Page 32 of Driven Daddy

“I know. It’s stunningly good. Got the hot chocolate?”

“Dark,” I said softly.

“She likes the dark side. Good to know.”

I glanced down at my cake. I hadn’t dared to go down a dark road in a long, long time.

“I didn’t scare you away, I hope.”

I lifted my gaze to his. “Takes a bit more than a bad pick-up line to scare me.”

He smiled, a tiny dent of a dimple in his dense beard made him even more attractive.

Which shouldn’t be possible.

He was ridiculously handsome with his wild curls that touched his shoulders. His forest green Henley was the same from this afternoon. Now he was close enough for me to see the dark hair on his ropy forearms and that the bridge of his nose was slightly askew.

Broken, perhaps?

“What’s going on in that beautiful head of yours?”

I simply lifted the cup to my mouth and gave him a similar smile.

“A quiet one, then?”

Enjoying the impromptu game, I set my cup down and lifted my fork silently.

“Okay. Reserving judgement. Understandable. I’m just a stranger who was struck dumb by you in the gift shop. No problem.”

I couldn’t stop the lip twitch as I cut a little triangle off the decadent dessert.

“Do you realize just how beautiful you are?” He pressed a finger to his lips for a second. “Of course you do. Beautiful women are always aware of their allure.”

I just arched a brow at him as I took a bite and closed my eyes with a little hum of happiness. Between the rich hot chocolate and the cake, my whole chocolate sensor box was on overload.

When I opened my eyes again, he was leaning back in his chair. The surprisingly high-backed chair was…velvet? Like he was a king sitting back on his throne.

I swallowed the cake and tried not to imagine straddling him on that chair.

Which was not me.

I broke our intense eye contact and looked back at my plate.

“Those eyes say so very much.”

I glanced back up at him, asking the question with my arched brow.

“That perhaps you’re not used to enjoying something so thoroughly?”

I lifted a shoulder.

“Or you were imagining something else? Could I be that lucky?”

I wrinkled my nose.

“Damn. My charm torpedoed.”

I let a little smirk free.

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