Tempting

The sharp sizzling sound of vegetables frying and a sweet aroma coming from it, fills up the brightly lit open cooking area.

Caleb has never enjoyed cooking as much as he does now. The heat coming from the burning wood acting as the perfect reason he is enjoying this so much. Shirt all wet, hairs sticking to the sweat drenched soft skin, chest heaving every time she moves back and forth the cooking area. 

"Are you sure you don't need any help?" He whispers right into her ear, startling her a bit.

"Nope I'm good." She replies as she wipes a trail of sweat from her brow going down the side of her face. 

"Here then." He holds up his glass of juice to her beautiful lips and gives her a drink.

"Thanks." She replies with a shy smile.

"By the way, something is burning." He says while he sips on his drink after she's done. 

"Oh crap." She jumps away from him and rushes to check on whatever she left cooking making him laugh. 

He spent the last half hour offering his help but she is bent on getting this dish ready without his help. Something she called a practical lesson she needs to master.

He smiles to himself. She's done pretty well for a beginner doing some professional cooking. And he just got an opportunity to see her tenacious side too. It's pretty clear she doesn't give up that easily, a trait he finds attractive on her too.

And it feels good to have someone cook for him for a change even though he pretty much did most of the cooking today still. She watched him do it until she decided to do the last dish on the menu, with his help of course. He enjoyed that bit too, so much that he wished they didn't have to stop. Although he couldn't decide what he enjoyed more between cooking and cooking with her. Their closeness, bodies touching, a little bumping into each other, the near kisses and stolen ones too. Not to mention the cute way she kept on blushing. 

His eyes fall on her again while he wonders what else there is to unearth of the beautiful woman in front of him.

"Get a hold of yourself Caleb." He sighs, feeling himself get a little frustrated as he struggles between being a gentleman and just….

"How many more minutes before she caves?" Darren walks up to Caleb looking amused.

His presence gives him a perfect distraction from his own mind that seems to be wandering in places it shouldn't.

"Proud to let you know that she is doing way better than Janice." Caleb answers with pride. His eyes are on Layla who seems to be too focussed on what she is doing. 

"Stop torturing the poor girl." Darren says as he grabs Caleb's glass from him. 

"Besides I'm hungry." Darren says before downing all the contents from Caleb's glass. 

"Tell that to your wife." Caleb retorts as he reaches for an apron. 

"If only I can find that woman." Darren says while pretending to be searching for Janice.

"Treasure hunting already." Caleb smirks.

"I swear those girls will be the death of me." Darren says as he gets up and  heads towards the lake.

"You could try waking up earlier than them you know."  Caleb shouts after him and he is met with just a grunt from Darren. 

Caleb just shakes his head at his friend who lazily walks over to the lake in an attempt to search for his family. 

"What are you doing?"

Layla's voice grabs his attention and he turns to her happily.

"Getting ready to help my very independent woman."

"Who is your woman? And I didn't ask for any help." She quirks an eyebrow at him. 

"Are you saying you are my woman then?" He answers playfully before trapping her in front of the outdoor counter with his hands on either of her sides. The familiar tinge of pink on her cheeks makes him smile.

"Well..I...uhm." She stutters before looking over his shoulder. 

"Something's burning.'' she exclaims.

"We can always cook something else." He whispers moving closer and touching her ear lightly with his lips.

He feels her shiver before pushing him suddenly, the strength in her arms surprising him a little.

"Worked too hard on this Mr." She scoots away from him to save her dish and he is left laughing.

"You are not bad, you know. Pretty good for a beginner if I do say so myself." He says before reaching for a bowl of fruits.

"You think?" She says as she places the food in front of him. 

"Of course...now that looks yummy!" He exclaims.

"May I?" 

"Sure." 

She hands him a spoon and looks at him expectantly while he tastes her creation. 

"Well?" She asks nervously, but instead of answering, he gets one more scoop and holds the spoon up to her mouth.

"Go on." He urges her and she moves closer and takes in everything he scooped up. Her eyes widen the moment she gets chewing and he smirks.

"This has got to be the best vegetable stir fry I have ever tasted. No offence." She looks at him apologetically. 

"Non taken." He replies, amused at her reaction to her own cooking.

"Told you." He chuckles as he gets working on their fruit salad.

