Page 55 of Sin and Redemption

“I’m late. I’m sorry. Did you have dinner yet?”

“No, I waited for you.”

“I’ll grab two bowls for us,” I said.

Steam rose from the hot chili as I stepped back out into the cold and headed over to Sara. She took a bowl from me and put it down on her lap. I sank down beside her and did the same.

It was a wonderful chili, cooked as close to perfection as possible. “Have you ever cooked chili over the open flame? The smokiness is incredible.”

Sara shook her head. “It sounds delicious.” She nodded toward the gas flame in the hearth. “I suppose it won’t work with gas.”

“No,” I said immediately. I didn’t like the gas flame. Sure, it was less work and less cleaning, but nothing beat a real fire. “I wish we could make a fire here, then I’d show you.”

“Can you cook?” she asked surprised.

I chuckled. “No, not at all. I’d make the fire, and you could make the chili. Or we’d have to visit my parents and have chili there. Mom makes a fantastic chili over the open flame.”

“That sounds like a good idea.”

Sara positively glowed. She was incredibly gorgeous. She bit her lip as if she could see what I was thinking. I wanted to kiss her so badly that it was physically painful not to.

“Maximus…” Sara began, then fell silent. She set her bowl down, then scooted a bit closer. I put my bowl on the ground. Sara squinted into the flames in utmost concentration. She turned around, looking like someone about to take their first bungee jump.

She leaned forward and pressed a brief kiss to my lips, then retreated quickly. I was stunned.

“What was that?” I murmured.

She squeezed her eyes shut for a moment, then regarded me with an expression as if she wasn’t sure either. “I just wanted to test something.”

“Test something?” I repeated. If my lips hadn’t still been tingling, I would have convinced myself the kiss hadn’t happened.

“I’m s—” I raised my eyebrows, and Sara stopped, smiling in embarrassment.

“Never for that,” I rumbled.

She nodded, then yawned.

I rose to my feet and held out my hand. “You’re tired. I kept you up too late.”

She took my hand and let me pull her to her feet.

“You can test something whenever you want, you know?”

She nodded again, but I could tell she was stunned by her own courage.

Maybe I would have to be the one to act, but given our past, that wasn’t as easy as I wanted.

We walked back inside, and Sara headed toward her bedroom. Before she closed the door, she said, “Good night, Maximus.”

“Good night.” She closed the door, and I headed to my bedroom. Fuck. Tonight, I really wished we weren’t sleeping in separate rooms.

My phone lit up with an email that the potter’s wheel I’d ordered would arrive tomorrow. Finally. Who would have thought it was such a hot commodity?

“My ovulation is in three or four days,” Sara said when I sat down at the breakfast table across from her with a cup of coffee. I would have never thought a sentence could cause me so much dread.

So this was why she had been so nervous last night. We’d spent almost every evening having dinner together in front of the TV in the past week. It was a tentative start, even if the distance between us still seemed impossible to overcome. Sara’s moment of bravery hadn’t changed much between us. We hadn’t kissed again. I knew I needed to stop waiting for Sara to act.

She cleared her throat but didn’t look up from her fruit bowl. It was loaded with almond butter and chia seeds. She had been eating more since her doctor had recommended it, and it was slowly becoming apparent. Her curves had become more prominent again, even if I rarely allowed myself to admire them. “We should try every night for the next few days.”

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