Page 50 of Seductive Nights

She grinned. "Then I’ll make sure not to eat too much."

His heart swelled. He liked playful Margo a lot. His timer went off on his watch. He kissed her nose, then turned around and walked outside to grab their steaks. He had a plate sitting on the table next to the grill, ready for their feast. Once he plated up their steaks, he entered the kitchen and found Margo gently bent over the table, placing their salads on their plates. His shirt was too long, dammit. He couldn't see the goods.

She looked fabulous leaning over the table. He came up behind her. The sizzling steaks in his right hand, his left hand wrapped around her waist and pulled her against him.

"That's a sight I could get used to."

She laughed. "Well, that's good."

He kissed the back of her neck, set the plate with the steaks on the table, and held her chair out for her. "I need to give you some sustenance, so we have energy for later."

She laughed. "Well, now you're starting to have a one-track mind."

He grinned and shook his head. "No, I wouldn't say one track, but I really liked... And by that, I mean, really liked our activity earlier."

She grinned, picked up the salad dressing container, and drizzled some on her salad. She forked a helping of salad into her mouth, her soft lips moving as she chewed. He couldn't help but watch her.

"You know, Margo, one of the things I've enjoyed about you is that you eat."

She burst out laughing, covered her mouth with her hand, and finished chewing. When she calmed herself, she said, "Everyone eats."

He said, "In my business, I see it. I see first-time dates come into the restaurant, and the women will poke at their salads or only order some French fries and then only eat a couple of them because they're afraid they're gonna gain a pound. But you're just a real person. You eat, and you look fantastic."

"Well, I have to admit that over the last few years, I haven't eaten a lot. I've largely been by myself, as Logan was gone a lot. So I would eat here and there. Whatever, nothing big. I certainly never made myself a big meal. And it's just been recently, since Carley's been with me, and she likes to cook, that I've eaten regularly again." She took another forkful of salad. "I have to say, I like eating full meals. I actually feel better. Which I hadn't even realized before."

He nodded, sliced into his steak, and saw that it was done perfectly.

He was proud of himself. "I get that. If I didn't have a restaurant, I wouldn't eat full meals either. And even so, sometimes all I do is grab whatever is left over from the day or I'll have the chef make a quick little salad or something. Nothing major. It's a shame we're always on the run."

"That is a shame. You should eat better. I guess we all should. It's one of those things that we need to live, and yet we ignore or neglect when other things are going on. Doesn't really make sense, does it?

He shook his head no. "I guess it doesn't."

They finished their meal. She got up and cleaned up the dishes while he cleaned up the grill.

Afterward, he poured her another glass of wine and poured one for himself. Taking her hand, he led her outside to the deck. He pulled up a deck chair for her and one for him. The chairs were side by side, facing some of his flower gardens in the back.

She sat down. He stared at her bare legs. Damn, she had great legs. Great legs. He leaned over and brushed his hand up and down her thigh.

She grinned. "That feels fabulous."

"I have to agree with you. You're a beautiful woman, Margo."

Those crisp blue eyes sought his. "You're a handsome man, Jace Marriott." She sipped her wine. He did the same, and they sat in silence for a while, and for the first time in his life, it wasn't uncomfortable to be silent with someone. It felt good. They were both lost in their own thoughts, sitting quietly sipping wine, enjoying the pleasure of another person being there. If you wanted to speak with them, you could, but not feel the need to fill the silence. He liked it. He liked it a lot.

28

They sipped their wine and sat companionably next to each other. His landscaping was beautiful, and birds flew here and there, serenading them.

"Your gardens are gorgeous."

He chuckled. "Earlier I was thinking I don't spend enough time out here. I paid to have it all done, then forgot about it."

"That's the downside to owning a business."

He turned to her. "And living alone."

"Yeah." Since Logan took up with Sierra, he wasn't around much, and she didn't sit outside and enjoy her gardens nearly as much as she used to.

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