Page 69 of Wild Desire

"I can always eat more."

"Do you have to watch what you eat now?" I couldn't help but ask.

He grinned at me. "I can make an exception."

When we reached the demonstration tent, he tugged me close, letting go of my hand so he could wrap an arm over my shoulder. I curled around his side, one palm resting on his chest and the other at his waist. I felt a little out of my element, but when we turned our attention to the three people standing around a fire, I relaxed against him.

His body was hard. His warmth helped to ward off the chill in the air. Smoke drifted our way as the woman answered questions about how and where to tap a tree. She demonstrated the perfect location with a round piece of wood.

I listened with rapt attention as they answered people's questions. Someone stood nearby, taking pictures of every step. Finally, she poured the contents of the bowl into a jar. The contents were steaming.

"Can we eat it?" a little girl asked.

The woman smiled. "It would be too hot to eat right away. But we can pour the syrup over snow. It creates a caramel-like mixture that's sticky but cools it enough to eat."

"Can you do that now?" the girl asked as her mom smiled down at her.

"Absolutely. Let's gather some snow."

We waited while they dished snow into a bowl and poured the hot syrup over it. Then the woman scooped small gobs of the mixture into Dixie-sized cups and handed them to people in the crowd.

We waited our turn and took a cup to share.

"Are any of the trees tapped?" Killian asked.

"If you walk along the water in that direction, you'll find a few," the woman answered, gesturing with her hand.

"Perfect. Thanks," Killian said, holding our cup.

We walked down to the beach, and in the direction the woman had indicated. There were a few logs on the beach. "Let's stop and eat our syrup."

"Good idea." I sat next to him on the log facing the water. The wind coming off the water was cool, but I sat close to Killian, my leg touching his.

Killian removed his glove and fed me a piece of the icy mixture. I opened my mouth, closing my lips around his finger. I sucked on his finger briefly, and his eyes flared.

"Mmm. That's really good. Tastes like candy." I removed my glove and fed him in the same manner.

I wanted to climb into his lap and taste the syrup on his tongue, but we weren't alone. When we finished the sweet treat, he stood and held his hand out to me. We walked side-by-side along the water, looking for tapped trees.

It was cool, but the day was beautiful. I could almost feel the air warming, or maybe that was my desire for an early spring. The problem wtih that desire was that it meant Killian would need to travel farther away to get the snow conditions he'd need to train.

I was delighted when he pointed out a tap, and we paused to study it. "Now I want to watch someone pull it from the tree."

My stomach rumbled.

"You want to get in line for pancakes?" Killian asked with a smile.

"I want to try the syrup on pancakes." It was good on the snow, but I wanted the whole experience. We waited in a long line at the newer-looking building. Inside, there was an open hearth, everyone gathered around to warm up.

Killian paid for pancakes and sausage, and we grabbed our containers from the counter. There was a tent set up nearby with picnic tables. The plastic walls did a good job of keeping out the cold. We sat side-by-side at a table and opened our containers.

I carefully cut the pancakes, then poured the syrup over top. I took my first bite, the sweetness melting on my tongue. The pancakes were almost chewy. "These are so good."

Killian leaned over and kissed me, his lips sugary sweet. "Is it bad I want to go home and lick syrup off your body?"

His heated gaze met mine. "I want that too."

We ate our pancakes quickly, pausing at the concession wagon to buy a few bottles of syrup for us and our families. Then we were in Killian's rental truck and heading home. Our interlaced hands rested on my thigh.

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