Dirty Little Secret

We had only been in the truck for a little over an hour before Tate slowed to turn into my driveway. We hadn't said much after he clued me in to what happened last night, but now I had to say something.

"Thanks," I mutter, not moving to get out.

"For what?"

"Not making fun of me, about the afraid to be alone."

"I'd never make fun of you, not to hurt your feelings."

I finally look at Tate. His look is sincere and soft, something not many people see. I smile shyly at him, still feeling embarrassed.

"Look, we still have to put all this water in the different cups and label them and everything so do you want to grab some clothes and we can head back to my place or we could stay here if you want?"

"We can go to your house, but want to come in? It may take a bit to find something to wear," I ask as Tate cuts the ignition and opens his door.

He rounds the truck and opens my door to help me out, I take his offered hand and we enter the front door together.

Tate cranes his head around to look around the great room. I show him to my room.

"Looks like a princess lives here," Tate smirks.

"Well according to you, I am," I say while opening the door to my closet. I hear Tate give a choking sound as he see all of my clothing hanging in perfect order. I ignore him and close the closet door to dress in peace.

When I step out of my closet, I feel refreshed and lady like wearing beautiful shades of coral. "Do not say anything about me being overdressed. I'm going to wear what I makes me feel pretty."

"Your beautiful without it," Tate's words take me by surprise.

"Thanks," I smile.

It only took all of twenty minutes to drive back to Tate's house and transfer, label and set the water in the window sill of Tate's garage. I knew Tate didn't want me to come over just to help him with the project, I knew he didn't want me to be alone.

"So what do you normally do when you have nothing to do?" Tate asks as we travel up the patio and into the kitchen through the screen porch.

"I read, listen to music, sometimes I watch television. I like to cook, a lot, but most of it goes uneaten."

"I forget the last time this kitchen was even used," Tate laughs but I give him a look of horror.

His kitchen was beautiful, and it came with all the fixings. It was every cook's wet dream. When my mom redid the house, she over looked the kitchen because she never sets foot in it. I doubt she even knows where it is.

"You can make me something, I'm famished," Tate pats his stomach and gives it a rub.

"What would you like me to make you?"

"Whatever your pretty little heart desires."

I round the island and open the fridge, it was pretty bare. I few condiments, butter and an assortment of drinks. I reached for the pantry door and found it stocked with common foods; pasta, canned food, jarred pasta, packets of instant pudding and jello, flour, all different sugars.

"How about a pasta dish and homemade brownies for dessert?"

"Homemade brownies, like from a box?"

I scrunch my face up, "No actual homemade. I make the best, you'll love them. But we need to go grocery shopping first."

"What if one of your friends sees us shopping together?"

I snort out a laugh. "Please, like my friends would ever be in a grocery store."

Tate pushed the cart while I put things into it and checked them off my list. We went down every aisle picking up essential things for Chicken Alfredo and brownies.

"Do you know how to work your grill?" I ask picking up a bag of charcoal and putting it into the cart with a thud.

"I am a guy, you know."

I roll my eyes and give him a smirk before heading down the next aisle, allowing him to follow closely behind.

As we get to the checkout, Tate smiles at the cashier. "Hey Lauren."

"Hey Tate," she smiles at him then her eyes meet mine and she freezes.

Tate unloads everything and Lauren begins to scan. I try to ignore the awkward silence by looking over my list and removing my wallet from my purse.

"This isn't how I planned my Sunday. Corinne Page making me shop with her before starting our project," Tate tells Lauren. I knew that he was covering our tracks because Lauren went to school with us.

"I'm sorry that the maid that normally does my grocery shopping went on vacation! I thought that since you probably frequent these places you'd know where everything was and you could push that Mono-infested cart. You don't want me to starve to death do you?" I make sure I sound extra bitchy.

"I could care less, princess."

I hand Lauren my card and after she swipes it she hands it back to me so I can shove it back into my wallet. Tate's last comment hurt, even though I knew he was playing.

I help him unload the bags into the back of the pickup and return the cart myself. Tate waits to help me back in before he gets in himself and backs up and speeds onto the main road.

