Page 76 of Unofficial

"Having dessert. Why are you standing in the entryway?"

"Because I'm conflicted."

"About?"

He stares at her sitting on the couch watching him. "Whether or not I should stay."

"Do you suddenly have something against dessert I'm not aware of?"

Licking his lips, he takes a deep breath. "No, I still like dessert. Part of me doesn't want just the dessert on the table, and I'm worried you're offering the dessert I'm actually craving."

"Why does that worry you?" she asks and unbuttons the top two buttons of her blouse.

The shirt opens up to show off the top of her cleavage, and he wants to fall to his knees and crawl to her. "Because I still have somewhere around forty-eight days left before I've earned that dessert."

"You're scared of me?" she asks, her mouth dropping open.

"Baby, I'm scared of how you'll feel after you give in to what you think you want right now."

"What I want right now is to share dessert with you. It's tiramisu. Our favorite."

Kade stares at her for a moment longer and decides he's more than capable of self-control. Even if she stood stark naked in front of him, he could handle it. There will be no lovemaking tonight. No matter how much she begs. Or his body hates him for it.

Sitting down next to her, he feels every sense heightened. She smells amazing, and he knows she's feeling the buzz from her two glasses of wine. She's never been a big drinker, and while she may not be drunk, he knows she tends to be looser with her decisions when she's had a drink or two or three.

"It's good," she says and slides the fork out of her mouth seductively.

Oh, God, help me. Don't let me give in and make a major mistake.

He takes a bite and agrees with her, although he can't stop but think about how amazing she tastes. He's always loved her taste, and it's all he can think about now. This won't be as easy as he thought.

"Can I ask you a question?" she asks, leaning on her hip to face him.

He sets the container down and turns to face her. "Of course."

"Don't be mad, okay?"

Uh oh. "Okay."

"Why did you have sex with Lena in the kitchen but never tried to with me? Am I not kitchen-sex worthy?"

The thought of taking her in the kitchen makes him strain against his jeans even more than he already is, and he can't stop glancing down at her chest. "It wasn't like that."

"Because I'm not someone who only enjoys sex in the bedroom. For the record.”

"I know. We've had sex in your bathtub, remember?"

"But I can be fun in all rooms of the house, Kade. Why wasn't I kitchen-sex worthy?"

Swallowing, he looks into her green eyes. "It's not that you aren't kitchen-sex worthy, because you are. Lena wasn't bedroom-sex worthy. That was our sacred place."

"You took her in the kitchen because we'd had sex in the bed?"

"It sounds stupid, but yes. Subconsciously, it felt like I'd tarnish the bed."

Instead of getting angry or upset, Jess bursts out laughing. "That's ridiculous."

"Everything I did was ridiculous."

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