Page 20 of Jaxson

He sat opposite her, and his smile was nervous.

“It smells so good,” she said.

“I wanted it to be perfect.”

Tillie lifted her knife and fork and as she put her fork into the spaghetti he cooked, the strands didn’t loosen. It all came together as she went to twirl her fork. The pasta was hard. Not rock-hard, but hard.

“Fuck me,” he said, running a hand across his face.

“It’s fine. It’s fine,” she said.

Slicing into the chicken, it was tender and fell completely off the bone. If she was going to fear anything, it was undercooked chicken. She took a bite, and the flavors were amazing. There was nothing too strong, it was all a perfect balance of herbs, garlic, and chicken.

“This is absolutely delicious,” she said.

All of a sudden, her plate was taken from her, and she frowned. “I was eating that,” she said.

Jaxson didn’t say anything, as he worked in the kitchen, and she couldn’t quite see what he was doing. However, he returned moments later with fresh bowls and the chicken inside, with another couple of spoonfuls. “I couldn’t watch you eating around the spaghetti, or risking you chipping a tooth on one of the strands.”

She couldn’t help but laugh. “I’m sorry. I don’t know why it is so funny.”

“Because, isn’t pasta supposed to be one of the easiest things to cook?” he asked.

“Oh, trust me, it is. But it’s also one of those things you need to cook right and then know when to serve it.” She smiled at him. “However, your mom’s chicken cacciatore is absolutely delicious. I love it. When my mom did her version, she always put in a little too much rosemary.”

“I didn’t do too much?” he asked.

“No, this is stunning. I’m not just saying that, but I am shocked you cooked for me.”

“You’re special, Tillie. Of course I was going to cook for you.”

She didn’t know if it was suddenly getting warmer, or if she was the only one feeling heated.

Chapter Seven

Neither of them drank the wine, and that was because Jaxson wasn’t a wine drinker. He liked beer, and never went fancier than that. However, his mom’s notes said the bottle of wine was essential. He would take the rest of the wine back to his parents for them to enjoy. The food was delicious, apart from the disaster of the pasta.

Next, he even wowed with his mom’s chocolate pudding recipe, and yes, he paid for those ingredients out of his mom’s pantry as well. There was no point in rushing to the grocery store, and if his mom needed it, he’d go for her in the coming week.

He put the pudding in front of Tillie and sat down opposite her. It was a homemade chocolate pudding, with a dollop of whipped cream on top. According to his mother’s suggestions to help it set quickly, he spread the mixture out into individual ramekins and allowed them to cool. It had gotten cooled quite quickly, and he placed it in the fridge, but it also helped that he did it the moment he got indoors. The whipped cream went on top just before he went to get Tillie.

“This is so delicious,” Tillie said.

The date had been amazing. They talked about food and some of the locals, then Tillie told him a few of her upcoming plans for videos. They talked about everything and nothing. He talked about what he liked about his job, what he hated. A few gross stories added into the mix. Conversation just flowed between them, as if it was natural for the two of them. He was loving every second of it.

At one point, Belle came to join them. She went outside into his yard and went to a patch where she could do her business. He’d clean it up in the morning. She came inside, had some food, and went to settle down into her bed.

By the time he cleared the table, the sun had already set, and he closed the door and turned to find Tillie standing by the table. He didn’t want her to leave. She didn’t need to leave. It had been too long since he had kissed her.

He closed the distance, partly expecting her to stop him and tell him this wasn’t going to happen. Only, she didn’t put her hands up, nor did she tell him to stop. Wrapping his arms around her, he pulled her in close and kissed her hard, hearing her soft, subtle moan. He ran his hands down her body, going to her ass, and he pressed her close, so she felt the hard ridge of his cock.

“You drive me crazy, do you know that?”

She whimpered.

“If you want me to stop, tell me.”

“I don’t want you to stop. But Jaxson, I don’t know what I’m doing.”