Page 77 of Spilling the Tea

He pulled up on his knees in his seat. “Come closer with your back to me.” When she did, he whispered. “Now close your eyes, Zoey.”

She closed her eyes and felt his fingertips gently stroke her temples. While doing so, he began humming softly. He had a sexy voice, and the pitch carried a smooth vibration that had parts of her body vibrating as well.

“How does that feel?” he asked, leaning close to her ear. It was so close she felt the heat of his breath on her neck.

“It feels good.”

“And what is going through your mind, Zoey?”

I’ll never tell, she thought. Everything going through her mind was about him. Instead, she said. “I was thinking how excitedly I’m looking forward to tomorrow.”

He stopped stroking her temples. “What happens tomorrow?”

“That box with the diaries and photo albums will arrive.”

He began gently stroking her temples again. “Do you feel you might invade their privacy by reading their diaries?”

“I want to think they would want me to read them. To knowabout the men they loved, understand any unfavorable decisions they’d ever had to make, and embrace their happiness.”

“You can open your eyes now,” he said, standing. “Come walk me to the door.”

“You’re leaving?” She hadn’t meant to ask in a disappointed voice.

“Yes, I’m leaving. I don’t want to wear out my welcome,” he said, extending his hand to help her off the sofa.

“You could never do that, Chance.” The warmth of her hand in his almost made her moan. It felt good, and it felt right. It was getting harder and harder to hide how she felt whenever he touched her. From how his pupils had darkened, she knew he’d felt something, too.

“When do you meet with Mama Laverne again?” he asked when they reached the door.

“Next Thursday.”

“How was lunch with the Madaris ladies?”

“I had a lovely time getting to know them better. You have such a wonderful family, Chance.”

“I guess I’ll keep them around.”

“They told me how your great-grandmother likes playing matchmaker of her great-grands and has a one hundred percent success record.”

“Yes, she does—it’s only the great-grands of her oldest four sons that are on her notorious hit list.

“Well, at least you don’t have to worry about her matching any of us with you. Mama Laverne thinks her last remaining single great-grandsons in that category have too many whorish ways and have let it be known that none of us are deserving of your time or attention other than for friendship. Especially me.”

“Why, especially you?”

“Because in addition to what she sees as my whorish ways, Mama Laverne has taken into consideration what she knows to be my issues. But guess what she doesn’t know?”

She remained silent, waiting for him to continue.

“I’m working on both my whorish ways and those issues.”

A lump formed in her throat. Was there a meaning to his words? “Are you?”

He inched a little closer. “Yes, ma’am, I am.”

Zoey expected him to brush a light kiss on her forehead like he’d done when he’d returned her to the hotel Sunday night. Instead, he used the tip of his finger to lift her chin for a kiss. It wasn’t a light brush across the lips. It was a tongue-tingling kiss that spoke of need, hunger, and a degree of desire she could tell he was fighting hard to control. Then he deepened the pressure of the kiss in a way she felt in every bone in her body. He’d taken control of her mouth for the longest time, as if he couldn’t get enough. By the time he broke off the kiss, she felt weak in the knees.

“How about we do something this weekend?” he asked in that low, husky, and sexy voice she loved hearing.

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