Page 20

There is nothing better than a long hot soak in the tub, and after Don left, that is exactly what I did. Well, after I gave myself a full tour of his house. It’s so beautiful here, and it’s a place I could only dream of living in. But even with all this beauty around me, my mind is still reeling with uncertainty due to the events of the past couple of days. My stomach sinks when I think of Jack, him asking me to wait, but I couldn't stop myself with Don. I think with Don it’s a lot deeper than me and Jack would ever be.

I’m so comfortable, soaking in this magnificent bathtub, you could fit five people in this tub, it’s that massive. It’s in a separate room, down the hall from Don's bedroom, with a little sauna attached. The more time I spend in this house the more I fall in love with it. Also, I may have accidentally used too much bubble bath, as the bubbles are up and over the tub. I have never had to fill a tub this large before.

There is music playing out of my phone and I am enjoying a large glass of sparkling orange juice. I was planning to stay in the tub until the water got cold, but there’s some fancy shit in this one that keeps the water hot.

I have been here for about two hours already and my fingers and toes are like prunes but I’m so relaxed, I don’t want to leave.

As voices echo up from downstairs, a fluttering sensation washes over my stomach, as if it’s performing a series of somersaults. Don must be home. What is it about this man that captivates me so deeply?

Quickly laying back down, I try to cover myself with as many bubbles as possible, trying to make myself wet and sexy like the women you see in the movies.

While I wait, my mind wanders back to Jack again, I can’t help it. I feel bad, and not just bad for him, I’m embarrassed for myself. Everything that happened between Jack and myself didn’t feel like I thought it would, it didn’t feel right, not even a little bit. Why did I think that I wanted him like that? To be honest, I didn’t feel any attraction to Jack while kissing him, not like how I feel with Don. Now that man makes me feel things.

With careful consideration, I think that once I’m back home, I will sit down with Jack and explain myself, because I couldn’t live with myself if I lead him on. Even though I didn’t tell him I would wait, I did tell him I would think about it and I have, it’s a clear ‘no.’

A loud knock on the door startles me. “Raine, love, you have been in there for a while now, is everything ok?” Linda shouts through the door.

“Yes, everything is fine. I will be out in a few minutes.”

“Okay, love, Mr. Archer is in the kitchen cooking, he asked me to let you know.”

“Thank you, Linda, I won’t be long.” I shout back.

“Okay, love, I will tell him.”

Slowly, I prop myself up, wincing slightly as I swing my legs over the side of the tub. The warmth from the bath lingers in my muscles, making my leg feel significantly better than it did before. With a gentle stretch, I stand and step out. Quickly wrapping myself up in the towel as I make my way into the bedroom.

Linda is nowhere to be seen, but there’s a lovely, neat pile of clothes sitting on the bed, and I can’t help but smile. Appreciation floods through me as I grab the clothes to get dressed. As I grab them, I notice that they’re the same outfit I wore earlier: black leather look leggings and a band T-shirt, the only difference is that they’re clean now. Carelessly, I flop down onto the bed. The last few days have been overwhelming, and I want to make sure I don’t mess anything up by rushing my decisions. Yet, at the same time, I don’t want to overthink everything. My head is fucked right now.

With a deep breath, I haul my ass off the bed to get dressed. Linda said Don was cooking dinner, and I would very much love to sit and watch him. Given the chance, I would do that all day long.

After I get dressed, and with a renewed sense of purpose, I make my way down the stairs. Deliberately skipping the makeup, I went for the simpler look, only running Don’s comb through my air-dried strands. Considering this man has seen me naked, I didn’t feel the need to go all out and get too glammed up.

The aroma of Don’s cooking fills the air, making my mouth water, I’m absolutely starving, and I can imagine food with each step I take, causing my mouth water even more.

By the time I reach the kitchen, I'm practically drooling.

Momentarily taken aback, the sight before me is truly breathtaking. This man is a remarkable sight, he’s only in black tracksuit bottoms and a grey T-shirt, looking casual but sexy as hell. An unmistakable urge overpowers me and I can’t kick the urge to go over there and rip them off him, like I’m some sort of animal. With every ounce of willpower, I try to rein in the animal within me before I make him aware that I have entered.

“I know you are here, Little Wasp, and if you keep looking at me like that, I will make sure you can’t walk for a week.”

Before I can think of a better witty remark, I blurt out, “Are you threatening me with a good time?”

Amusement flashes in his eyes as he continues with what he was doing.

Ever so slowly, I close the distance between us and take a seat on the stool by the counter. With my chin in my hands, elbows up on the counter, I find myself captivated by his movements; the way he carries himself is utterly enchanting. An overwhelming desire to explore every inch of him with my hands overpowers me and my mind comes up with all different scenarios of doing just that. I’d love to smother him in something, well, other than syrup, cream maybe, oh, oh, melted chocolate. Yes, melted chocolate. I would smother him in melted chocolate, add some marshmallows. Even better, I could make a smore out of him, hell, yes.

Completely immersed in this daydream a voice interrupts me. “Are you hungry, Sweetheart?”

A smug smirk on his lips as he’s standing right in front of me, I didn't even notice when he moved toward me. “Huh?” Is the only word I can get out.

“You were mumbling something about chocolate.”

“Oh, I was, umm, yes…” I've lost my voice from embarrassment; I can feel my face turning bright red. But I can’t get the image of him covered in chocolate out of my head.

“Come on, I’ve made pasta, let’s go outside and eat,” he says, his tone joyful.

A feeling that he can sense my thoughts courses through me, like he knows exactly what I was thinking, well, the gist of it anyway. I swallow the hard lump that has formed in my throat and follow him outside.