Scanning the counter, I tried to locate the culprits. As I turned around, I noticed a plate stacked with chocolate chip cookies on the bar. I reached for one and took a giant chocolate-filled bite. It was heaven. My woman knew how to bake a cookie.
“Okay,” she called out, her voice startling me as I shoved the remaining piece of cookie into my mouth. “Oh my God, Dalton! Did you eat a cookie already?”
“I’m a grown man, damn it!” I mumbled as I swallowed, embarrassed at being caught. “I didn’t want to wait until after dinner.”
She laughed as she shook her head and groaned. “You’re such a child.”
“I’m sure you didn’t eat any cookie dough while you baked them, did you?”
“What kind of person would I be if I didn’t?”
“Exactly. So, don’t yell at me,” I said as I stuck my bottom lip out in a pretend pout.
“You’re in big trouble,” she teased, and I wanted to tell her that it was okay. I was willing to get in all sorts of trouble with her as long as she doled out the punishment.
“I think you’re the one who’s in trouble,” I teased back, and her cheeks flushed.
“Let me show you around. It’s pretty spacious, so try not to get lost.” Cammie giggled and I followed behind her, watching her ass swing back and forth in her jeans. “This is the kitchen. And the combination living room/dining room.” She waved her hand to indicate the large main area.
I glanced around at the space, noting the couch and a single recliner. Artwork on the walls looked like Italian landscapes, and candles were placed tastefully here and there in whatever the hell you called the candleholder shit thing. It wasn’t my thing, but I still found it pretty.
My gaze landed on an entertainment center that was a man’s dream. A giant flat-screen television sat surrounded by stereo equipment and speakers of all sizes. “How big is your TV? And do you seriously have surround sound in here?”
Cammie raised an eyebrow at me. “It’s fifty-six inches. And hell yes, I have surround sound. I love my electronics.”
My heart beat a little faster at her words. I would have married her right now simply based on that statement alone.
“Come on.” She beckoned for me to follow as she went back down the hallway toward the front door. After making a quick right, she waved her arm. “The bathroom is to the right and straight ahead is my room.”
I moved past her and entered her most private place without asking—her bedroom. While her condo wasn’t that large, her bedroom was pretty big. “Walk-in closet?” I asked, pointing at the closed door in the corner of the room.
“Yeah. It’s seriously huge in there. This place is so weird.” She walked over to the door and pulled it open.
Peering inside, I noticed that the closet looked custom made, with built-in shelving for shoes and whatever other crap you’re supposed to put in those things. “This closet is massive. I could live in there.”
“You wanna live in my closet?” She was obviously teasing, but her voice cracked a little, and I turned to face her.
“I’d live anywhere with you,” I said softly before leaning down and planting a kiss on her lips.
“Stop distracting me,” she said playfully before spinning in the center of her room, her arms extended. “You’ve now seen my whole house.” Suddenly she stopped and stared at me. “Oh, wait! The backyard.”
“You have a backyard?” I was surprised, because since she was in a condo, I’d assumed she couldn’t possibly have a yard.
Again I followed her as we walked down the hallway, past the kitchen and toward the sliding glass door. She pulled back the blinds to reveal a fenced-in cement patio.
“This is pretty cool,” I said, noting the gas grill in the corner and the table-and-chair setup in the center with a giant umbrella.
“I sit out here a lot,” she said with a huge smile. “I love it.”
I smiled back as I imagined her enjoying the private space, soaking up the sun. “Not to be a dick or anything, but we’d better eat before the food gets cold.”
“Geez, Dalton, you’re such a dick.”
“I know,” I teased back, and it felt so comfortable.
Being around Cammie was like stepping back into the past, yet still remaining in the present. Nothing about this was like being on a normal first date. I had jitters, but they weren’t the typical first-date jitters. There was no faking who we were, for the most part, because we already knew. I still wanted to impress Cammie, to put my best foot forward, but not the way a guy wanted to impress a stranger. Cammie didn’t need any trickery, or any fakeness. She needed the real Dalton, and that was who she’d get.
Cammie handed me a corkscrew and two glasses. “Will you open this while I plate the food?”
“Of course.” I smiled as I reached for the bottle. I poured two glasses as Cammie divided the food and placed it on two large plates, then carried them out of the kitchen and toward the only real table in the place.
Shit. I meant to bring her flowers. Next time.
She placed the plates down on opposite sides of the table so we faced each other. I moved to put the wineglasses down as well before sitting as she lit two candles.
“Thank you so much for the food. And the wine,” she said with a small smile playing on her lips as she settled into her seat.
“Thank you for the cookie before dinner.” I raised my glass in the air with a smile, and said, “Here’s to eating dessert first, and to new beginnings.”