Chapter 10
Lulu awoke to the smell of pancakes and her cell phone vibrating next to her on the nightstand.
"Hello," she said groggily, her body sprawled diagonally across the king-sized bed.
"Lulu, where the hell are you?" the caller questioned, concerned.
"Maxie, why are you calling?" Lulu said, half asleep, "Did you order in? I smell pancakes. Oh, and coffee. Will you bring me a cup?"
"Lulu, when have you ever seen me cook and last time I checked my resume did not say waitress," Maxie told her sarcastically, "and fyi, Lulu, you are not in your bedroom."
"How do I know this? Because I am standing in it, Lulu" Maxie shouted, "So where are you?"
"Oh My God!" Lulu replied, taking in her surroundings. She looked down, startled to find that she was wearing one of Dante's grey t-shirts and nothing else.
"Lulu," Maxie asked, waiting for an answer. Lulu wasn't sure if she was prepared to give it.
"Dammit," a voice exclaimed from the kitchen, as a loud clattering sound shook the apartment.
"Lulu, who was that?" Maxie asked, intrigued. Her gossip girl radar was in full-alarm mode and she wanted all of the illicit details.
"Maxie, I'm going to have to call you back?" Lulu answered, getting up from the bed and pulling on a pair of Dante's sweats, while cradling the cell phone at her ear.
"What? No, no, no. Lulu, don't you dare! I want details. What am I supposed to tell Kate? I was looking for you because she told me to. You have ignored her for days, Lulu. You know how she gets," Maxie told Lulu, as another loud noise reverberated from the kitchen.
"Tell her the truth. You don't know where I am. Maxie, I really can't deal with this right now. I'll have to get back to you," Lulu replied hanging up. She was preoccupied with the fact that she woke up practically naked in Dante's bed and that took priority at this moment.
Lulu started to recall the previous day and her embarrassing display of nudity to Dante. Oh God, then there was the nightmare. She had screamed and Dante had rushed into the bedroom, pulling her into his arms.
Slowly she walked down the hallway, toward the kitchen. The noises were getting louder now and Lulu crept slowly toward the man standing, his gaze directed on the stove. She remembered how his bare chest felt last night beneath her fingertips and how her heart beat faster as she felt his muscles. Oh God, Lulu thought holding her face in her hands, as she realized that she had thrown herself at him. She had no doubt in her mind that if he had been wearing a shirt last night, she would have ripped it off of him. What the hell had gotten into her? How was she going to face Dante this morning? Pull yourself together, Lulu, she said to herself, getting ready to march into the kitchen and demand to know what happened last night. However, she was not prepared for the sight that met her eyes.
Dante stood in front of the stove, shirtless with just an apron and an old pair of sweatpants, mixing pancake batter, while simultaneously scraping scrambled eggs from a pan. On the floor at his feet, was what appeared to be the first batch of breakfast, a few pancakes and eggs here and there.
"Can I help?" Lulu laughed, as Dante turned toward her, a grin spreading across his face. He looked so damn sexy with his dark wavy hair in disarray and pancake flour mix marking his face. Lulu wanted to pull him in for a kiss, suddenly hungry for something other than food.
"I didn't wake you, did I?" he asked, his eyes slowly roaming from the top of her head, with her blonde hair loose and freefalling, down to his grey t-shirt covering her breasts. His eyes lingered a minute, watching as she took a startled breath, her nipples pushing against the fabric of the shirt. He continued his leisurely gaze south, noticing how enticing the curves of her hips were, encased in his old sweats and he suddenly felt the urge to run his fingers along the elastic band and delve beneath it and touch her skin.
"Are you hungry?" Dante asked her with a smoky voice, returning his gaze to her eyes and holding a frying pan filled with scrambled eggs.
"Famished," Lulu said, pulling her eyes away from the sweats that hugged Dante's body. He turned his back on her and Lulu was blessed with the sight of his perfectly formed butt in those pants. Her eyes trailed down his body toward his feet and she couldn't help but laugh out loud.
"What?" Dante asked, turning toward Lulu and directing his eyes to the target in question.
"You don't like my fuzzy slippers?" Dante questioned, humorously as Lulu continued to laugh at the dog-eared slippers that housed his feet.
"No, they are great. I had a pair just like them, when I was nine," Lulu told him, giggling.
"Ha Ha. Yes, they make them for adults, Miss Smartass," Dante told her setting the pan on the stove and turning off the burners.
"Besides," he said reaching for a paper towel and cleaning up the mess on the floor, " you're just jealous. Admit it, you want my fuzzy slippers for yourself," Dante told her, discarding the paper towel in the trash can and approaching her.
