Page 46 of Deck the Fire Halls

“It’s fine.” He checked his watch. “It’s still early.”

“Want to help me cook something?”

He grinned. “Yes.” Then he gave a nod to the Christmas tree. “Did you still want to decorate?—”

“Yes. I would like that very much.”

He leaned over and gave me a soft peck on the lips. “Thank you. I’m glad we talked about all this.”

“Same. And we’re on the same page...” I cringed. “Dating, yes?”

He looked so damn happy. “Dating. If we have dinner tonight, will this be our first official date? Or technically our third date? If we don’t include last night, because it was a whole group of us at dinner, then maybe our second date? Just for the sake of clarity, should someone ask.”

I pretended to consider this, but really, my mind kept going back to one thing. “Well, I’m not sure we should count last night. It was a group dinner, which was lovely, by the way, but then I went ahead and asked you if youwanted to come back to my place, and it all went downhill and I spent the entire night under my covers, pretending everything was fine. Which would make this date number two, in which case, making out is an acceptable way to close out the evening. After dinner and Christmas tree decorating, that is. If you’d be so obliged?”

He grinned at me. “Oh, I am so obliged. Date number two it is.”

But then his gaze dropped to my lips and he slow blinked, and my stomach swooped and my blood seemed to surge to a certain part of my body.

Because I wanted him. I wanted him in ways I hadn’t wanted anything.

I shot up off the couch. “Okay, dinner. Yes, dinner first. Well, we should start dinner. Before we... do other things.”

He smirked, clearly aware of the effect he had on me. I hurried to the kitchen and opened the fridge. “Uh, I have steak. And vegetables to steam. Or we can bake them if you’d prefer. I’ve been appreciating the time to cook more this week than I have in years.” I slid the tray of steaks out, but when I turned around, Soren was closer than I’d expected. “Oh.”

His hand went to my arm. “You okay?”

“Yes. Just nervous. Which is ridiculous. I’m thirty-six years old. I’m a doctor, for Pete’s sake.”

He took the steaks from my hand and slid them onto the counter. “You’re human,” he murmured, “who’s been too busy for years.”

I swallowed hard. That was all true. But damn... Ipressed my hand to my stomach, trying to quell the jitters.

“Belly full of butterflies?” he said, his voice low and his eyes full of heat. He took the hand from my stomach and lifted it to his lips, softly kissing my knuckles. “Steamed vegetables sound great.”

I was so enraptured by him, so dazed, it took me a second to catch up. “Huh? Oh, vegetables. Yes. Dinner.”

He smiled in a way that did my stomach no favors. Or my lungs. And he knew it because his tongue licked the corner of his mouth again, teasing me.

My whole body was on edge. My heart was hammering. My dick... well, it was interested too.

“You know,” I said breathlessly. “I think we miscounted. I’m fairly sure this is date number three. Actually, I’m certain it is.”

He stepped in close, his body pushing me gently backward so my ass hit the kitchen counter. He was pressed against me, his nose brushing mine, and I could barely remember to breathe. “You wanted to take it slow,” he murmured, his voice hot on my ear.

“I was a fool,” I breathed.

He smiled and nudged his nose to mine again, his eyes drawing up to meet mine. Full of fire.

So fucking hot.

My body thrummed, and he had to feel how turned on I was. I could certainly feel his...

“I’m going to kiss you,” he whispered.

“Please.”

He leaned harder against me and slid his mouth over mine, slow and controlling.

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