"So do you like it here?" He asks when she comes in front of him.

"Like it? I love it. It's...so different from the hustle and bustle of the city."

"I think it's the perfect place to forget about your worries and just enjoy the calm it brings."

He finds her focussed on the lake, appearing to be lost in thought. It's almost as though she were sad about something. His heart goes out to her. With so much that she has gone through it's a wonder she can smile as much as she does.

"Then we'll come out here more often." He finds himself saying while he holds her hand.

"I would like that." She looks up at him and he holds her gaze for a moment. 

 "So do we call everyone, wait or what?" She asks suddenly, breaking their eye contact. She reaches for some plates that she places on their picnic table. 

"Oh don't worry about them, they'll be here eventually. As long as the stuff is cooked, that is all that matters." He smiles as he wipes his hands wishing she hadn't moved at all.

"Okay, I'll just take a shower then. Be  back in a bit." She says before turning around and he can't help but think she wants to escape him.

"I...have got a better idea."

"Oh?"

"We could go for a swim. I promise it's much better than a shower or bath." He says with a smile.

"As in, in the lake?" She asks, sounding a bit unsure.

"Yes."

"Is it safe?"

"Must be. I mean, I have taken so many dips in there and yet here I am." He shrugs his shoulders.

"And besides I'm here to take care of you should anything happen." He pulls her closer to himself and regrets it immediately. He feels like he is trapped in a teenager's body when he can't keep himself from reacting to her closeness every time. 

"Uh huh. I see." She replies looking unconvinced.

"I don't have my swimsuit with me though" she bites her lips innocently but that action makes him thirst for them so much he lets go of her before he does something he will definitely regret. He wonders if she even knows how much she affects him.

"Say no more my lady." He gives her a little bow playfully and she chuckles.

"I have a solution to that too." He grins before finishing up with the salad while he masks up his uneasy self. And once done he drags her into the house, all the way up to their room.

"I told you, you didn't have everything." He says before reaching into one of the shopper bags from the mall that is still unpacked. 

Layla's frown disappears the moment he brings out a one piece black and white swimsuit, with a matching sun hat and places them on the bed.

"There...Anything else?" He says grinning.

"You got me a swimsuit?" She asks, surprised.

"Well yeah...figured you might need one." He answers nervously.

"You like it?"

"It's beautiful." She replies with a smile that leaves him dazed a bit.

"Glad you like it." He finally replies before deciding to walk out and give her some space.

"I'm gonna go and wait outside." He says awkwardly.

"Sure, I won't be long." 

He spends the next few minutes pacing outside the room anxious to see her in it. He may have gotten it for convenience's sake but he knew he wanted to see her in it too the moment he lay his eyes on it. And when the door opens up, he takes a deep breath before turning around. 

He instantly regrets listening to the sales lady the moment she steps out.

"You look…." His words die down in his throat at the sight before him. He can't look away even if he wanted to. He both curses and thanks himself for getting her that swimsuit. She's beyond breathtaking. She's...tempting.

"Well?" Her timid voice reaches his ears but he is too distracted to even form words. 

He swallows nervously before taking a step closer to her. His brain function seems to start and end at her curves.

"You are...this is...I am…" He reaches out for her but stops himself when he feels his last shred of control slipping.

"Let's just go." he breathes in heavily before taking her hand and leading her outside. He is in a lot of trouble and staying in the empty house will just make it worse for him.

Once they are out Emma and Emily come out of nowhere and drag Layla away and he is left to walk by himself to the lake where they usually swim from. He does well to grab some juice hoping it will cool him down even for a bit.

"Oh man are you okay." Darren laughs out loud at Caleb as Layla goes over to Janice with the kids. And instead of answering Caleb just curses as he downs the cold glass of juice that is not helping matters at all.

"I don't know what I was thinking." He wipes his sweaty brow all the while unable to take his eyes off of her.

"Wait, that was you?" Darren asks, amused.

"Damn sales lady." He replies with gritted teeth.

"Oh man! Why would you do that to yourself." Darren looks at him like he was out of his mind.

"Damn it!" He curses. Something is definitely burning and it has nothing to do with food this time. He sets his glass down and trots towards the lake. When he reaches the edge he loses his shirt and takes a plunge hoping the water will do the trick.