I OPENED ONE EYE BECAUSE the other was smashed against my pillow. I was lying face down and my covers were pulled over the top of me. I remembered that Kat had slept in the bed with me and I was certain she’d stayed the night. Turning over, I saw that the other side of the bed was empty. Disappointment immediately sank in. I’d never meant to fall asleep when I finally got her undressed and in my arms, but I’d been so exhausted from the destructive path I’d taken over the last week that my body had literally shut down when she held me. I buried my face in the pillow that she had laid on, breathing deeply the smell that I knew would be there, coconut. God, that girl was beautiful. She’d somehow settled something in my soul that had been ruined since that fateful day. She made me feel like a man again, like a whole person, even though most wouldn’t view it that way. As I laid there, remembering over and over how last night had played out, I heard something that sounded like a bang in the other room. Sitting up, my eyes darted around the room. Nothing was out of place.
Getting out of bed, the towel that had been wrapped around my waist fell to the floor. I could give two shits about nudity, and right now I wanted to know who the fuck had the balls to break into my place. Either way, they’d get a show of my sac and my fists. As I walked to my door and opened it, I was assaulted by the smell of lemon and….
“Is that Mr. Clean?” I asked. My nose sniffed the air and I glanced into the kitchen to see the finest ass bent over, digging around under my cupboards. I was more than glad to see that Kat had stayed.
Standing up quickly, Kat hit her head on the counter. She yelled, “OUCH! Son of a bitch.” She was rubbing her head when she turned and looked at me. “You don’t sneak up on a girl when she ha….”
Kat stopped speaking and her mouth gaped open. She was facing me and staring at my lower half. Shit, I forgot I was naked. I hadn’t planned on her being the intruder in my house. Using my hand to cover myself, I snickered at the look on her face. “You can either keep enjoying the family jewels or you can turn around while I dig around here for a pair of briefs.”
She promptly turned, but it wasn’t lost on me that her face was beet red. When her back was to me, I got a good look at what I thought was my apartment. Every inch of the place was spotless. There weren’t any empty bottles, boxes, or clothes anywhere to be seen. Now I understood why I smelled cleaning solution.
“You cleaned my place?”
She was still facing away. “Well… yeah. You do know that it was disgusting in here, right? I could hardly walk without falling into some death trap. I woke up a while ago and figured I’d do you a favor.”
I was shocked. Kat not only stayed with me, she was taking care of me. It did something to my heart. Needing to do something, I walked up behind her and kissed the back of her head. With my lips still on her hair, I said, “thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” There was an awkward silence for a beat and then she spoke again. “Timber?”
“Hmmm…”
“Go get some clothes on.”
I barked out a hearty laugh. “Okay, but only because you asked so nicely,” I said sarcastically and slapped her ass before I turned around and retreated to my bedroom. She yelped and rubbed her butt.
“Asshole,” she hollered at me.
Finding a clean pair of gym shorts, I pulled them on and walked back out to the kitchen. Kat was busying herself with a pan on the stove and a carton of eggs. Over in the corner was a coffee maker with a fresh pot brewed. I didn’t own a coffee maker. In fact, I didn’t own eggs. What the fuck? How long had I been asleep and what time was it? My cell was sitting on top of the television, plugged into a charger. I pushed the button on the side and it lit up. It was one o’clock and only half a day had passed.
“Do you prefer your eggs scrambled or over easy?” Kat called to me.
I stopped to think about it. “Over easy.” I walked back into the kitchen and leaned my hip against the counter. I watched her move through my space like she lived here. She knew her way around, pulling milk from the fridge, which again I didn’t previously have, and kept right on cooking. I felt like I was in some sort of twilight zone. I wasn’t mad, but it was slightly disturbing. I’d taken stock that the few boxes I’d had sitting around were now unpacked and put away.
“You unpacked my boxes?”
She stopped what she was doing and turned to face me, a spatula still in her hand. “Yeah, I’m sorry. I know I shouldn’t have touched your things, but this place really was trashed. I just wanted to make it more homey for you, I guess.”