Page 59 of Cream and Punishment
“No,” he laughed softly, pulling my hands away from my face, “why do you cover it up and get embarrassed about it?”
My brain buffered for a whole agonizing second. Was he serious right now? Whywouldn’tI cover it up? “Um, because sounds like that aren’t supposed to be heard by mortal ears?”
He smiled his devastating smile, still holding my hands in his. “Why not? It’s easily one of my favorite sounds.”
“Then you need to get your ears checked.”
This was both a dream come true and a nightmare, since I was currently living out a mortifying conversation with my Prince Charming, but the feel of his hands on mine was like morphine in my bloodstream.
He laughed. “No, I’m serious. I like it.”
Be still, my beating heart. I didn’t care if he only liked it because he was delusional, or if he was simply trying to make me feel better. The point remained, he didn’t mind my piggy snorts. Somehow.
“You do?” I finally managed to say, blinking rapidly.
“Of course.” He pulled his hands away, his fingers sliding along mine as he did. “It’s unbridled happiness. It’s like you forget to be reserved for a second because something wasthatfunny or surprising, and it’s nice seeing that glimpse of raw…Dekkerness.”
Never in a quadrillion years did I expect to have a term coined after me. Period, but especially not something positive. Maybe a “wow, you really Dekkered that”when somebody chose the wrong dialogue option in conversation and made everyone fidget awkwardly. But this?
Had I secretly entered the twilight zone when we walked through the doors?
I gaped dumbly at him until Cendy returned with glasses of ice water for both of us. Max helped relay my order, and with one last conspiratorial look over her shoulder, Cendy disappeared again.
“How’s your hobby hunting going?” I asked after a few minutes of small talk. “You still have all your fingers, so that’s promising.”
He laughed, drawing a few curious glances from those nearby. “I considered it, especially after the day I’d had at work. But, no, no knife juggling. The week is almost over, and I haven’t tried a new hobby yet.”
I took a long sip from my water. “If you haven’t come up with one by tomorrow, let me know. I can get you hooked on competitive baking shows or eat way too much ice cream trying.”
“Ice cream, you say? I’m in. Doesn’t matter what we watch.”
I beamed, already excited to spend more time with him. “Said like someone who hasn’t seen the light yet.”
“The baking shows are that good, huh?”
“I guess you’ll have to see, won’t you?”
He narrowed his eyes, his dark lashes long and thick. “Well played, Chef. Well played.”
I sank back until my spine rested against the cool booth. “If you don’t mind me asking, why did you make that resolution to try something new every week? Just to be adventurous?”
“Oh, uh, not exactly.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “It’s a little embarrassing, really.”
“How so?” I folded my arms over my middle. “Because you’ve seen me biff it on a fur suit and freak out over a belt, so I think I’ve kinda got a monopoly on embarrassing things at the moment.”
And,sweet honey lemonade, how I wished I didn’t.
He rubbed his face in an attempt to conceal his smile. “Those weren’tthatbad.”
“Liar.”
He chuckled, giving up the charade. “Okay, yeah, those were pretty memorable, but not all bad. This is embarrassing in a different way, I guess.”
I waited, letting the Latin music and clangs from the kitchen fill the silence while he gathered his thoughts. Maybe it made me a bad person, but Ihopedhis reason was a little embarrassing. It only seemed fair, considering how I’d made a fool of myself ten ways to Sunday since moving in.
I reached out and brushed his hand, lingering for only a second despite how much I wanted to stay there forever. “If you don’t want to tell me, you don’t have to. Just say the word and we’ll move on. No problem.”
The tan skin framing his eyes crinkled in amusement at how I’d echoed him from a few nights ago. “I want to tell you. Even if you’ll look at me differently once you know.”
