Mr. Valentine's Heart

Dinner

“But?” She sighs and closes her eyes.

“But I don't want this to be just about s.ex.” I throw my head back and laugh. She really has no idea how I feel about her, but it’s up to me to show her.”What's so funny?” I look at her and smile.

“It's just funny that you’d think that's all I would be interested in. It's okay though. How about we go out on a date?” I watch her face and start to worry when fear takes over her features. That's something I will look into later.

“Can we stay in? I'll make us dinner tonight.” I bite the inside of my cheek to keep from laughing. I think she forgot that she can't cook for anything. I swallow my laugh and nod.

“Dinner tonight sounds great. I can't wait.” My door opens, and Breyanne walks in. She stops and stares at us. Something about the look on her face is bothering me. I clear my throat and tighten my hold on Cherise since she's trying to move away from me. “What do you need?”

“Oh, uh, HR is here is talk to you.” I nod and turn my attention back to Cherise. A good minute passes, and Breyanne remains staring at us.

“Did you need something else?” She jumps and shakes her head before turning and rushing out of the room.

“That was so unprofessional.” I chuckle and kiss the top of her head.

“I'm the boss. I can do whatever I want.”

~Cherise~

Okay, so I didn't expect any of that to happen today. I did not expect to agree to… what did I agree to? Are Caleb and I dating now? Are we together, a couple? f***k! I'm super confused.

I push the cart further down the aisle, looking at my list. I have no idea why I offered to cook because I don't even know how good I am at cooking. Since I've been on my own, I've eaten out a lot and bought premade things from the grocery store. The extent of my cooking has been heating food on the stove and in the oven. Something tells me that I can do this, so here we go.

I hurry home with my purchase and set up in the kitchen. I want to shower and change, but I need to start dinner first. I take everything out of the bag and place it on the counter. I put the bottle of wine in the fridge. I turn the oven on and open the chicken. I throw salt on it along with pepper and put it in the oven. Next, I tackle the sauce that's going over it.

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A knock on my door has me rushing around the kitchen. I've been cooking since I got home, and I just barely finished. I’ve had no time for a shower or a change of clothes.

I rush over and open the door. My entire world pauses as I take in the sight of the man in front of me. He's delicious, and it's a bit overwhelming. He laughs as his eyes roam over me. He reaches out and runs his finger along my cheek. When he lifts his finger, it’s covered in a yellow substance.

I shake my head and step aside so he can come in. He has a bag in his hand, but he doesn't say anything about it. “Glad you could make it.”

“It's our first date. Wild horses couldn't keep me away.” I smile and lead him to my little table.

“Can I take that bag for you?” He looks down as he sits in the chair. Caleb looks back at me and shakes his head.

“We can deal with this later.” I go into the kitchen and plate the food that I made. I made chicken with an alfredo sauce. I’m not sure what happened, though. The picture was white, but my sauce turned out yellow. I put some rice on the plate along with some broccoli. I put a plate in front of Caleb and one in my spot. I go back to the kitchen to get the wine out of the fridge, along with two wine glasses. “It looks good.” I smile and sit down.

I watch in anticipation as Caleb inspects his plate. He has an amused look on his face, but he says nothing. He gets some rice on his fork and puts it in his mouth. He spits it out quickly, shaking his head. “What’s wrong?”

“Uh, your rice is a bit undercooked.” I hurry and try the rice, wincing as I bite down. The rice is hard, and I hope I didn't crack a tooth.

“Oh, I'm sorry.” Caleb stabs at a piece of broccoli and places it in his mouth. he drops it just as quickly as he picks it up. “What’s wrong with the broccoli?”

“Well, it's cold.” I try the broccoli, and embarrassment floods me. The broccoli is still frozen.

“Sh.it!” He shakes his head and moves on to the chicken. I bought thighs because he's a big guy, and I wanted to make sure I gave him enough food. Caleb cuts into the chicken, and a pink, slightly red liquid comes out. He drops his utensils and starts to laugh. His head falls back, and his laugh is deep. “I swear I can cook.” He shakes his head, laughing, as he picks up the bag he brought in.

“Some things never change.” My body freezes as he pulls containers out of the bag.

“What does that mean?” His hands still for a minute before he continues what he was doing.

“I wasn't sure you'd have enough time to cook, so I brought some food. I texted you.” I grab my phone and pull up my messages. Sure enough, there was a text there that I missed. I don't miss how he didn't answer my question, but that’s something that can wait until later. I'm super hungry right now, and the scent of the food is making it hard to concentrate.

~Caleb~

Good job, dumbass. I thought you were taking this slow. I ignore Eros, not wanting to talk to him in front of Cherish. She will think it's strange to see my eyes gloss over.

I'm not surprised by how her meal turned out. Cherish has never been one to know how to cook. I remember she tried to cook for us on our one-month anniversary, which was a disaster. She almost burnt down our place. It was funny afterward, but it's something I'll never forget.

I'd be interested to know why she thought she could cook, but that will have to wait until she remembers who she is. She digs in as soon as I put the mean in front of her. I bought another one of her favorites: chicken adobo. I watch Cherish take a bite of her meal. Her eyes close, and a moan escapes her mouth. My pants get tight as I watch her enjoy her meal. “What is this?”

I clear my throat, hoping the desire can't be heard when I speak. “That's uh, chicken adobo.” I watch her lick her lips and continue to eat. f***k! I could watch her eat for a lifetime. Everything she does turns me on, and it's not soon to end. This is going to be a long dinner.