like 'We all know firefighters sleep until it's time to eat and eat until it's time to sleep.
' So I'm guessing you kind of have to know how to cook good meals if you're a firefighter. "
He nodded and grinned back at her. "If you don't cook good food there could be a mutiny on your hands."
Kay stared wide-eyed at him. "Thank goodness my position at the hospital doesn't count on me being a good cook. I would have been kicked out by now."
"I'm sure you cook fine."
She gave him a look that spoke volumes. "I can cook comfort food," she tilted her head and sighed. "Comfort meaning easy. And probably food you wouldn't enjoy."
"Meaning?"
Blushing, she lifted her chin toward the coffee pot that she kept on the counter.
"One of my favorites is ramen. I make it in that coffee pot right over there."
He had to swallow the laugh that threatened to come out. "I'm sorry, what?"
"Something I learned in college. Those six-for-a-dollar instant noodles in a package?"
"Yeah?"
She smiled. "I don't even know if they're considered actual food, but it's quick and filling. I'd cut up some veggies and toss it in. Some green onions. Napa cabbage. Some fish cake, but just a little, that stuff is expensive."
He stared at her, disbelieving. "What the hell is fish cake?"
She lowered her leg down and then leaned her forearms on the edge of the table. "It's not cake like birthday cake."
"God, I hope not."
Kay laughed and he basked in the joy of that sound.
"Fish cake is an Asian thing. The kind I like is pink on the outside, and white in the middle with a pink swirl. It's kind of like a fish cake sausage."
"Okay."
She laughed. "It tastes better than it sounds. All of that and some togarashi." She held up her hand for him to wait. "Shichimi Togarashi. It's a spice mix of Japanese peppers and other ingredients. It's a heat that makes the flavor of everything else... rise."
"Yeah?"
She hung her head and used her fork to pick up another bite. "I'm sure it sounds crazy."
"Actually. It sounds good. Maybe you'll make it for me someday."
Her eyes narrowed at him. "You're not kidding."
"No." He shook his head." Not at all. I want to try it."
Something sparkled in her eyes. "Okay. The next time you're not on shift so you're home for dinner. I'll make it."
With that said, she dug back into her food.
Gibson sat there, watching her, thinking about the words that she'd used.
"Home?"
She lifted her head to look at him. "Hmm?"
He grinned at her. "You said... the next time that I'm not on shift and home for dinner."
Blinking at him, she smiled. "I did."
Gibson got up off of his chair and moved to her side.
Kay turned toward him as he got down on his knees.
He put his hands on her knees and moved them up and under the long nightshirt that she'd put on after her shower.
"I like that you called this place home for me, Kay."
She drew in a gasp as he moved his hands over her thighs and around to her ass.
"It feels like silk."
She smiled at him. "It's just really soft cotton."
"Yeah?"
He pulled her to the edge of the chair as he moved between her thighs. Gibson withdrew his hands and lifted the hem of her night shirt. "Lift up, honey."
Kay leaned forward and he moved her shirt out from under her and when she sat back, he lifted the front of her shirt until he could drop that behind her head. That kept the shirt on her shoulders but left her chest bare to his gaze.
Her nipples were tight, full and swollen at the tips, darker than her tan skin.
Her hands fell on his shoulders and her eyes fixed on his.
"I do want you to think of this place as your home, Gibson. I... I can't imagine this house without you."
He leaned in and breathed across one of her nipples and watched it tighten with the stimulus.
Then he turned and blew his warm breath across her other nipple.
She sucked in a breath as he brushed his lips across her skin before he opened his mouth and drew her into his mouth.
"Oh..." Kay leaned into him, her fingers digging into his back, bringing him closer. "Wow..."
He smiled against her breast and used his tongue to make her breathless.
What else could he do?
After all, he was home.