Page 9 of Painting Him Mine

Turning off the burner, he began plating up our dinner. “I’m wondering the same thing myself. This almost seems too good to be true.”

“Well, I’m definitely getting the better end of the deal. I can’t cook for shit, sorry.”

He chuckled as we carried the food over to my kitchen table. “I’m sure your other talents more than make up for that.”

My stomach rumbled from how amazing everything looked and smelled. “I’m glad you feel that way.” I was brimming with excitement at getting to taste his tequila steak tacos. My first bite made me moan as the rich flavors exploded on my tongue. Whatever was in his marinade was downright magical. “Holy shit, it’s a food orgasm in my mouth!”

He chuckled at my reaction. “I take it you approve?”

My second taste was even better. I made love to my taco as I ate the whole thing before answering. When I finished, I put on a show of sucking on my fingers. I grinned as he shifted in his seat. “Mm-hmm. That wasdelicious.”

His pleased smile was adorable. “I’m glad you liked it.”

“I didn’t just like it. Ilovedit.” It was a challenge to pace myself when it was so yummy; all I wanted to do was stuff my face until I couldn’t move. Starting on my second one, I closed my eyes with a happy sigh as I relished the experience of eating something so tasty. “This is so incredible; I can’t believe it came out of my kitchen.”

I loved the sound of his laughter. “There’s nothing wrong with your kitchen that’s stopping you from making good food.”

“True, but my short attention span and limited patience for that kind of thing makes it tough.” I snickered before I enjoyed another taste. It fascinated me, watching how fastidiously Mauricio ate his own taco without making a mess. That also caused me to realize something important. “I love that you made these, and not just because they’re the best tacos I’ve ever had in my life.”

“Oh?”

“In case it isn’t blindingly obvious, I’m a down-and-dirty, no-frills kind of guy. Instead of making something that we could eat with utensils, you made messy and satisfying finger food that’s fancy without being pretentious.”

He grinned at me. “I think that pretty much sums me up: fancy but unpretentious.”

I finished my second taco with another murmur of satisfaction. “It makes me so happy. Ihatehoity-toity assholes. So many foodies and artists are into that bullshit snobbery, and I’m not here for itat all.”

“Then it sounds like we’re of the same mindset. I can’t stand gatekeeping in any form. Everyone should enjoy art, and not only those with obscene amounts of money. And just because some foods are expensive, it doesn’t make them any better. I’d much rather have steak tacos any day of the week than caviar and foie gras.”

I started my third taco to stop myself from confessing that statements like those were already causing me to fall head over heels in love with Mauricio.

Chapter Eleven

MAURICIO

It was immensely gratifyingto see how much Ezra enjoyed my food. He didn’t hold back his visceral enjoyment as he practically made love to my taco. As someone who prided himself on his cooking, it was a huge turn-on that he loved my meal. It made it difficult to focus on finishing dinner and not moving on to more amorous fun.

His pout was adorable as he looked at his last remaining taco with a forlorn expression. “I’m not ready for this deliciousness to be over yet.”

“There’s plenty more where that came from.”

He put on a show of enjoying his final bite, which was surprisingly sensual. I shifted in my seat as my lust stirred in response, getting spun up by how much he appreciated my cooking. That reaction became harder to suppress when he moved from his chair to straddle himself over my lap.

I wrapped my arms around his slim waist as he made himself comfortable. Although we were still essentially strangers, it feltright to hold him close. We fit together so perfectly that it didn’t scare me how fast things were moving. How could I be worried about that when it felt like we were meant to be?

Ezra leaned forward to give me sweet, teasing kisses that I savored. “Thank you for an incredible dinner, Mauricio. I’m even more excited about your cake now that I’ve had a taste of what you’re capable of making in the kitchen. I bet it’s going to beamazing!”

“I’m glad you enjoyed it.” I let a little bit of my ego come out to play. “And I can guarantee you’re going to be blown away by my cake.”

He kissed me again, starting soft and slow before he teased me with a hint of tongue. I opened for him, welcoming him as he staked his claim on me. As our kisses grew more heated, he wrapped his arms around my neck as he sensuously rocked his hips against me.

It made me hunger for something much more satisfying with food. While I was eager to give myself over to more pleasure, I still felt I owed him the courtesy of cautioning him. “If you keep it up, you’re going to make me want a lot more than kissing.”

“Good, then that means you’re getting the right idea.” He smirked before he tugged off his blue sweater and cast it aside, revealing his beautiful body to me.

My hands slid up from his slender waist, along the curve of his spine, and up to his shoulders. While he had a slim build, he had the toned physique of a swimmer. I wanted to pin him under me and worship every inch of his beauty until he came with my name on his lips. Tilting his head to the side, I began trailing kisses from his shoulder up to his neck. Sucking on his earlobeearned me a breathy sigh of pleasure that made my pants grow even tighter.

Ezra laced his fingers through my hair as he shifted on top of me, allowing me to feel the start of his erection pressing against me. “Ready to do this in bed?”

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