Lulu had to catch her breath as he stood in front of her and every instinct was telling her to kiss him. Her lips were slightly parted and she was terrified of the emotions coursing through her body, immobilizing her.
"Maybe if you're really good, Santa will put a pair in your stocking this year," Dante replied.
He was trying really hard to keep his emotions in check, but seeing her lips open and inviting, he simply lost control, grabbing her and crushing his lips to hers. Dante pulled her closer, his fingers running through her hair, as his lips continued their assault.
Mmmm, she thought, he tasted of pancakes. Her lips moved just a fraction of an inch more, so that she could taste him.
"Lulu, open your mouth for me," Dante urged, his chest rising and falling faster, as his tongue plunged into her mouth wanting more of her. His tongue caressed the insides of her cheeks, before teasing her own tongue. Lulu responded by trailing her hands through his hair and moving her lips more forcefully against his. He moaned as his hands drifted lower, reaching the bottom of the t-shirt and lifting it so that he could caress the skin beneath.
She gasped as his hands massaged her back, her hands tugging at his apron strings and untying them. Lulu helped Dante pull the apron up over his head, her hands returning to his chest, aching to rediscover that feeling that shot to her very core when she put her hands on him. She moved her hands slowly up and down Dante's chest. A startled moan erupted from her and Dante responded by trailing his fingers along her lower back and gently moving his hands to her hips, memorizing the feel of her soft skin against his.
As Dante's hands continued toward her midriff, he felt her abdomen contract, her indrawn breath and body's response driving him crazy. They seemed to moan in unison, their hands exploring every inch of their skin and their moans growing increasingly louder with each new discovery. So, it was quite surprising when Dante heard the low growl that erupted from Lulu's stomach and reminded him of the breakfast that sat in the kitchen.
"Hungry?" Dante laughed, as Lulu's face was red from embarrassment. Her hands still lingered on his chest, stroking his muscles, her thumbs' velvety touch nearing ever closer to his nipples.
"I meant for food," he said, as he elicited his own startled gasp and placed his hands over hers, locking his darkening eyes with hers. She was a little minx, he thought to himself and if they had any hope of continuing this they needed all of the fuel that they could get.
Reluctantly, Lulu allowed Dante to seat her on the couch, briefly breaking their contact so that he could retreat to the kitchen. She watched him, amazed at how sexy he looked in his natural element. He worked the kitchen like a pro, darting from one station to the next.
"Coffee?" Dante asked her, as he grabbed a cup when she nodded her affirmation, "Lots of cream, right?"
"Yes, please," Lulu responded, smiling as she realized that he knew what she liked in her coffee. She couldn't remember if Logan ever knew how she took her coffee. The simple things that were the building blocks of a relationship, their relationship, Lulu thought to herself, shocked to find that she was starting to refer to Dante as a collective part of her. When had she started to do that?
Dante placed a plate of pancakes and scrambled eggs on the coffee table, handing her a fork and knife.
"I wasn't sure how you like your eggs," Dante said nervously as he placed a cup of coffee beside the plate, " I hope that you like scrambled."
"Scrambled is fine, thank you," Lulu replied digging into the eggs. They were fluffy and perfect. The pancakes were next, plain with just a hint of syrup, they melted in her mouth when she took a bite.
"Mmmm. I might just have to skip Kelly's and hire you to make me breakfast for the rest of my life," Lulu told him, with a very satisfied grin on her face.
"For the rest of your life? We will have to negogiate the payment arrangements," Dante replied, his eyes roaming over every inch of her body as he dug his fork into the eggs on his plate.
Lulu watched him eat, mentally photographing the way that his hands gripped the fork handle and the way that his eyes drifted shut when his mouth closed over the food. A very pleased look came over his face and for the first time, she wondered what his expression would look like during sex. Would he have that look when the moment came upon them? Would she?
Sex with Logan was ok, but she had always felt that there should be something more, that it was lacking something. She didn't get excited about it and anticipate the next time, like Maxie did when she boasted about her sexcapades. Maxie said that if Lulu wasn't dreaming of the next big moment, then the guy wasn't doing something right. Dante didn't look like the kind of man that would leave a woman unsatisfied and bored with sex. In fact, Lulu thought, with a small piece of pancake halfway to her mouth, he looked sinful enough to make a woman yearn for the next time.
Dante enjoyed having breakfast with Lulu, it felt intimate. He loved how she looked wearing his clothes and made a mental note to keep a set for her close by, in case of another towel emergency. If he could just get her to move in with him, he would promise to sleep on the couch for as long as it took to get her to invite him into his bed. But, he knew that it was too soon. She was still suffering from her break-up with Logan and when Dante made love to her he wanted the only thing on her mind to be him.
