Page 56 of Sugar Pie
I met his gaze. “I like handling our business. I don’t call much because if I bother you less, you get more work done and we both make money.”
He gently patted my lower back. “I like when you bother me.”
My heart warmed. He was sweet. I carried our bowls to the table and said, “Thank you. But it’s strange how in this small place of ours, I feel more comfortable than I ever did sitting in the great room of the house I lived in with my husband. And in this small place, I’m getting to know myself. I just need time.”
He moved his chair so he was next to me instead of across then folded his hands on the table. “This won’t always be our life. Once we prove our business, I’ll access my money, and we can live in my nice New York apartment or my home in LA.”
I’d gone to Manhattan to shop a few times, but I didn’t say as much. “I’ve never been to California.”
“Really?” he asked. His eyes widened as if he was shocked, and he hadn’t started eating. His stomach growled again.
“Well, the tickets to Europe were about the same price, and I chose Spain after college with my friends, before going home and agreeing to get married.”
He picked up his spoon. “Did you have fun?”
I stilled, hoping he would enjoy the dish. “Yes. I’ve been thinking about reconnecting with my college friends.”
He took a bite, and his eyes widened in surprise. Then he licked his lips and took more bites.
My heart swelled. He liked it. I took my time and ate.
As we finished, he asked, “You’re not on social media?”
I sat back and shrugged. I was probably the only person my age who wasn’t. “I avoided anyone who might remind me of my happier days. Now, I’m happy, so I’m thinking of checking in.”
He nodded. “I’m sure they’d love to hear from you.”
“Maybe.” I giggled as I picked up my wine. “I’ll reconnect to the world soon.”
“Good,” he said.
Then we sipped our wine to wash away the dinner. Next to Warren, even the air smelled crisper and safer, as if I was in the forest but with a man who would protect me. He finished his glass. His mouth had my attention. “Do you want seconds?”
He curled his hand around my thigh, and fireworks grew all over me as he said, “Not of food.”
If I had known he was out there in the world, there was no way I would have stayed locked away in my house. Goose bumps grew all over me at the idea of us making love again, but I deflected. “How about the cake?”
He came closer and kissed my cheek. As I glanced up, my heart thumped in double time, and he caressed my neck with his lips and tongue. Heat washed through me. “Maybe later,” he said.
Damn, I wanted him, and it was more than just physical. My heart whispered, but I wasn’t sure how to describe the feeling. I swallowed hard and stopped him.
He blinked and asked, “What’s on your mind, then?”
I curled my hands around him and said, “Nothing I can talk about. Can I ask one question?”
He stilled. “Of course.”
The air around me was charged as if something I needed to know was floating in space just beyond me. My gut twisted. “Tell me something about your life before we met that I might not like?”
He stiffened in his seat, and his gaze narrowed. “Why?”
Maybe I’d struck on something. I needed to know if there was a reason to be unsure or if I was grasping at straws. “Please tell me.”
He carried the dishes to the sink. My heart pounded.
He turned on the water and washed the bowls. “I was always questioning my skills and felt empty until I met you.”
“Oh, is that what’s been happening?” I giggled and followed with the wine glasses then playfully bumped into him. What he’d said was truthful, and I honestly hadn’t meant to upset him or make him think about anyone else. I winked. “You’re into me?”
