Page 14 of Love, Always and Forever
She would, too. He didn’t doubt it for a minute. He liked that she gave as good as she got. “Would you keep them to yourself if I promise to get us each a big serving of peach cobbler to take home? I never have room for dessert by the time I consume the huge amount of food he serves, so I always get the dessert to go. That way I get the best of both worlds.”
She stared at the enormous pile of food that had just appeared in front of her. “It’s a deal.”
Tom squeezed in next to Mikhail. “So, Amy, has Mikhail ever told you about the time he woke up with half his hair shaved off?”
Amy’s dark eyes twinkled as she watched them over the rim of her glass and sipped her lemonade. “No, he hasn’t. Tell me all the gory details.”
Mikhail shook his head and picked up his knife and fork. “And so it begins.”
—
Traffic was lighter than usual on the ride home, so they made better time on the return trip. By now, Amy had to be tired and ready for some downtime, but he was reluctant to let their time together end.
He drove straight into the garage to park the bike. She waited until he turned the engine off before climbing off. He took her helmet and set it back on the shelf in the corner. After retrieving the bags containing their desserts from his saddlebags, he led the way out of the garage.
“You’ll have to let me know what you think of the cobbler.”
“I can’t wait to try it, although I’m thinking it will be my breakfast in the morning. I can’t believe how much I ate tonight.”
Mikhail patted his own stomach. “Another reason I don’t go there as often as I’d like, but Tom was pleased that you liked it so much. He loves to see people enjoy his cooking.”
“The man is a genius when it comes to barbecue. I’ll have to tell my brothers about that place. They’d love it.”
The sun was about to disappear over the horizon, casting dark shadows across their yards. Neither of them had expected to be gone that long and hadn’t left on any of their outside lights. Rather than let her head across the yard alone, Mikhail walked with her, once again with his arm draped around her shoulders. It was tempting to pretend that it was just to make sure she didn’t trip over any rough ground, but he tried never to lie to himself.
True, it was simple good manners to see her safely to her door. His adopted father, Joe, had made sure all three of his sons knew how to treat a lady, especially one they cared about. Mikhail wasn’t sure what kind of feelings he had for Amy; he just knew he had them.
When they reached her front porch, he asked, “Do you want me to come in and look around?”
“Thanks, but it’s not necessary.”
Okay, so now he was out of excuses to spend more time in her company. “I had fun tonight.”
Even in the dim light, her bright smile was obvious. “Me, too. I can’t remember when I’ve laughed that much, and riding the motorcycle with you was amazing.”
“We’ll have to do it again soon.”
“I’d love that.”
He joined her on the porch, which wasn’t very big. But even if it had been enormous, he would have crowded close to her. “There’s one more thing before I go.”
Once again, she held her ground as he traced the curve of her cheek with his fingertips. The only sign that he was making her nervous was when she swallowed hard before asking, “What would that be?”
“This.”
He kissed her, keeping it slow, tasting and claiming her mouth with calm intent. She sighed as her arms wound their way up around his neck, the bag holding her cobbler bumped up against his shoulder. Rather than risk her dropping it, he took the small bag from her hand and set both it and his own at their feet.
God, she tasted perfect—all willing woman with just a hint of Big Tom’s barbecue on her breath. He guided her back a step to press her against the front door, deepening the kiss as they moved. Despite the differences in their builds, her slender body fit perfectly against his, her curves softening against his hard edges. It took one helluva lot of effort on his part to keep his hands from wandering into places better left unexplored at this early stage in their relationship.
But, damn, he wanted to check the fit of her perfect ass in his palms. Better yet, he wanted to test the weight and feel of her surprisingly full breasts. He bet they tasted sweet. Instead, he kept his hands firmly anchored at her waist. For the sake of his sanity, he needed to back away from the precipice.
Before he could bring himself to try, she took matters in her own hands. Amy swirled the tip of her tongue in and out of his mouth one last time and then leaned her head back to look into his eyes. At least he wasn’t the only one short of breath.
“Thank you again for tonight.” Her expressive eyes glanced at his mouth, her own lips looking a bit swollen. “For everything, Mikhail. I’ve really enjoyed it all.”
Her voice was even more husky than usual, which only added to her attractiveness.
But what the hell was he thinking? How many times did he have to remind himself that she was his neighbor and quickly becoming a good friend? She hadn’t signed on to become his lover just because he was helping her build a fence. He found the strength to step back, letting the cool night air flow between them. “You’d better tell me to go before my good intentions are completely shot to hell. Unless you want me to come inside with you.”
