Page 62 of Secret Love

My mind goes straight to the way those skilled fingers worked me over, and I flush. He smiles like he knows exactly where my mind is. It’s the sexiest thing when he mixes the drink in the shaker; his forearms make my mouth water. He pours the drink into a pretty glass and garnishes it with a twist of lemon zest.

“You’re not having one?” I ask when he hands it to me.

He grabs a glass and lifts a bottle of Jameson. “I’ll have this.” He pours the amber liquid into the glass and taps it against mine. “To a spectacular date.”

“Oh, this is a date?” I can’t stop smiling.

“It’s absolutely a date.” He can’t stop smiling either.

“Good to know. To a spectacular date then.” I tap his glass again and we take a sip of our drinks. “Oh, that’s so good.”

He leans over and kisses me. “Agreed,” he says. “So good.” He points to the table. “Have a seat. You’re tempting me with those pretty lips.”

I move to the other side of the island but don’t sit down yet.

“Cassidy said she had a rough day at school today and you helped cheer her up. Thanks for that.”

“I’m glad she talked about what happened. I spoke with Megan, the other teacher they share, to make her aware of thesituation. We’ll watch things and put a stop to anything we see happening. I want to mention it to Mr. Hanson on Monday as well.”

“I appreciate that. It’s hard to not be there to protect her.”

We sit down and start eating, Earl sliding between our legs like we’re his own personal carwash, and the conversation flows easily from one topic to the next. Our meal is like a long session of foreplay with the lingering stares and flirty touches, everything heightened by the delicious food and drinks.

“This is the best meal I’ve had in a long time,” I say, as I put my napkin on the table. “I’m really impressed that you know how to cook so well.”

“Thank you. I enjoy it during the offseason. The girls and I took a few cooking classes in Denver. It’s something we like to do together. Once I start playing again, my time in the kitchen is limited so it’s a lot of grilling and quick meals.” He leans in. “Do you like chocolate?”

“I adore chocolate.”

His eyes crinkle as he smiles. “I was hoping you would. I have another true confession for you.” His fingers slide through mine. “I’m no baker, but Wyndham and Greer from Serendipity make these hot lava cakes that are so good. It just takes a sec to heat up.”

“Count me in, I'm all about it,” I say.

He kisses the inside of my hand and stands up, taking our plates as he goes. I start helping him with the dishes, despite him telling me to relax. He works on the cake while I put the dishes in the sink.

When he drizzles chocolate over the top of the cake, I groan. “Oh, this is gonna be so good.”

“You just wait,” he says. “It's even better than it looks.”

He’s right. The dessert is next level. I struggle to not moan with every bite and he just laughs as he watches me with amusement.

“You're making it really hard to behave,” he says.

“Why should you behave?” I smile as I eat the very last bite.

“Because it's only our first date.”

“Did last night not count?” I tease. “It sure seems like it should.”

He laughs and stands up, holding his hand out to me. When I stand, he puts his hand on my waist and his other hand slides up my neck.

“You're right. I kind of jumped a couple of bases last night, didn’t I?” he says.

“Yes, you did...we did.”

His head lowers and against my lips, he says, “Too soon?”

“Not even a little bit,” I whisper.

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