Page 41 of Ash

He nodded.

She looked at the table covered with little plates of bread and pastries.

He watched as she picked up a danish with creamy custard and held it up to his lips.

He canted his head to the side and looked at her.

Her eyes opened wide in a doe-eyed stare. "Remember, we're going to take care of each other."

Ash continued to look at her, waiting for her to try the pastry.

She moved her hand and bumped the rolled edge of the danish against his lips.

"Ash?"

He raised a brow at her question.

"Take a bite," she prompted and then bumped the pastry against his lips again. This time he felt it glance off his lips and lift up. "Oh."

He saw the way her smile changed, and her cheeks flooded with color. "Oh?"

She winced, her teeth showing as she murmured her apology. "I made a bit of a mess."

Ash could see her worry and saw her hesitation.

Her eyes widened as she made a decision.

Before she could pull her hand away, he reached out and wrapped his hand around her wrist to hold her in place.

Suzannah gasped in shock, but she didn't look at him in fear.

She watched him and he felt her tremble.

He heard her breathe; an in drawn breath that she held.

If she tried to pull away, he'd let her. He wasn't trying to hold her back or keep her from doing what she wanted.

But he did scent the custard in the danish and again, a wonderful memory surfaced in his mind.

Opening his lips, he leaned forward and took a bite from the pastry. And another. And another until he felt his lip and the brush of his mustache against her fingertips.

Suzannah sat still on his lap, her gaze dropping to his mouth as he finished chewing. When he swallowed the delicious treat, he couldn't help but imagine what it would be like to taste the custard from her lips instead. He licked the custard from his lips and smiled at her. "Delicious."

She smiled and turned her hand.

Before he knew what she intended, she swept the pad of her thumb across his lips and his mustache and lifted her hand to show him that there was custard on her thumb.

"You did make a little mess."

He grinned right back at her. "We can get a napkin."

She didn't agree or disagree, but a moment later she wrapped her lips around her thumb. When she pulled it from her mouth with a gentle pop, he saw that it was clean.

His gaze fell to her lips and the hunger that he felt in his belly deepened into his soul.

He wanted to taste her skin as she had. He wanted to feel her touching him.

We're not alone.

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