Page 40 of Strawberry Cake
He didn’t want her to leave, but he had no energy to make his mouth move. A moment later, she pulled a shirt over his head and guided his arms through the sleeves.
“Can you get on the bed?”
He didn’t feel like moving, but with her help he pushed himself up anyway, collapsing onto the mattress. What the fuck was happening?
Hope pushed a pillow under his head and covered him with a blanket. “I’m here, baby. You can relax now.”
She combed her fingers through his hair and held him, kissing wherever she could reach and whispering sweet praises. He wasn’t sure when or how, but somewhere along the way, he dozed off.
Hope
Hope held Decan until he’d dozed off, then she carefully slipped out of bed and went to the kitchen. There, she added some extra cheese to two frozen pizzas and slid them in the oven. She filled up Mr. Grumps’s food and returned to the bedroom with water and juice.
Decan was still passed out, and she felt… indifferent. He’d seemed to enjoy himself, seemingly loving the feeling, but she was worried that she’d pushed him too far. She climbed back into bed, running her fingers through his still damp curls until she heard the timer go off.
“Stay here, baby. I’ll be right back.”
Not that Decan was going anywhere. He let out a soft grunt and when she returned with the pizzas in hand, he had his half open eyes on her. She sat his food on the nightstand and offered him the water, which he gratefully accepted with an appreciative grunt. He gulped half of it down, then wordlessly pointed at his sweatpants. Once he’d dressed himself, he took his pizza in his lap.
Hope sat next to him, unsure how she should express her concern. “I think I broke you, and I’m sorry.”
He crooked his brow at her and grinned. “You made me come so hard I passed out. Not sure what you’re apologising for.”
“I’m afraid I took it too far.”
Decan sighed and reached out to cup her cheek. “You didn’t. It was amazing.Youwere amazing.” Then he chuckled. “I never thought I would say this, but I’d like you to do that again.”
She closed her eyes and leaned into his touch. “Thank you for trusting me.”
“I’m glad I did.”
Once they’d eaten, Decan curled up under the blanket while Hope cleared the dishes away. With Mr. Grumps in her arms she returned and was pulled to Decan’s chest, falling asleep the moment she slid under the cover.
The next morning, she woke up still in Decan’s arms but with something soft and fuzzy nudging her face. She opened her eyes to be greeted by Mr. Grumps’s unamused glare.
“He wants his breakfast.” Decan laughed and scratched his new friend’s ear. “He says we slept too late.”
“So demanding.” She stretched and kissed Decan’s cheek. “Let’s go serve the king his breakfast.”
But Decan wasn’t ready to let her go, pulling her into a deep, passionate kiss instead. She melted into him, but before she could fully appreciate him, a ball of fur pushed between them, and she had to giggle.
“I regret giving you a home,” Decan grumbled, but he smiled when he ran his hand over Mr. Grumps’s back.
Hope picked up the little homewrecker and carried him to the kitchen, filling his food bowl and starting the coffee. When Decan entered the kitchen, she handed him his drink and perused the fridge for something to eat. “What would you like to do today?”
Decan sighed and when Hope glanced over her shoulder, Decan was twisting his mug from left to right in his palms. “I wanted to go see Marco.”
The fridge closed then, Hope giving him her undivided attention. “At the car meetup?”
“Yeah, but only if you’re willing to come with me.”
“Of course I’ll come with you. What changed your mind?”
“I don’t know. I just want to go and if I feel shitty about it, I would prefer to have you there.”
“I’m perfectly happy to be your knight in shining armour. I just have one condition.”
Soft, hazel, puppy eyes peered up at her. “You do?”