Page 13 of XOXO

Delani was the only woman who ever made me out of control. At my age, I thought I was over that sort of foolishness. But this didn’t feel foolish. This felt right. I took her hand in my mine and walked her inside.

“Your house is beautiful, Sonny,” she said, and I could tell I’d impressed her.

“Thanks. Glad you like it, baby.”

She was the first woman I ever brought back there, but I didn’t tell her that. I didn’t want her to feel any pressure to stay, though I was praying like hell she would. Once seated at the counter, I started taking out the makings of a nice meal. Steaks, some pasta on the side, and a nice tomato salad.

“Can I help?”

“Sure. You want to do the salad?” I asked, leading her to a cutting board and showing her the tomatoes and fresh basil I had in mind.

“Yes, chef,” she replied with a wink, and my heart stuttered inside my chest.

This woman was fun. That was unusual for me. I never joked around with a potential girlfriend before, even if I thought she felt bigger than that. Delani started talking about food, and I asked her questions and was surprised to learn more about her.

“Wow. So you trained as a chef, but went into chocolate?”

“Yeah. I guess I just loved working with it. There’s something wonderful about the different confections and flavor palettes I can work with.”

“I thought chocolate was just chocolate,” I said, letting my ignorance show and not minding a bit.

“Oh no, it’s so much more. First, I get all my cocoa from importers using certified fair trade cocoa farms. There is a terrible uproar over these places, where workers are abused, and no child labor laws exist. It’s tragic, really, so I try my best to be diligent and conscientious in where I get my products. I even get my produce from a successful New Jersey farmer. You know the guy, he started a whole farm to table company?”

“That’s crazy. Yeah, I actually went to school with him, Jeremy Kent.”

“You did?”

“Yeah, he’s a year older. But anyway, I had no idea about the cocoa farms,” I told her, and I truly was shocked.

“Yeah. It’s not all strawberry cremes and raspberry jellies. You know, last month my bestselling truffle was pistachio saffron.”

“Really? Pistachio saffron? That sounds amazing,” I told her, setting the table with our two plates.

“Thanks,” she whispered, sliding into the seat beside me.

We talked while we ate and shared a bottle of cabernet. By the time we finished, I was more than ready for dessert. The glimmer in her eyes after I placed both dishes in the sink was enough to tell me Delani felt the same.

“Thank you, Sonny. Dinner was great,” she said.

“The company was even better. You know, Del, I really like spending time with you.”

“You do, huh?”

“Yeah, I do,” I said, grinning as I cupped her face and pulled her in for a kiss.

She moaned softly into my mouth, and I swallowed the sound, drowning in the sweetness that was all her. Call me foolish or crazy, but I was already halfway in love with her. My grip on her waist tightened, and all I felt was her soft heat wrapped around me. Fuck. I couldn’t be slow and gentle this time. I couldn’t take anymore teasing. I needed her, skin against skin, in the middle of my big ass bed.

Now. Right fucking now.

I lifted Delani in my arms, loving her squeal of delight as I marched her to the back stairs, the top of which was where my master bedroom was located. Once inside, I closed the door with the back of my heal and dropped her onto the mattress with a bounce. Breathing heavily, I started unbuttoning my shirt, stopping when I noticed her staring at me like a deer in headlights.

“You can strip, or I’ll do it for you. I can’t promise that outfit will survive me though,” I said honestly.

Delani squealed again. She sat up and started taking her clothes off, but I was already finished, and she still had her pants on. That wasn’t going to work for me.

“Too slow.”

Then I grabbed the waistband of her leggings and tore them off her. She was bare beneath them, her cotton underwear still tucked safely in my back pocket. I couldn’t contain my excitement, and I fell on her in a tangle of caresses and kisses.

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