His mistaken Identity

Chapter 16

Christopher hadn’t known what to expect when he got home. He drove through the gate like a man heading to his sentencing. Taking a moment to brace himself in the car, he reminded himself that he was a good, patient man who could handle a little drama. Hell, he had survived his ex-girlfriend. That had been boot camp for drama management. Just to be safe, he didn’t allow his brain to wander too far and think about the kind of drama his ex-girlfriend had constantly baptized him in. Such thoughts would have had the opposite effect on him and he would have driven right out of the yard rather than go into the house.

Moments later, walking into the house, he paused. After her hysterical call earlier in the day about a strange woman at the supermarket, he certainly hadn’t expected to find her in the kitchen cooking.

Christopher gently set the carrier bag with the items she had gone to the supermarket for and he had promised to get on his way home. His jacket followed. He draped it on the back of a chair and went ahead to roll up his sleeves and remove his tie. He wasn’t still sure if he was preparing for war or not.

But despite his unease, for the first time in weeks, his house felt like home. The smell of a home-cooked meal and the sight of a woman cooking said meal made one hell of a picture.

“This is a surprise,” he said carefully. A pleasant one, but he didn’t add that.

Jane turned at the sound of his voice, the spoon in her hand held high like a weapon. “Oh! I didn’t hear you enter.”

Clearly. Christopher hesitated before walking into the kitchen since the spoon was still up in the air in a firm grip. It was like she hadn’t yet decided whether he was a threat or not. “Sorry,” he said.

Noticing Tony wasn’t anywhere near his mother, he looked over his shoulder into the living room. “Where is the little man?”

Christopher turned back to her, waiting for an answer, but found Jane was already facing the stove and concentrating on what she was cooking. She answered over her shoulder, “Sleeping in the bedroom.”

Christopher paused on his way to the fridge. “Is that safe? He won’t fall off the bed unsupervised?” A mental image of the simple double bed in the guest room flashed through his mind and made him frown at the ugly possibility.

Jane didn’t seem to share his concerns. Her voice remained leveled. “He is barely three months old. His movements are still very limited… He is safe.”

“Maybe we should just consider buying a proper baby cot… just to be on the safer side.”

Jane stopped what she was doing and faced him. “That’s too much…”

“Nonsense,” he cut her off. “I will look into it tomorrow when I get to town.” Christopher gave himself a mental slap for not having thought of it before now. But he was going to make sure he rectified the problem as soon as possible.

Jane, however, looked equal parts grateful and confused. Christopher decided to leave her to her thoughts. When she had something to say, he would listen. But first, he needed a quick shower so he could enjoy whatever she had cooked that smelled so good.

An hour later, he sat opposite her at the dining table and enjoyed his bowl of a hot, creamy vegetable casserole. It tasted so good he was already wondering if he could convince her to cook it again someday soon.

He chuckled and shook his head. That was what his adoptive mother called ‘thinking with his stomach’, he thought with humor and a smile at the fond memory.

“What’s so funny? Something wrong with the food?”

Christopher looked up and met her eyes. “No… no, the food is great.” He quickly assured her. “I just thought of something and remembered what my mother used to say.”

She looked at him expectantly, so Christopher continued, “I used to ask my mother to cook a particular dish again when it tasted really good. And she always told me I was thinking with my stomach.” He shrugged, a shy smile on his lips. “I thought of asking you to cook this dish again… because it tastes really great.”

“Oh.” Jane’s cheeks were now a deeper shade, and she couldn’t seem to meet his eyes. “Thank you. I am glad you like it.”

“Oh, I really like it… it’s entering the list of my top five favorite meals.”

She laughed and raised her eyes. “Now you are exaggerating. Okay… What are the other four dishes on the list?”

“Promise you won’t laugh.”

Jane set her spoon down next to her bowl. “Now you have my undivided interest. Sorry… no promises.” She smiled.

For a moment, he forgot what it was they were talking about. It was the first time he saw her smile like that. Her face looked so much younger and brighter. The humor in her eyes chased away the shadows that always lurked there like a reminder of all she had gone through. It was like a breath of fresh air. He was mesmerized.

Christopher cleared his throat, looked down at his bowl, and tried to remember the answer to her question. Oh, right, his favorite foods. He almost gave himself a pat on the shoulder for his ability to recall that.

Thank goodness the answer didn’t require thinking. “Well, my first would be pasta with spicy peanut butter sauce.”

Jane mock-shuddered. “Oh, boy… I can already see where this is going.”

Christopher chuckled. “It’s not bad… you should try it before you judge. Anyway, my number two favorite meal is… wait for it.” He made a dramatic pause. “Sweet potatoes with peanut butter.... and...”

She raised her hand to stop his progress, barely suppressing her laughter. “Wait, wait, wait… do all the meals on that list contain… peanut butter?”

He frowned and looked thoughtful for a moment, like it was a very serious question he had been asked. Then a really wide smile spread across his lips, reaching his eyes. He pointed down at his bowl with the half-eaten creamy vegetable casserole. “Well… now it doesn’t.”

