Sweet Surprise

"Still afraid?"

It wasn't his intention to push her, no scratch that. It was his every intention to push her beyond the edge of her fears. He waited for barely a second before she looked up at him with more conviction in her eyes than ever before.

"Not anymore.."

When her lips parted with just those two words, he smiled before capturing them in a thirsty kiss and they welcomed him in a way that had his mind screaming 'hell yeah'. 

And now he can't get enough, he is lost in her goodness. And to his very sweet surprise, there is something awesomely innocent about the kiss but it's also laced with the hottest sensations that have locked his lips to hers, leaving him trapped. Not that he is complaining, on the contrary, he is relishing the taste of her lips that have got him intoxicated beyond any drug he knows. 

He pulls back, but just for a moment. Her flushed face and swollen lips giving him so much satisfaction. He reaches for her bottom lip and rubs it gently with his thumb before leaning in one more time. Just one more time he promises himself, and this time he lets her lead him while he hangs back as she gives it to him. Slow, warm, nearly chaste but extremely sensual, awakening every one of his senses and he can't help but just let himself get lost in her again.

After a moment she stops, but he lets himself linger on the taste of her lips a second longer before opening his eyes.

He catches her just as she looks down nervously while she pushes away some stray locks of hair behind her ear. 

"That was breathtaking." He says as he gently lifts her face to look at him. He would not normally feel the need to say this, but her nervousness clearly shows her doubt. 

"Really?" She asks shyly, making him smile. 

"Really…" he replies before pulling her in for a hug.

"And thank you." He adds.

They stay like that quietly, though his mind is anything but. It keeps on replaying what just happened. Up to now he doesn't know what possessed him to move closer to her. All he knows is, one moment he wanted to make sure she was ok and the next he was on cloud nine. 

"How would you like to start on your first lesson of cooking 101?" He suddenly asks.

"Is that still a thing?" Layla looks at him surprised.

"Your personal basic cooking guide? Of course it's a thing." He replies amused.

"It may be in my head only but that doesn't make it less of a thing." 

She laughs out loud and he mentally pats himself on the back. It seems his strategy for a perfect distraction will work out just fine. Though if he had his way, she is all the distraction he needs.

"Okay.." She answers timidly and he laughs. 

"Don't worry, you'll do great."

"Wait till I burn the whole house down." She says laughing.

"We can always get a new one. Now come." He jumps off the bed before pulling her up too but stops in his tracks when she screams. He whips his head so fast towards her, worried he may have made her sprain her ankle or something. 

"Don't look." She screams again but it's too late.

Her ankle seems fine, more than fine actually. His mind notes as it unconsciously travels higher not knowing what it's looking for exactly but enjoying the view that's getting better.

"I said don't look!" 

The sound of her voice brings him out of his daze and he closes his eyes quickly. But there is no way for him to unsee what he just saw. 

"I'm sorry?" He grins unable to hold himself.

"Out!"

He finds himself being pushed to what he assumes is the door."

"May I at least open my eyes?"

"No!"

There is panic in her voice and he finds her cute.

"I mean, you can open them once I get you out of here." She adds a little calmer this time.

"Okay." He shrugs as he drags his feet and with just a few steps he hears the banging of a door.

"Can I open them now?" He calls out to her amused.

"Be my guest." She shouts back making him laugh. 

"They are very beautiful by the way."

"Go away Caleb!" 

The amusement in her voice makes him smile. Having her here is so much more than he had hoped it would be.  

He sighs in contentment and with a spring in his step, he heads to the kitchen to get ready for his student.

"Ouch!" Caleb cries out in pain when he gets pinched from behind the moment he steps into the kitchen.

"What was that for Layl...Janice?" His eyes widen when he finds Janice instead of Layla behind his kitchen door with arms folded and looking very mad.

"What is it?" He frowns.

"Did you forget?" She whisper yells furiously.

"Wait, how did you get in here? And why in the world are you whispering?"

