Page 23 of Single Mom's Secret Diary
My hand finds her arm, leading her to the stool she usually occupies. Grabbing her by the waist, I help her up onto it, receiving a wild look from her.
I can’t linger, and my hasty retreat seems to pull a soft laugh from her.
Returning with the tray, I’m crowding her again. I’m far too close as she leans in to inspect them. Her shoulder brushes my stomach, and I’m electrocuted. Avery peers up at me with those big hazel eyes—blues, greens, oranges, and browns of the wild. No wonder I feel like an animal around her.
Her hand meets mine, and she tugs me into my stool beside hers. “Stop towering over me. Am I going in blind or are you going to tell me what all of this is?”
I peer down at where her hand lingers in mine. Fiddling with her fingers has me mesmerized. They’re so soft, her palm plump with clear lines. Is the rest of her just as soft? Softer?
Fuck, I want to find out.
“They’re just something I thought you would enjoy. Based on what you’ve tasted so far.”
Avery stops my fiddling, makes me look at her. She’s sympathetic and sweet. “Are you making me a signature chocolate?”
I shrug, in new territory. I would make her twenty to keep her looking at me like that.
Her smile blooms, and colorful petals explode in my chest. Among all the drab gray and black, she’s technicolor. It should blind me, but I just want to hunker down in her glow.
Without thinking about it, I brush a light caress against her cheek. Retreating, I relinquish her hand and point to the spread of six new flavor combos for her to taste.
“Where should I start?” Her lip pinches between her teeth.
I tap the one front and center. It’s the avocado one. The one I’m most nervous about. I’d rather get it out of the way and go up from there.
“No preamble?” Avery takes the little truffle between two fingers and slides her gaze toward mine.
Is she teasing me?I want more of it.
I shake my head, watching her mouth so closely, she must find me a freak. Her first bite, the way her eyes close as she tastes it, I’m on the edge of my seat, aching to completely surround her, tuck her against my chest.
Her second bite nearly finishes the small square, but how she never finishes one no longer rides my nerves, doesn’t knock down my confidence.
Instead, I’m a jumble of things I want from her. Need from her. Crave from her.
“What’s the verdict?”
“The texture of the avocado is so complimentary to the chocolate and spice. The hint of sweetness, and it carries the salty tones really nicely. It’s not at all what I was expecting.” Avery sucks some chocolate remnants from her thumb. “I think you could add so many flavors to it that would make it an entirely new experience each time.”
“Like what?” I ask, frowning at my own brusque tone.
“Cream cheese, or maybe even feta for something more savory. Raspberry preserves. Peanut butter. Avocado is one of those flavors that takes on others well. I like avocado, so this on its own is a treat.”
I can’t soak in the compliment. I point at the next—the medjool date and pistachio combo.
A low noise in the back of her throat when she bites into it paired with the fluttering of her lashes puffs my chest up with pride. I want to beat my fists against my chest in victory.
It freezes me in place until those wild eyes open, and I’m sinking into a dungeon of my own making. Her hand finds my shoulder, squeezing. She’s a beacon. I can’t help but flock to her.
My fingers are rubbing the ends of her hair between them. I don’t recall reaching out to do that.
“Verdict?” I force my gaze up to meet hers.
Avery slides the rest of the piece into her mouth, and it floors me. My blood is pumping so hard that I can hardly control myself.
She’s on her feet when I blink, and she slides easily between my knees. Her hands are on my shoulders. Mine is fisted in the end of her ponytail, shaking from the want to tug her head back to spread my mouth across her skin.
Her fingers ruffle through the hair that sweeps across my forehead, pushing it out of my face and letting her touch travel across my scalp.
