Page 39 of The Summer of ’98

“Sure. Chocolate?”

“Sweet.” He paused, turning around to look at me with the fridge still open. “Thanks for today. For the arcade and paying. It was cool.”

His sincerity was unexpected, startling me, but I did my best not to show him that. “Yeah, no worries. We should go more often. I forgot how dope the arcade is. Might have to take the girls next time.”

He flinched but gave me a small nod. “Yeah. Sure.”

Ellie

A warm, low light set an ambient mood in the dining area. The stars added to the magic, twinkling outside in the dark-blue sky. Candles flickered in the middle of the table, the pool lights glowing on the other side of the windows, assisting in the overall atmosphere. I laughed quietly to myself, thinking that the food didn’t quite match the romance. But I was excited nonetheless.

Once again, I counted the contents on the table and hoped that I hadn’t missed anything. “Lettuce, tomatoes, peppers, onion, cheese, carrot, cucumber, sauces. Seasoned chicken, butter chicken, ground beef—”

I nodded with satisfaction and felt a little bit thrilled that I had been able to follow the instructions that Leroy had written down for me. He’d popped into the kitchen a few times to ask if I needed help, but this was something that I’d wanted to do on my own.

All we needed before we sat down were some glasses and a cold drink. I strolled back over to the fridge and collected the chilled soda and two cups, calling out for Leroy as I set them out on the table. I could hear his footsteps before he appeared at the entrance a moment later. His smile reached his eyes as he took it all in.

“I have never cooked an entire meal without setting something on fire before,” I said, standing beside the table. “So I wasn’t kidding about calling for a pizza if this tastes terrible.”

“It doesn’t smell terrible,” he wandered in farther and assessed it again before his gaze fell back on me. He stood close and raised his hand, pushing a piece of hair behind my ear. “It smells good. And you . . . you look gorgeous.”

My heartbeat sped up at the darkness in his stare. I didn’t want to get distracted before we ate. But he made that difficult.

Leroy toyed with the hem of my shirt, his fingertips grazing my midriff and his quiet groan almost inaudible, but I heard it, and it made me weak at the knees. “I would love to see your naked body in this light.”

It was like I had been sucker punched in the gut. But in a good way, however the heck that worked.

“Food first,” he said and gave me a kiss before he pulled the seat out beside us, gesturing for me to sit.

He sat down at the head of the table so that we could face one another, but still be next to each other. We chatted about menial subjects as we filled up the wraps on our plate. There was still a hum of desire in the pit of my stomach, making it hard to focus on the food, but I did my best to calm down and push those thoughts away until later.

I was offered the blessing of a distraction when Leroy finally bit into his burrito. He was unexpressive, a perfect poker face that made it impossible to tell what he was thinking, and the anticipation was almost unbearable.

After what felt like forever, he finally looked at me and smiled the most adorable grin to date. “Best burritos I’ve ever had.”

“You don’t have to lie,” I teased. “Just as long as they’re edible, I’m happy.”

“No, I mean it,” he said. “I haven’t had them like this before and they’re great. You did so damn well, babe.”

I loved how he directed the word babe at me. How he managed to make it sound loving and hot at the same time. “Thank you.”

He was right. The food wasn’t bad at all, and I was proud of myself. Leroy was helpful when it was time to clean up and we both moved around the kitchen as we conversed, washed the dishes, and tidied up. There was no mistaking the tension in the room, though. It was so thick, the buildup of the evening was coming to its climax—pun intended—and I could feel the desire radiating through me.

It was amazing to me that we didn’t have to touch, we didn’t even need to look at each other and I was blanketed by sexual tension that was begging to be relieved. My heart hammered at the mere knowledge that he was in the room, an arm’s length from my touch.

“Thank you for dinner, Ellie,” Leroy said, intertwining our fingers as he leaned his butt against the countertop and pulled me into him. On instinct, my hands clasped behind his neck and I gazed up at his profile.

He looked exquisite in the glow of the candles. A flattering shadow was cast on his sun-kissed cheeks and I had the urge to kiss his sharp jaw and taste his soft lips. His brows pulled together as he stared down at me. It wasn’t in frustration or confusion; it was a lust-infused gaze and it made me wobble in his hold.

“Would you like to—play a board game or something?” I asked. Not because I wanted to play a board game. More because I didn’t know how to proceed. I wasn’t experienced with just coming out with what I wanted.

His strong hands had a tight hold on my waist. It was such a supportive and sensual hold, almost my entire middle was encircled. “No, Els. I don’t want to play a board game.” His eyes settled on my mouth. “I want to play with you.”

I would have gasped, except his lips found mine and his hands wound themselves in the hair at the back of my head. He pushed his tongue into my mouth, not wasting a moment. I leaned farther into him, his arousal pressed hard against my lower abdomen, his hand pulled my hair with tugs that didn’t hurt but were libidinous to the core. His other hand squeezed my waist and slid down, gliding over my butt before he squeezed and slammed me against his crotch.

“What do you want me to do to you, Ellie?” he mumbled with a gravelly voice as he pulled my hair so that my head tipped back, and I stared up at the ceiling. He dragged his mouth down, nipping, sucking, licking my throat.

“Touch me,” I gasped. I barely recognized myself. I sounded so sultry and seductive, not to mention confident. But his touch was euphoric, and I was losing a sense of self, instead gaining a sexier side that I wanted to embrace.

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