Cold Food

Cold Food(Velincia Knight) Cold Food


Miranda’s eyes slowly blinked open to the bright sunbeams that streamed through the window. She frowned. She’d never slept this late. Ever. Purring softly, she stretched across the bed, her arm inadvertently reaching across the bed. She paused. Where was Luke? The sheets were already cool, though his pillow was still indented.

“Luke?” She climbed out of bed. Wrapping the yellow flowered silk robe around her without bothering to tie it, she padded to the hallway. “Lucas?”

Something moved in the kitchen and the scent of frying bacon and hot coffee wafted past her nose. With a widening smile, she inhaled the food and eagerly hurried to the kitchen.

Luke’s back was to her when she entered the kitchen as he stood at the stove. His curly dark hair was still mussed from sleep and whatever else they’d done last night, and he only wore a pair of navy blue sweatpants. He’d tied the largest dishtowel they had around his neck to ward off the popping oil from his bare chest. She’d never seen anything so cute.

He seemed to sense she was there, for he turned his head. His face lit up when he caught sight of her.

“Mornin’, my sleepin’ beauty,” He winked, his deep voice deliciously husky. his chin was dusted in whiskers.

“Morning, Teddy bear,” She replied teasingly, slowly sauntering into the kitchen. His special forces team--he was a Marine--had nicknamed him “Grizzly Bear” (Bear or Grizz for short) since he was a bear for the first hour or two after waking up, unless he had his coffee. She liked to tease him by calling him her Teddy Bear, saying he was such a sweet, cuddly bundle of love.

Sure enough, he narrowed his eyes playfully, “And here I was trying to be nice.”

“Why’d you let me sleep so late?” She scolded, leaning her arm on the island counter.

“You needed the rest,” He grinned naughtily. “I kept you up late last night.”

She flushed. Even after a year of marriage, any of his sly references to “the act” brought a red flush to her cheeks.

And he loved it. She looked absolutely angelic when she blushed like that. Her brown hair framed her face. Pushing the bacon off the burner, he abruptly crossed the room and planted a deep kiss on her pink, full lips.

Miranda sighed and slid her hands up his firm chest to his wide shoulders as his own hands snaked up around her waist kneading her pack and skimming up and down. Even now, after exactly thirteen months, it felt like he was kissing her for the first time. Everything else faded away as she was swept up into orbit. Then her stomach heaved a long, deep grumble.

They both paused, then broke into laughter.

“Guess I should feed you first, huh?” he chuckled, dropping one more kiss on her forehead.

“Someone thinks so, anyway,” She retorted mysteriously.

He glanced down at her, mystified for a moment, before coming to his senses and urging her to the stool at the counter, “Here, have a seat. I fixed you breakfast.”

She laughed at his eager insistence but complied, “What did you make for me?”

“First, Madame” He playfully affected a French accent and draped the dishtowel over his arm. “Your morning coffee, with two sugars and one lemon.” He placed the steaming mug in front of her with a flourish.

She giggled, “Why, thank you, kind sir.” Though he often teased her about her habit of drinking her coffee with lemon instead of milk, he knew exactly the right amount to put in, and it always seemed to taste better whenever he made it.

“And now, for your main course,” He quickly but carefully dished out her food and placed it on the counter, “Three slices of bacon, two scrambled eggs, strawberries and vanilla yogurt, croissants, sided with a glass of cranberry juice.”

“Oh, Lukie, it looks delicious!” She sighed.

She waited for him to set the plate and glass down before wrapping her arms around his neck and planting a long, slow kiss on his lips. She pulled back slightly, “Thank you.”

He immediately pulled her right back to him and planted another, longer, slower kiss on her lips, “You’re very welcome.”

She grinned and couldn’t resist one more kiss. This one topped both the other two. His arms came around her, one hand pressing her waist closer to his own, the other creeping lower, lower...

Her own hand tangled itself in his hair while the other brushed and caressed his hard, bare chest. She loved the feel of the coarse dark hairs sprinkled over his chest.

Finally, both pulled back, gasping for breath. Lucas’s brown eyes had darkened, fixated on her.

“You might not want to keep that up, babe,” He growled huskily. “Your food’ll get cold.”

She smirked mischievously, but he didn’t see it. HIs eyes were fixed lower than her own face. She glanced down to discover that her robe, having already been undone, had slipped back, revealing the lacy pink nightie she’d worn to bed last night. Flushing, she reached to close it, but his hand grabbed her wrist.

“No,” He murmured. “Leave it. I like it.”

She smiled shyly, then turned back to her plate. He retrieved his own plate--the majority of which was filled with bacon and eggs--and took a seat on the other side of the island. He prayed over their food, but before he could dig in, she reached over and plucked two of his five pieces of bacon from his plate and added them to her own.

“Hey!” Luke protested. “Why’d you take mine? You never eat five pieces!”

“Well, then I’d better start,” She retorted primly.

“But I’m way bigger than you! I need to eat more! You aren’t even close to my size.”

“I will be,” Miranda smiled.

He paused, “What do you mean?”

“Well, we’ve got Papa Bear and Mama bear. “Soon, we’ll have Baby Bear.”

He stared at her in astonishment, “You--you mean--you’re having a baby?”

“We’re having a baby!” She announced happily.

A long, interminable silence passed, Luke staring at her intensely.

She bit her lip, “A--Aren’t you happy?”

“Happy?” His eyes darkened and he pushed up from the table. “I’m very happy. I’ll show you how happy I am. But, I’ll tell you one thing.”

“What?” She asked, turning to face him.

Just before his arms closed around her, he muttered, “Your food’s going to get cold.”