Laughter filled the house as they both gave into it. After a long moment, Christopher wiped the tear from the corner of his eye. He hadn’t laughed like that in a long time and he could tell neither had she. Jane looked almost shocked that she had laughed so much. She even held her chest as though it hurt.

After that, they finished the rest of their meal in companionable silence. Every so often, he caught her looking at him under her lashes, but neither of them made an effort to break the silence. Tony was still asleep in her room, so there was no baby noise or presence to lighten the moment, either.

Eventually, all good things came to an end. Christopher finished eating and stood up. “Thank you so much for a sumptuous meal… I really appreciate it.”

“You can leave that. I will clean up.”

“No.” He picked up his empty bowl and moved to the sink. “You cooked, I will clean. My mother raised me right. Don’t tempt her to slap me from heaven.”

Jane’s mouth gaped before she quickly shut it and chuckled quietly. She hesitated a moment, then picked up her own empty bowl and went to stand next to him at the sink. “How about… I wash, you wipe? I already took care of most of what I used while cooking, so this shouldn’t take long.”

“Sounds good.”

So that’s what they did. They washed and wiped in silence. Before long, they had cleaned every dirty plate, spoon, and cup, and packed them back where they belong. When there was nothing else to do, they both stood and just stared at each other awkwardly.

Jane wasn’t sure who moved first. One moment they were staring at each other and she was wondering what to say to break the vibrating silence. The next, she was in his arms.

Jane balanced on her toes. She had one hand gripping the front of his shirt and the other arm draped around his neck like an anchor. She leaned into him, fully putting her weight on him, and he supported her. Both his hands held her firmly around her small waist.

Their lips met and engaged in a heated, breathless kiss that had no restraints. It was like two starved people desperate for every taste.

After a minute, Christopher realized he couldn’t get enough of her even though he felt as though his lungs were burning from the need for oxygen. He had no idea how they had gotten to this point and a very sensible part of him told him to put some brakes on the action before things went too far, but that voice was suffocated by an almost lightning-like feeling he got from every swipe of his lips against hers. Then he invaded her mouth with his tongue and even the little reasoning that tried to hold on by a thin thread vanished.

She tasted of the vegetable casserole they had just eaten and just her sweet self. Christopher heard a moan. He didn’t know if it was him or her; he didn’t care.

She sucked on his tongue until it was almost too painful to bear. Her hands were traveling his body. He felt them grip his shirt tighter, then they moved, and before he knew it, he felt her fingers against his flesh. Christopher tightened his hold on her like he needed to be grounded or he would fly off.

Her fingers brushed over his abs lightly, but enough to drive him crazy out of his mind. Then they went up to his chest and scraped against his n*****s. He shuddered.

Christopher broke the kiss and angled his head so he could kiss her neck. He heard her gasp and her hands stopped moving for a moment before they suddenly went down and she was opening his pants.

Things were moving too fast. The thought screamed at the back of his mind. But before he could rub two brain cells together and find a reason to stop her, his zipper was down and her hand was in his pants. She was touching him. Her hot, sweaty hand wrapped around his hard c**k. Whatever reservations she had didn’t show as her fingers tightened around him. Christopher was only human, and a red-blooded, healthy man at that.

He had her top flying across the kitchen in seconds. He moved in closer to press his body against hers and back her up against the kitchen island.

Her hand was still creating havoc and scattering all his brain cells, but thankfully she moved it and just ran her palm against his left thigh.

Then everything just stopped. Jane froze and pulled away, even though her hand was still firmly pressed against his thigh. She moved her fingers and brushed his skin one more time, then she removed her hand and stepped back so suddenly, as though she had been burned.

She gave him a look Christopher couldn’t quite interpret. Much worse, with his senses still scattered to the wind. But he had enough sense to not pull her back towards him, even though every cell in his body begged for it, although he had no idea what had just happened.

Did he have to apologize? He wondered. It wasn’t like he even knew how they had ended up kissing or touching. She was as guilty as he was. If not more. Her hands had been all over his body. Intimately. He, on the other hand, hadn’t explored beyond her waist, he realized.

A very awkward silence filled the kitchen and stretched.

Jane was now only in a bra that needed some adjustments. Especially since half of her full pale boobs were visible and causing his brain a lot of trouble. She still had her pants too, thankfully still secured to her slim waist. The same couldn’t be said for Christopher. His shirt was half off with probably a missing button or two, and his pants were open and almost falling off his hips. That didn’t help with the wood he was still spotting and didn’t look ready to go away.

Finally, he cleared his throat, then opened his mouth to say something. He wasn’t sure what, though. Christopher was just desperate to break the silence before it choked him.

However, some angel must have been feeling pity for him and he was saved from the trouble. Jane crossed the kitchen, picked up her shirt, and made a hasty exit. He barely heard her footsteps as she practically ran to the guest room she was occupying with her son. But he heard the door when she closed it firmly. Now he wasn’t so sure if he should be grateful.

“Great job, Christopher… just great,” he murmured under his breath and blew out a heavy breath.