He can sense that I'm upset. Tate puts a hand on my bare thigh and pulls me closer to him until I am sitting in the middle, his hand still on my thigh. "I didn't mean it, you know that right?"

"Yeah, I know."

"I would miss you if you died of starvation."

"Really?"

"Yeah, I'd even attend your funeral. I'd tell everyone about our secret friendship."

"Is that what we are, friends?" I ask seriously.

"I thought we were but I mean if you don't want to be friends," Tate says looking over at me.

"No, being friends is fine."

Tate starts the grill as soon as we get back to his place and I start to put everything away. I looked at Tate through the window and admired the way the sun catches the lightest blond streaks in his hair, turning them to gold. He looks up and spots me looking, he smiles a sultry smile and his eyes twinkle.

The coals are finally hot enough to put on the chicken on the grill. As he manages the chicken I start to boil the water and melt some butter in a pan. Tate came in with a plate of chicken while I was draining the water from the cooked noodles. As he sets the plate of chicken down, he picks up a spoon to taste the Alfredo sauce.

"Delicious," he says before taking another taste.

I transfer two portions of fettuccine noodles into two bowls, ladle the sauce over top and place the chicken I cut up into bite sized pieces on top. "Dig in," I hand Tate a fork and he doesn't hesitate.

Tate finishes before me and transfers the left overs in a container and sets it in the fridge. "Can I help make the brownies?"

I nod my head, finally finished. I gather the ingredients and Tate preheats the oven. It doesn't take long for all the ingredients to come together to make a dark brown batter. I scrap my finger along the side of the bowl to taste the batter and without thinking I do it again and offer my finger for Tate to taste. Tate takes my finger into his mouth and my eye go wide and everywhere is heated.

"Kiss me," I say. Like in the ocean, I am in a trance, a magically trace that I don't ever want lifted.

Tate obliged, cupping my face in his hands he lowers his lips to mine and we explode. We are all tongue, mouth and touch. A fire has started in the pit of my stomach and the only way to tame it was to keep kissing him. Tate pushes the bowl of batter out of the way and lifts me onto the counter. He slides in between my legs, pushing the material of my dress up my thighs as he trails his fingertips up and down my tingling skin. We break for a breath but Tate moves his mouth to just below my ear, I let out a loud groan as he nips and sucks. His left hand ventures higher and higher up my legs then higher to my breasts where he gently squeezes, making his way higher to cup my face as our lips find each other’s again. Tate's pointer finger of his right hand now traces the outline of my panties near my hip.

I don't want it to stop but panic starts to set in and finally it overtakes this lust that I'm feeling, "Stop. Please, stop."

Tate backs up immediately, his hands slightly raised in the air. "I'm sorry, I got caught in the moment."

"No no, it's not your fault," I grab one of his hands pulling him back to me, giving him one last swift kiss. "It's just I've never.." I trail off.

"You've never what?"

"I've never done that," I confess, my face turning the color of beats.

"What, kiss? Make out?"

"No, I've never had sex before."

"Oh," Tate seems stunned.

"Don't say it like that."

"No, sorry. I just expected that you were experienced."

"Just because I'm a cheerleader and I'm dating this horndog jock doesn't give everyone the right to assume that I'd give up the one thing that is mine to anyone."

"I wasn't saying that. I'm sorry that I assumed wrong."

"It's okay, I'm sorry I got all defensive. I just am waiting until I'm with someone who cares for me as much as I care for them."

Tate smiles and places small kisses on my lips before helping me back onto my feet. "If only there were more girls like you. It would make way less guys like me."

"I liked kissing you though."

"I liked kissing you too."

I poured the batter into a greased pan and slide it into the oven as the front door opened and closed.

"Looks like my mom is home," Tate smirks.

A tall blonde walks into the kitchen. She is dressed in black slacks and a pale blue top. She was looking down at a paper in her hand but when she looked up and noticed I was there, gave a surprised smile.

"Oh hello, I'm Liz Daniels," She extends a warm hand for me to shake.

"Hi I'm Cori. I'm a friend of Tate's."

Liz smiles and looks at Tate who just looks down with a grin on his face, it was some sort of inside secret I wasn't included in. "Normally Tate's friends are a little less clothed when I meet them, you must be special."