doors and bad carburetors. I’m handy. You should remember that.”
“I’m not sure I could ever forget it.” She laughed and he did too. And then he took her hand, turned it over and pressed a kiss to her inner wrist and then her palm and she forgot her next words.
“I guess I’ll have to keep on being good at the things you like most, then.”
He had such an easy way about him. Just being around him was relaxing even as she found him exciting and sexy. “First you’ll need to figure out what it is I like most.”
He laughed and she loved the way it made him look. “I suppose knowing you as a kid isn’t the same. You’ve grown up pretty damned well.”
• • •
After dinner he took her back to her house where she promised tart and coffee. Decaf of course.
“I like this house.” He sat at her table, his long legs stretched out in front of him. “I knew it was yours before I saw the address.”
She slid a plate with some tart his way and then poured him a cup of coffee. “Cream and sugar if you like.” She put those nearby as well before she sat. “I like it here too. I’ve lived here five years. I’ve considered buying the place for a while, but renting suits me for now. Gillian keeps threatening to build me a little house at their new place.”
“Sounds like you’ve got some good friends.”
“I do. You know a lot of them. The Whaleys. Mary, Cal and Ryan are all close. I don’t think you know Gillian, but she’s my bestie.”
Her smile was quick and it sent his heart racing it was so pretty. He really wanted to just lean in and lick up that neck of hers, taste the salt of her skin, feel the weight of her against him.
“Do you like really good food?”
He had to chase away a particularly dirty fantasy of taking her from behind to focus on what she said.
“Who doesn’t?”
“This is true.” She forked up a bite of the tart and he followed, pausing to enjoy.
“This is so good. I don’t know how you get anything done. If I had this around my house all the time I’d be as big as one.”
“Believe it or not, I don’t always have tart here. If I have leftovers at the end of the day, I try to fob them off on friends. If I brought food home all the time I’d be in trouble. But I was hoping you’d want to come over so I made sure to bring some home.”
“I like that.” He liked that she’d thought about what might please him. “So you were about to invite me to dinner?”
She laughed. “Not me. I mean, I’ll be there but I won’t be the cook. Mary runs a supper club of sorts called Delicious. There’s no menu. She makes all the choices and presents you with whatever she’s decided to create, and I’ve never had better. This Sunday is the first time we’re using Tart. She used to have it at her place but was outgrowing it. That and the kitchen at Tart is bigger than hers at home. Anyway, I’ve got room for one more at the table if you’re up for it.”
“Yes, definitely.”
They ate and drank coffee and they talked a lot about music. It pleased him that she loved music as much as he did. Her tastes were eclectic and ran the genre gamut. He expected he’d find some new favorites now that they had connected again.
He wanted to take her to bed. Wanted to kiss her from head to toe. If she’d been a woman he’d just met and been attracted to, he’d have made his move right then. She was interested, that was clear. But she wasn’t a woman he’d just met and wanted to nail.
This woman was different.
But he wanted to know her more before he did, so he made himself wait.
But not for a kiss.
At her door he paused. “I’m going to go, but I don’t want you to think it’s because I don’t want to take you to bed right this very moment. Because I most assuredly do.”
“So why aren’t we getting naked?”
“Are you annoyed?” He paused there in her doorway, caught between amusement and agitation. “Back when I was a kid I remember thinking all
“I’m not sure I could ever forget it.” She laughed and he did too. And then he took her hand, turned it over and pressed a kiss to her inner wrist and then her palm and she forgot her next words.
“I guess I’ll have to keep on being good at the things you like most, then.”
He had such an easy way about him. Just being around him was relaxing even as she found him exciting and sexy. “First you’ll need to figure out what it is I like most.”
He laughed and she loved the way it made him look. “I suppose knowing you as a kid isn’t the same. You’ve grown up pretty damned well.”
• • •
After dinner he took her back to her house where she promised tart and coffee. Decaf of course.
“I like this house.” He sat at her table, his long legs stretched out in front of him. “I knew it was yours before I saw the address.”
She slid a plate with some tart his way and then poured him a cup of coffee. “Cream and sugar if you like.” She put those nearby as well before she sat. “I like it here too. I’ve lived here five years. I’ve considered buying the place for a while, but renting suits me for now. Gillian keeps threatening to build me a little house at their new place.”
“Sounds like you’ve got some good friends.”
“I do. You know a lot of them. The Whaleys. Mary, Cal and Ryan are all close. I don’t think you know Gillian, but she’s my bestie.”
Her smile was quick and it sent his heart racing it was so pretty. He really wanted to just lean in and lick up that neck of hers, taste the salt of her skin, feel the weight of her against him.
“Do you like really good food?”
He had to chase away a particularly dirty fantasy of taking her from behind to focus on what she said.
“Who doesn’t?”
“This is true.” She forked up a bite of the tart and he followed, pausing to enjoy.
“This is so good. I don’t know how you get anything done. If I had this around my house all the time I’d be as big as one.”
“Believe it or not, I don’t always have tart here. If I have leftovers at the end of the day, I try to fob them off on friends. If I brought food home all the time I’d be in trouble. But I was hoping you’d want to come over so I made sure to bring some home.”
“I like that.” He liked that she’d thought about what might please him. “So you were about to invite me to dinner?”
She laughed. “Not me. I mean, I’ll be there but I won’t be the cook. Mary runs a supper club of sorts called Delicious. There’s no menu. She makes all the choices and presents you with whatever she’s decided to create, and I’ve never had better. This Sunday is the first time we’re using Tart. She used to have it at her place but was outgrowing it. That and the kitchen at Tart is bigger than hers at home. Anyway, I’ve got room for one more at the table if you’re up for it.”
“Yes, definitely.”
They ate and drank coffee and they talked a lot about music. It pleased him that she loved music as much as he did. Her tastes were eclectic and ran the genre gamut. He expected he’d find some new favorites now that they had connected again.
He wanted to take her to bed. Wanted to kiss her from head to toe. If she’d been a woman he’d just met and been attracted to, he’d have made his move right then. She was interested, that was clear. But she wasn’t a woman he’d just met and wanted to nail.
This woman was different.
But he wanted to know her more before he did, so he made himself wait.
But not for a kiss.
At her door he paused. “I’m going to go, but I don’t want you to think it’s because I don’t want to take you to bed right this very moment. Because I most assuredly do.”
“So why aren’t we getting naked?”
“Are you annoyed?” He paused there in her doorway, caught between amusement and agitation. “Back when I was a kid I remember thinking all
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