Taming Mr. Black

Killian’s POV

I’ve lived recklessly all my life. Fucked around, play around, break hearts, and I don’t really give a shit who gets hurt at the end of the ride. I’ve never taken anything serious, well, except my company, and family. But, the day I set eyes on Naomi Alderson, everything changed. She showed me things I never thought existed. She made me feel things I never thought I would feel. She made me realize I could be better, and that I can give love a chance. She gave me something I never thought I would ever have, and without any cost or price. She made me realize I could be genuinely happy. One look and she turned my world upside down.

She is not a star, but she’s the star in my world. She’s not a model, or an actress, or a business woman, but she’s everything I’ve ever wanted. Everything I needed. Everything I need, and want, and now I have her. I feel like the luckiest man alive.

I was in love with her. And the relief that came when I confessed to how I felt, it was a relief I’ve never felt before. I had a lot to tell her, so many things I wanted to tell her, but I settled for that. It was all so sudden and unexpected for her and I didn’t want to overwhelm her.

And I hate to think that I really wanted her to tell me she loved me back. I might have everything, money, cars, everything every man wants, but when it comes to Naomi, there’s this insecurity. I hate thinking there might be a day I might not be enough for her. It was one of the reasons I didn’t want to tell her I was in love with her, afraid she was gonna stay quiet and not give me a response and I was right. She just stayed quiet without giving me a response.

At first, I was afraid she didn’t want me as much as I wanted her. But, I knew Naomi more than that. She might not be in love with me, but I was sure she was into me. My hands on her skin proved a lot. When I touched her, and when I kissed her, or held her, her reactions proved she was into me as much as I was into her.

But the question that kept finding its way into my head is if she was in love with me? Did she love me?

Today is Wednesday and I left the office early to make dinner for Naomi. I don’t remember the last time I had to cook anything. The minute I start making money, I have people who do everything. Cleaning, cooking, and washing my clothes. Every fucking thing.

But, today was a special day. I was supposed to take Naomi out for dinner, as per our date, but she Insisted I make dinner at home and we’ll eat here instead of going out. I made a mistake of mentioning I might know a thing or two in the kitchen.

I have my brother on FaceTime and he’s yet to pick up. I sigh and stare at my kitchen wondering where the hell are all the ingredients and where Sebastian must have kept everything.

” What are you doing?” Keith’s voice makes me twirl around towards my laptop.

” Hey.” I greet him.

” Did you just greet me with hey and not one of your many insults?”

” Everyone can change, even if it’s for three seconds or one minute.” I tell him.

” Seriously, what are you doing?” Keith asks.

” Do you remember that recipe Ma used to make for us?”

” Her Swedish rice porridge?”

” Nah. She made us that the other time she was here.”

” Speaking of that. Mom said she met Naomi.” Keith says as he smiles at me.

He’s in his bedroom, sitting on his bed with his laptop on his lap.

” Yeah. Right. She gave me a surprise visit.”

” Let me guess, you guys were…”

” Please don’t say it.” I glare at him. He laughs.

” Oh my God. I can already imagine the look in her eyes.”

” Yeah, it was fucking weird.”

” Mom said she liked her. That Naomi was sweet.”

” It’s hard not to like her.” I mutter.

Keith just smirks wider.

” You’re in love with her.”

I sigh and look at his face displaying on the screen of my laptop.

” Are you trying to cook for her?”

” I might have mentioned I know a thing or two in the kitchen.” I say.

Keith stares at me with wide eyes and then he bursts into laughter.

” What the fuck, Kil?”

” You gotta help me, man.”

” You can’t cook, brother. I know you know a thing or two in the kitchen but that was before you built a company and started making money. You know nothing about a kitchen right now. You’ve got a cook. Do you even know where the salt is in your kitchen?”

” You’re being a dick.”

Fuck, why didn’t I think of that? Making money and running a company makes you forget a lot of things.

” You should have been honest with her.”

” I was honest with her. I just didn’t think I could forget how to cook that. Mom always made that for us. It was one of my favorites, I even made Sebastian learn how to make it.”

” Killian, call Naomi and tell her you don’t remember the first thing about a kitchen.”