 "I swear I will kill you if you forgot Caleb." She warns him.

"Forget what? And will you stop whispering?" He looks at her confused.

"The trip dummy. And no I can't stop whispering." She nods towards his sitting room.

He peeps that direction and finds two little people seated and looking sad.

"Oh crap! Is it today?" 

He reaches for his phone and finds a dozen missed calls and an unread message from his secretary. He opens it and finds a reminder about the trip.

"Damn it. I'm sorry, it seems I forgot. Must have slipped my mind."

"Ouch!" He cries out in pain when Janice pinches him again.

"Will you stop doing that?" 

"I hope your schedule is clear." She gives him a pointed look.

"Of course it is. You know it always is for this." He boasts before walking away from Janice. His schedule is clear alright even though he had something else in mind for it. 

"How are my little pirates doing today?" He chirps when he comes up behind the girls.

"Uncle Caleb!" The girls squeal before jumping into his arms.

"Ready for the best treasure hunt ever?"

"Aye captain." They answer with extreme excitement.

"We thought you weren't coming." They say in unison. 

"Now what gave you such a ludicrous idea? Of course am coming. What's a camping trip without your favourite uncle" He says as he hugs them both. 

"Is aunty Layla coming too?" Emma looks at him expectantly.

"Well...uh.." 

"You didn't ask her yet? Are you sure you didn't forget about our trip?" Emma gives him a pointed look. 

"Hey miss know it all, of course I didn't forget. And I...Well was just going to ask aunty Layla to pack her stuff." 

"Yay!" The girls squeal yet again no doubt too happy to get their way.

"I swear Emma is a mini version of you, so bossy." Caleb says as he goes past Janice. 

"Someone has to do the hard work around here." Janice retorts making Caleb roll his eyes.

"Just give a minute okay?" He peeks by the door. 

"Please take all the time you need, me and the girls will be in the car. Best of luck." Janice winks at him before calling the girls and walking out of the house. 

"So much for some quality time." He mumbles to himself as he walks back to Layla's bedroom. He was already looking forward to spending time with her but he knows there is no way to escape this trip without being roasted. And so he picks the safer option and hopes she says yes. On the other hand, going camping with her has him excited. He has always enjoyed spending time with Darren and his family, but he felt lonely some of the times. He would find himself wishing he had a family of his own too. 

He takes a deep breath when he reaches her door and knocks.

"Yeah?" 

"Is it safe to enter?" A flash of what happened earlier makes him smile. 

"It depends on what you want this time."  

She opens the door and once more he just stands there stunned. She has changed into another floral dress and saying she is beautiful feels like an understatement. With her hair tied back in a pony tail and revealing her beautiful face, she looks like she just jumped out of a fairy tale. 

"You are gorgeous." He finds himself saying as he takes her in. She makes simple, look elegantly beautiful.

"Thank you…" a familiar tinge of pink spreads across her face, making him smile. He doesn't think he'll ever get tired of seeing her flushed face.

"I was just about to come down. Did I take too long?" She asks nervously. 

"Oh no, something just came up and I'm afraid we are going to have reschedule our lesson." He looks at her apologetically.

"Oh?"

"Well, there is this camping trip we kind of do every year, which I totally forgot was today." He looks up at her and and she just nods. 

"That's ok. We can just do it another time then."

He doesn't miss the disappointment in her voice.

"And I was wondering if you would like to go." He bites his lips nervously as he waits for her answer. It's not the best way to invite her but he figures it will have to do looking at the circumstances. 

"By we, you mean….?" She asks thoughtfully.

"Me, Darren, Janice and the kids."

"Oh okay." She replies and at first he thinks he didn't get her properly.

"Are you sure?" 

"Of course, it's not like I was going to be doing anything anyway. She shrugs her shoulders. 

"Yes!" He hugs her without a thought and to his surprise she hugs him back, making him smile. Their contact seems to be more natural and he loves it.

"I promise, you will love it." He says as he walks her to her closet. 

"Let's get packing then."