“Sure.”

“Beer? Tea? Water?”

“Tea,” I said, following him into his kitchen. His place was spotless, in a way that didn’t seem possible. I looked around and then at him. “You have a roommate, right?”

“Yeah, and it won’t last much longer. This is my place. I’m just letting him crash in between girlfriends. I’m not really the kind of guy who can handle a roommate.”

“I see. It’s so clean, I’m scared to put my purse down.”

He gave me a soft look over his shoulder. “I want you to feel at home.”

I dropped my purse on the floor to spite him then chuckled when he picked it up, handing me my tea. His lips brushed mine while he passed me to set it on the couch before resuming his work in the kitchen.

“Can I help?” I’d never really had a guy cook for me and was impressed so far. I swore I’d never again date an only child, but Jayden seemed the opposite of the mama’s boys I was used to. It seemed his mother taught him independence, how to keep a clean house, and cook. I was already applauding her with a standing ovation. My smile deepened when Jayden pulled a cut lemon wedge from a bowl in the fridge and dropped it in my tea.

“No, I’ve got this. Go have a seat. You can change the channel.” I made my way to the couch and took a look around, noticing he had simple taste. His furniture was absolutely stunning, and I knew he had made the coffee table and bookshelves. Looking toward the table on my right, I saw a beautifully carved, small wooden box. Picking it up, I studied it and realized Jayden had probably made it, as well. The wood was beautiful, deep red, and the carefully etched design in the trim made it apparent he’d spent several hours working on it.

“Pulling out all the stops with the cooking, huh?” I asked as I set the box down.

“I like my food better than half the shit in this city,” he called from the kitchen.

“Setting a high bar there, aren’t you?” I smirked into my tea, not giving a damn what was on TV. The Jayden show was ten times more entertaining. There was no way a man was this good and unattached. In a way that frightened me, so I just kept talking.

“What are we having?”

When he didn’t answer, I asked again.

He stopped what he was doing and poked his head out of the kitchen. “Sorry?”

“What are we having?”

“Oh, chicken casserole. My mom’s recipe. I didn’t even think to ask you if you like broccoli.”

“I do.” The minute I told him so his shoulders visibly relaxed. He seemed nervous and I found it adorable. He looked so gorgeous in his element, his rugged and cut features and perfectly toned arms accentuated by his stance. And of course the spatula in his hand was the best part. In that moment, I felt lucky to be with him. It was a good feeling, one that I hadn’t experience in far too long.

“You didn’t have to do this, you know.”

“I know,” was all he said before disappearing back into the kitchen where he completely ignored me the entire time he prepared our meal. I sat wondering what in the world I’d done to earn the silent treatment when he emerged minutes later with two piping hot plates and silverware wrapped napkins. I grabbed my plate, thanking him, and he smiled. “Do you mind if we eat at the couch?”

“Not at all,” I replied as the aroma of the casserole wafted up, making my mouth water.

Suddenly I was at ease after twenty odd minutes of silence. He grabbed the remote and turned the TV up. “I need the noise.”

Puzzled from his statement, I took a sip of tea. “Why?”

“I just feel more comfortable with it. I also need it when I sleep.”

“Yeah, I can’t sleep without a fan on.” He chuckled at my statement, which puzzled me further. Deciding not to dwell on it, I instead dug into his casserole, which looked amazing and was the perfect consistency.

One bite had my eyes widening. “Holy shit! What’s in this?”

“Gold,” Jayden agreed as he took a huge mouth full. “My mother is the best cook ever.”

“I may have to disagree in my mother’s defense, but seriously this is ...” I mumbled as I inhaled another savory bit. “This is amazing.”

“I know.” He winked, watching with pride as I inhaled it bite by bite.

I asked for seconds, feeling like a complete pig, and not really giving too much of a damn when I took another bite of the casserole. He watched me eat, which was both flattering and uncomfortable. I leaned back minutes later, belly full, thanking him as he took my plate.

“I’ll do the dishes,” I said, standing.

“No you won’t,” he corrected. Another few minutes of silence brought Jayden back to me with fresh tea. “Coffee? Pie?” he asked. I shook my head with a firm no and he set a steaming mug on the table in front of us.

“You are on your own with that pie.” I patted my full belly and thanked him then sat up when a realization struck me. “Oh, I forgot. Yes, I totally got the agency job! I love Adam and Marcy. They are amazing! Thank you so much for setting that up for me.”

He smiled and pulled me to him on the couch. “You’ll be good for them.”

“I hope so.” I leaned into him, my head on his chest as he grabbed the remote and turned to me.

“You have two choices.”

“Always two choices with you,” I smiled.

“We can bond on the surface, criticizing shit reality TV or,” he said with a grin, “we can start a serious relationship with Netflix, which technically would keep us glued to each other until it’s over. No cheating, it’s a commitment.” He smiled down at me and promptly added, “Tell me, baby, you think you are ready for that kind of commitment?”

His eyes shone with curiosity and I stared at the beautiful indent in his chin. “Sure,” I chuckled as he locked his eyes onto mine. He brushed his lips against mine and when he pulled away I felt the draw, my instinctive need for him. It was electric, tangible, and felt amazing. Butterflies began to circulate as he slid his hand up and down my arm, warming me. Affectionate and attentive, this man had my full attention.

“Okay.”

He shuffled through the Netflix menu and after few minutes of debate, we finally settled on House of Cards. The hours began to fly by as we took turns speculating the plot and for some odd reason we laughed every time Kevin Spacey faced the screen to perform direct commentary to the audience. Together, we both found it hilarious, even though the series was suspenseful and dramatic. Something about it set us off as we laughed hard, sharing our odd sense of humor. We also both delighted in the fact that the evil politician was from Gaffney, South Carolina, which was only about thirty minutes away from where we lived. We were even more amused as we realized that one of the plot points of an episode was the fact that the Gaffney water tower was causing highway accidents due to the fact that it looked like a giant vagina but was supposed to have resembled a peach. The tower was easily seen for miles from the highway and apparently was a cause for concern.

“It totally looks like a puss,” I agreed as I looked on.

“It does. Let’s go see it together when the series is over.”

“Totally, we’ll make a day of it. I mean, that is the day our relationship ends.” Jayden looked at me with sudden concern, then it dawned on him I was referring to our Netflix commitment.

“Nah, we’ll just find something else.” I turned to him as he held me tighter.

“Sounds good to me.”

And that’s when I knew that we had indirectly decided to start something. I was bursting inside with hope as we continued to get more and more wrapped up in the story unfolding.

“Netflix is crack,” I noted after our fifth episode. His arm still around me, he began to feather his fingers through my hair in a soothing motion. Reveling in the feel, I made slow circles on his chest with my fingertips.

Jayden would look down at me from time to time and I could see the heat building in his eyes. I was almost disheartened when I realized the hour and told him I should go so he could get some sleep for work the next day.