” Man, you know I do.”

Minimizing my computer screen, I googled the first thing about the meal and all the procedures.

” The only thing you’re good at is making coffee.”

” That’s still a good thing. At least I know something. You don’t know shit, Keith.” I say, scrolling through the procedure and the needed ingredients.

” Right.” Keith laughs. ” Are you googling the procedures?”

” Yup.”

” You’re really desperate, aren’t you? How bad have you fallen?”

” Really bad. To the extent I go to bed with her in my head. I can’t fucking stop.”

” That’s really hot.” I look up from what I’m reading and Keith is smirking at me. ” Did you tell her how you feel about her?”

” Yeah. On Monday.” I sigh.

” What?”

” She didn’t say it back.”

” Are you having doubts and insecurities right now? You’re Killian fucking Black.”

” When you’re in love, a lot of things happen to you, and you start having weird emotions and Insecurities are part of them.”

” True. So you’re afraid she doesn’t love you back?”

” I think she does. I’m just having doubts and insecurities. She’s pretty, and I’m afraid someone’s…”

” No one’s gonna steal her away, Killian. Get rid of that insecurity.”

I sigh and run my hand through my hair.

” Since she’s coming over today, I think you two should talk about it. Talking about your insecurities with a woman you’re in love with doesn’t make you weak, it shows you have feelings.”

” Right.” I deadpan.

” It’s really cute to watch you fall for someone. I’m really happy for you, man. And Naomi not telling you how she felt that instant doesn’t mean she doesn’t love you or feel the same. I think she was caught off guard and she wasn’t expecting you’d confessed that to her. You’re Killian Black, a Billionaire CEO who always has his feelings in check. You always have this hard guy, stone cold heart facade. Don’t blame her if she was caught off guard and tongue tied when you confessed you have feelings for her.”

Always gonna be a big brother.

” Thanks, man.” I smile.

” So are you bringing her to my wedding?”

” Something like that.”

” Something like that? You’re my best man, Kil, you should bring a date.”

” I’m gonna talk to her. I promise.”

” And my bachelor’s party is Friday, two days from now. What are you planning, baby brother?”

I stand up from the barstool I’m sitting on.

” Don’t call me that Keith, you know I fucking hate it. And I can’t tell you what I’m planning for your bachelor’s party, it’s going to ruin the surprise.” I open the cupboards and start looking for ingredients.

” I just hope it doesn’t have to do with women.”

” Keith, I’m dating someone now. I can’t take you to a strip club for your bachelor’s party. Eve is going to kill me.” I say, with different cup ingredients in my hands as I read the labels.

” Are you going to cook for Naomi while watching YouTube videos and reading shit online?”

” Maybe.”

” I hope you know what you’re doing.” Keith calls.

I smile, placing each and everything I’m going to need to make my mother’s traditional Swedish recipe. I might be older and maybe busy with everything surrounding me, but I know a little thing of how the kitchen works and I have a little idea how to cook this.

” How’s Eve by the way?” I ask my brother.

” She’s great. Went to her evening session for yoga class.”

” Damn. And you’re alone at home?”

” Something like that. I had to do laundry today.” He sighs. I chuckle.

” You do laundry? Why not take it to dry cleaning.”

” You tell Eve that. She’s pregnant and you know their weird cravings. It’s fucking annoying sometimes.”

I chuckle.

” You’re gonna go through that when Naomi gets pregnant too.” Keith’s words make me pause what I’m doing.

I haven’t thought about that before. Having babies with Naomi. That will be great, but does she want that?

” Hot topic?” Keith calls. My back is to him since I’m trying to wash the meat.

” I don’t know, man. I don’t know if she likes kids or not. We haven’t had that conversation before. She didn’t even know I had a brother until mom showed up unannounced.”

” You really got a lot to do.”

” That’s why I’m cooking her dinner, so we can talk tonight.”

” You’re gonna tell her about dad, right?”

” I don’t know.”

” I should go do laundry before Eve comes back.”

” Right. See you soon.”

” Yeah. Say hi to Naomi for me.”

” Goodbye, Keith.”