After Lulu was finished, she placed the plate on the coffee table and took another sip of coffee. It was perfect. Why didn't her coffee taste like this? She was usually spitting grounds out inside a napkin, the bitter flavor on her tongue lasting for hours. She really needed to spend more time in the kitchen with Dante, she thought to herself, as he picked up her plate and brought it into the kitchen. Dante didn't have a dishwasher, so Lulu assisted him with the plates and mugs. He washed and she dried them. It was natural, as if it were a morning ritual that they had done for years.
Lulu was drying the last mug and placing it in the cupboard when she heard the knock on the door. Dante looked down at his watch, curious as to who would be here this early in the morning. Probably Olivia with another casserole in tow, he thought.
Dante answered the door as Lulu sat upon the couch, wondering who the caller was. He opened the door and she was surprised to see Maxie standing there with her hands on her hips, irritated.
"How did you know?" Lulu asked, as Maxie looked at her.
"Please, it wasn't that hard to figure out where you were," Maxie replied, pushing her way past Dante and into the apartment.
Maxie looked down at Dante's feet, a look of horror spreading across her face.
"Oh My God, Disney's Goofy called, he wants his slippers back," she told Dante, sarcastically.
"Maxie," Lulu chastised, as her roommate simply ignored her, continuing to interrogate Dante.
"So, Dante," Maxie asked him, making herself at home on his couch.
"What exactly are your intentions with Lulu?"
Dante stood in the doorway, stunned at how easily Maxie had breached his apartment.
"Well," Dante replied, cut off before he could finish.
"You don't have to answer that," Lulu interrupted, standing up, embarrassed by Maxie's question.
"Don't you think that you should change? Kate is waiting at Crimson and she is already peeved that you haven't returned a single one of her calls all week," Maxie told her, pointing Lulu in the direction of the hallway.
"But, Maxie, how do you expect me to think of work at a time like this?" Lulu asked, knowing that she couldn't avoid Kate Howard any longer.
"Lulu, it's fine. Maxie and I will get acquainted. Please, go change. You don't want to keep Cousin Connie waiting," Dante answered, ushering her toward the bedroom.
When Lulu was out of sight, Maxie looked at Dante, and in her protective roommate tone, she continued with the question that she had asked just a few minutes earlier.
"Well, are you going to answer me, or do I need to paint a picture for you," Maxie said, waiting impatiently, "Are you stringing her along because Kate told you to, Chef? If you are, I promise you, son of a mobster or not, I will bury you."
…............
Lulu grabbed her tote bag from the floor, pulling out a pair of jeans and a chic, ruffled magenta blouse. She opened the door to the bathroom, quickly washed her face and brushed her teeth, using her finger in lieu of a toothbrush. She didn't have her arsenal of makeup at her disposal, so she reached for her compact and applied the compressed foundation to the best of her ability. She continued with mascara and finished with a sheer nude lip gloss. Her hair was a complete mess, so she finger-brushed it the best she could and pulled it into a twist behind her nape, grabbing a clip from her handy bag to secure it.
Lulu pulled on her Calvin Klein jeans, the material clinging to her body, as she followed with a lacy sheer bra and the trendy blouse. Lastly, she reached for the mocha-colored boots that climbed nearly to her knees and pulled them on. She took one last look in the mirror, assessing the results, more for Dante's benefit than Kate's and left the bathroom, closing the door behind her.
Dante and Maxie were in a deep discussion when Lulu entered the living room. Maxie's determination putting him on the spot and judging by his controlled response, not making him the slightest bit nervous. But, everything changed, the minute she stepped into the room and Dante's gaze locked on hers.
"Wow, you look amazing!" Dante exclaimed, trying hard to conceal his body's response. She was breathtaking, he thought, noticing how the jeans hugged her curves in all of the right places.
"You don't have to say that," Lulu commented, secretly loving how his eyes lit up when she entered the room.
"It's true. You're beautiful," he told her, his gaze lingering on the plunging neckline of her top.
"Hello, I am still in the room," Maxie told them, interrupting their intimate banter.
"Oh, Sorry Maxie. I guess we should get going," Lulu replied, moving toward Dante. She stopped when she was just a few feet away.
"Thanks," Lulu told him, her eyes revealing her gratitude.
"For what?" Dante asked her, reminding himself to call Cousin Connie later and set the ground rules for when and where she could summon Lulu.
"Yesterday, last night, breakfast," she answered, looking down at her hand that was clasped in Dante's. His thumb stroked the top of her wrist sending a bolt of electricity, causing her to jump.
"Call me," Dante told her, kissing her lips softly before Lulu turned and headed for the door.
Maxie followed, a stunned look on her face, looking to Lulu for answers.
"Last night?" she asked, expecting Lulu to dish all of the details.