5

CHAPTER 5

Kimberly stared at her lover while he was fast asleep, he looked so peaceful and handsome, his chest rising and falling steadily in a calm rhythm. She stared at his slightly parted lips a little longer and she felt the urge to kiss him but she restrained herself because she didn’t want to wake him up knowing fully well that he was probably tired after a long journey, choosing instead to simply admire him quietly.

She quietly removed his arm from her waist and climbed out of bed carefully making sure not to make any noise, moving slowly so as not to disturb his sleep. She walked into the closet and picked up another pair of underwear since Ian ripped the one she was previously wearing. Smiling at the memory, she took one of Ian’s t-shirts and wore it before wrapping her hair in a messy bun and quietly walked out of the bedroom, closing the door gently behind her.

Kimberly walked into the kitchen and sat on the island stool thinking of what she was going to make for lunch, her fingers tapping lightly against the counter as she thought. She knew she needed to think fast because Ian wasn’t a heavy sleeper so he would be up soon. After some minutes of thinking and going through a cookery book, she decided to make shrimp and vegetable skillet, something simple but filling.

But before that, she needed to quench her thirst so she helped herself to a glass of juice, taking a moment to refresh herself before she resumed cooking.

While cooking, Kimberly realized that she couldn’t find the jar of spice. She searched in the kitchen units and drawers but couldn’t find it, her movements becoming a bit more hurried. Letting out a frustrated groan, she looked above her and saw it on the shelf.

“Just great!” She muttered to herself, already knowing what that meant.

Kimberly had thought searching for the spice jar was bad enough, finding it on the shelf was even worse because that was her most hated part in the kitchen. She huffed and tried reaching for the shelf, stretching out her arm to reach for the jar but failed miserably. She muttered some curse words before giving it another try. Standing on her toes, she tried reaching for the jar for a second time but her fingers were barely touching it, then she felt a hard chest pressed against her back. Ian’s fingers slightly brushed hers before gracefully bringing down the spice jar, his presence sudden but familiar.

His closeness was already intoxicating Kimberly and she couldn’t move from her present position because she was slowly losing her composure, which always happens whenever Ian was near her. He always made her breathless. Her knees went weak as his lips touched her neck, her body reacting instantly to the contact.

“You could’ve just called me if you needed a hand,” he whispered huskily in her ear making her shut her eyes to take in his mesmerizing voice, her breath hitching slightly.

She turned around and caught his lips with hers in a passionate kiss, acting purely on instinct. He let out a low groan as she gripped his small hair, pulling him closer. He picked her up through the back of her thighs and pinned her against the wall as their lips fought for dominance, neither of them willing to pull away. Their hungry kiss soon turned into a slow kiss before they both pulled away to catch their breaths, their foreheads almost touching as they steadied themselves.

“I need to make lunch,” she whispered when they had steadied their breathing, though her voice still carried traces of what just happened.

“I don’t need lunch when I have you,” he whispered back as he caressed her thighs, giving her bum a light squeeze causing her to blush tomato-red, her reaction immediate.

“I know that, but.. You still need to eat something,” she murmured while playing with his hair, trying to stay focused.

“If you insist,” he replied giving her one last kiss before gently dropping her on her feet, though his hands lingered for a brief moment.

Kimberly couldn’t help but stare at his abs as he was shirtless, her eyes moving over him before she could stop herself.

“You know we can still make lunch later,” he said with a smirk, clearly aware of her gaze.

Kimberly couldn’t help but feel embarrassed because he had caught her staring. He was teasing her she could tell. So she decided to ignore him and just grabbed the spice jar from the countertop and resumed cooking, forcing her attention back to the task at hand. She was glad she hadn’t placed anything on the stove before Ian showed up because if she had done that, they surely would be having a burnt meal for lunch. She stole a glance at Ian and noticed that he had made himself comfortable on one of the stools with a glass of apple juice in front of him while typing away on his phone before it started ringing, his focus shifting.

“Hello… Mom, I’m fine. Yes, I’m back. I..”

Kimberly smiled to herself while making lunch. She knew Ian’s mom must be bombarding him with accusations as to why he hadn’t called her earlier, something she had seen happen before.

“I’m sorry, okay? I just woke up from a nap… I couldn’t call you because I was stressed out… She’s here with me… Fine, speak to her.” He said standing up from the stool and handing the phone to Kimberly, looking slightly resigned.

“Hello, Melissa. How are you?”

“I’m good I guess, since you decided to abandon me.” Ian’s mom replied at the other end, her tone carrying a hint of mock complaint.

Kimberly instantly felt bad hearing that. She hadn’t intentionally abandoned Melissa like she was accusing her, guilt creeping in.

“Melissa, I’m so sorry.” She apologized, her voice sincere.

“I’ve been so occupied with work that I barely even have time for myself,” she explained, trying to justify herself.

“Really?... But you could find the time to pick up your fiancé.” Melissa replied in a knowing tone but Kimberly could hardly concentrate on the call as Ian was placing open-mouthed kisses on her neck while fondling her breasts, clearly not done teasing her. She was biting her lower lip to suppress a moan as she was already getting excited, her focus slipping.

“Hello, Kim? Are you still there?” Melissa asked when she didn’t get a reply from Kimberly, her voice now laced with concern.

Kimberly could hear the worry in Melissa’s voice and she felt so horrible for not concentrating on the phone call. She gulped while thinking of words to come up with, trying to regain control.

“I-I.. um, I’m sorry. I wasn’t paying attention cos I was trying to make lunch… Didn’t want to get Ian’s food burnt.” She nervously managed to say earning a chuckle from Ian who was still teasing her, clearly amused.

“Oh, I better leave you then.”

“We’ll talk later, I promise,” Kimberly assured Melissa, trying to make up for it.

“Okay, honey, that would be lovely. Could you give the phone back to Ian so I can inform him about the welcome party we planned for him?”

“Sure,” Kimberly quickly replied, giving the phone back to Ian who groaned in annoyance, reluctantly removing his hand from her breast. She let out a sigh of relief and continued with lunch as Ian went back to his previous spot, though she could still feel his presence lingering around her.