Lucy
THE NEXT MORNING, I awoke to the smell of bacon and sat up with a gasp. If Bam was cooking bacon, he’d probably make it the way he had it in the diner and I’d have to insult his cooking.
I didn’t want to insult him this early in our relationship.
I scrambled out of bed and stalled.
Ohmigod, I just acknowledged we’re in a relationship. Shit.
I shook my head and made my way to the bathroom. Peeking out the window, I saw the storm from the night before had blown over, but the waves were still pretty choppy. After taking a quick shower, I dressed in yoga pants and a T-shirt, then met Bam in the kitchen.
Holy crap on a stick, he was adorable. He’d found one of my mom’s aprons, a very floral one, and wore it, along with the matching oven mitt, which he had on as he pulled a baking sheet out of the oven.
“Mornin’, baby,” he said with a grin.
“Hi. I can’t believe you’re cooking.”
“I love to cook,” he said. “How do you like your bacon?”
“Not crispy,” I retorted, and he chuckled. “I really like it English-style.”
“So, limp.”
“Sure, we can go with limp.”
He raised an eyebrow. “I hope to hell that’s all you like limp.”
I giggled. “Pasta’s always better limp, but other than that, I’m good.”
He grinned, leaning down to kiss me gently. “You look beautiful.”
“Thank you. What are you making?”
“Bacon, scrambled eggs, hash browns, toast,” he rattled off. “Wasn’t sure which coffee to use, though. There’s a shit ton to choose from.”
I smiled. “I’ll make that. Mom likes to have a variety, but I only like one.”
I walked into our massive pantry and grabbed the coffee, then made a pot. While it brewed, I leaned against the counter and watched Bam work. “Do you cook a lot?”
He shook his head as he scrambled the eggs. “Not as much as I’d like to, but as soon as I saw this kitchen, I knew I’d have to.”
I smiled. “I like that you made yourself comfortable.”
“Yeah?”
I nodded. “The few friends I’ve brought up here tend to get really nervous and refuse to touch anything. Either that or they’re rich little brats who want to be catered to.”
“You don’t like rich little brats, huh?”
“No.” I sighed. “I’m well aware my brother and I were brought up with money, but I try not to take anything for granted. Mom and Dad have been really clear that we won’t get all of their money when they die. We’ll get some, but we have always known we have to make our own way. I had to apply and interview for this job, even though Dad and the band were the ones making the hiring decision.”
“Yeah?”
“Yep. It was the hardest interview I’ve ever had, honestly. I was up against a couple of really great people. People with a lot more experience than me.”
“You don’t think he let you believe you might not get it?”
I let out a snort of derision. “Not even close. Seriously. I almost didn’t get the job. In fact, they offered it to someone else, but she decided cornering Dad in a back room and attempting to remove his clothing was a way to advance her career. She was wrong.”
“Shit, really?”
I nodded. “Yep. To make things worse, she was fired during the early planning stages of the tour, so, naturally what had been normal band chaos became my real-time job interview. Come to find out, she really sucked at her job, so I had a mess to clean up on top of everything.” I shrugged. “But now I have the manager job, so it all worked out in the end.”
“Until you come work for me.”
I rolled my eyes. “Never gonna happen, buddy.”
He grinned. “We’ll see.”
“How do you like your coffee?” I asked, changing the subject.
“Black’s good.”
I nodded and made us both a cup. After taking a few sips of coffee, I grabbed plates and silverware, and Bam dished everything up. We ate in virtual silence, mostly because I couldn’t speak. The boy could not only kiss, he could cook.
“Good?” he asked.
“Ohmigod, so good,” I breathed out.
He chuckled. “I’m glad you like it.”
“You cook like you play.”
“How so?”
“You throw everything you have into it and it’s perfect,” I admitted.
“Fuck me, seriously?”
“Yes.”
He grinned, leaning over to kiss me gently. “Best compliment I’ve ever received.”
“That can’t be true.”
“Cutest, then.”
I blushed. “You’re very sweet.”
“No, I’m really not.”
I giggled. “Hate to burst your alpha-male bubble, but yes, you are.”
“Alpha male, huh?”
“Well, both my dad and brother fit that description, so I should know.”
Bam chuckled as he grabbed our plates and set them in the sink.
“Leave those,” I ordered. “I’ll clean up. You finish your coffee.”
“You sure?”
“Very.” I smiled. “Go sit out on the deck. It’s always gorgeous in the morning.”
“Okay.” He leaned down to kiss my cheek, and walked out of the room.
