Page 94 of For the Promise

She smiles but it doesn’t light up her face the way it usually does. “You can’t make it better. I’m grieving their loss. I’ll probably always grieve the loss of my parents.”

I nod. I understand. I grieve the loss of my father. Except he’s not dead. He’s a mainlander, who ditched the island, leaving my mom to raise six children on her own.

“Is this one of those situations when chocolate and wine helps?”

“One of those situations?”

I shrug. “I’ve been researching how to be a good partner.”

“You have?”

My cheeks warm but I ignore them. “I thought it would help me make less mistakes. I guess I need to research more since I messed up today.”

She grasps my hands. “You messed up but it’s okay. No one’s perfect, although I am pretty close.”

I grin. “Yes, you are.”

This time, when she smiles, it does light up her face. “It’s good you realize how perfect I am now.”

I can’t resist those lips. I meld my mouth to hers. She sighs and I thrust my tongue inside. Her taste of cherries hits me, and I growl before pulling her near until her chest hits mine.

I palm her neck and tilt her head so I can dive deeper into the kiss. I want to explore every inch of her mouth. I want to memorize her taste. I want her taste on my tongue.

I grasp her hips and place her on the table. She wraps her legs around me. My cock – already hard and heavy – presses against my zipper in an effort to reach her.

In one weekend, we had more sex than I did with my previous girlfriend over a six-month period. And yet, I can’t get enough of her. I’m afraid I never will.

I thread my hand through her hair before gathering it at her nape and tugging to expose her neck to me. I nibble and lick my way down her neck until I reach the junction with her shoulder, where I bite down.

Blossom moans as her legs tighten around my waist and her fingernails dig into my arms.

“I love your cherry taste,” I murmur against her skin. I draw a finger along her neck and shoulder and enjoy watching the goosebumps explode in my wake.

“Cherry?”

“Mh-hum. Cherry.”

I love the taste of cherries. Sweet with a slight hint of tart. It would be a great addition to any whiskey. Aha! It’s what’s missing. I snap my head up. “That’s it!”

Blossom gazes at me with dazed eyes. “What’s it?”

“Cherry. It’s the missing flavor.”

“I still don’t understand. You’re going to have to explain more, nerd boy.”

“The flavor profile for the new whiskey. I couldn’t figure out what was missing. It’s why I was lost in concentration and forgot the time.”

Forgot the time. Shit. Going complete nerdy whiskey distiller on Blossom is not the way to her heart.

“Never mind.” I pull her close again. “Forget I said anything.”

She presses a hand on my chest to create space between us. “I won’t forget you said anything. I want to understand.”

“But we were making out and I thought of my whiskey.”

She grins. “In other words, I inspired the whiskey.”

“You did.” I reach for my notes. “I’ve been working on a new flavor profile for a holiday whiskey all day but I couldn’t get it right. It was missing something.”

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