* * *
Bam
Apart from the inclusion of Lucy’s robot assassin surrogate dad, this beach trip was going better than I could have hoped. Lucy was opening up to me and I had somehow managed not to screw her brains out, although the day had just begun. Last night’s teenage roll on the couch did little to calm the raging hard-on I was walking around with, but I knew I had to be smart and be safe, for both our sakes. I had to remember that we were leaving here Tuesday morning and that reality was waiting for me back in Alabama.
Lucy had been a distraction, a welcome one, admittedly, but I still had a lot to process. When I got back to Elwood, I’d have to figure out what we were going to do about Chas and the money he’d stolen from us. I also needed to determine exactly what Zeke’s involvement was and who was going to manage the band. Not to mention, I hadn’t even thought about the fact that I’d eventually have to meet and play in front of fucking RatHound. It wasn’t until Lucy mentioned Jack Henry’s wife’s death that I’d even grappled with the thought of meeting my childhood hero—the very man who was the reason I was a drummer.
The back deck had a breathtaking view of Puget Sound, but I turned my chair to face the house. I sipped my coffee as I watched Lucy cleaning up in the kitchen through the sliding glass doors. As nice as the back deck view was it had nothing on Lucy Haddon. The more I looked at her, the more I wanted her. This little vacation of mine was eventually going to come to an end, but I was determined to make every moment with Lucy count.
“You know the view is a whole lot better when you actually point your chair toward the water,” Lucy said as she walked through the sliding doors.
“Says who?” I challenged.
“Very funny, Mr. Charming Pants,” she said as she moved toward me, coffee cup in hand.
“Mr. Charming Pants? Is that really what you’re going with?”
“Yes, as matter fact, from now on that’s all I’ll call you.”
“All right then.” I leaned back in my chair and smirked. “From now on I’m calling you Bambi.”
Lucy’s eyes narrowed. “You wouldn’t dare.”
“And why not? The big brown doe eyes. The lightly freckled nose. Hell, you’re a dead ringer for Bambi.”
“Bambi was a boy.”
“It doesn’t matter… Bambi it is,” I said matter-of-factly.
“You call me that and I’ll… I’ll…”
“What? Sick Thumper on me? Oooooh, mad Bambi is even more adorable than regular Bambi.”
Lucy sat down on my lap and started poking at my stomach with her free hand.
“C’mon now. Tickling isn’t fair fighting. You better quit, woman. You’re gonna spill your coffee on me.”
“Promise me you won’t call me that,” she said in feeble attempt to sound stern in between fits of giggles.
“But Bam and Bambi has such a nice ring to it, don’t you think? Our mash up name works perfectly. A hell of a lot better that Belucy,” I continued to tease.
“Is that where we’re at—the nickname stage? What next, matching sweaters? Do we need to define the relationship as well?” she challenged.
I sat up a little straighter. “In all honestly, I’d prefer if we didn’t.” My words came out in a more serious tone than I had intended.
“Bam, I didn’t mean anything by that. I was joking―”
“No,” I interrupted. “I know that. It was funny. I’m sorry. I just meant that I don’t want to define what we have. I simply want to be with you, whatever that means. We have enough people and things in the outside worlds to think about later. For now let’s focus on being here together.”
“That sounds like a plan. In the meantime we can think of better nicknames,” she said before leaning down for a kiss.
* * *
Lucy
My kiss was meant to be sweet, but it quickly grew urgent and passionate… which didn’t help keep us stay on track with our commitment to no sex. At least, it didn’t keep me on track.
We only had until Tuesday, but I knew it would feel like forever, especially considering I was dying to rip his clothes off and lick his entire body, starting with this chest. Gah! I needed to take a cold shower or something. I kind of wish I’d brought my pocket rocket with me, but I had no idea I’d need it.
Stupid on my part. Next time I’d plan better.
Of course, if there was a next time, I’d probably hide his clothes so he was forced to walk around naked.
This thought sent me down a rabbit hole I needed to drag myself out of. Beau Nelson naked… lordy, that needed to happen sooner than later.
“Luce?”
“Hm?”
Bam chuckled. “Where’d you go?”
“Sorry, was admiring the view.”
“You were staring at me.”
“I’m aware, Bam.”
He grinned, leaning over to kiss me again. “I like that, Bambi.”
I wrinkled my nose. “Really?”
He dropped his head back and laughed. “Couldn’t resist.”
I nodded to his coffee cup. “Drink your coffee.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
We spent the rest of the morning watching the waves and I was pretty sure I napped between conversations, Bam putting me fully at ease.