Page 20 of Beyond The Barre

He claimed her mouth once more, his greedy tongue begging for more.

Reluctantly, she pulled away. “Come on then. Food time.” She stood, all too aware of his gaze on her as she reached for a towel.

After they packed up and walked back to the car, Linc drove them into town. It was late afternoon and the cafés had already closed up. Above them the clouds were darkening, but that did nothing to affect Scarlett’s happy mood.

“Gelato shop is open,” he suggested.

“Yum.” She swallowed down the voice that said don’t you dare.

They parked and walked over to the freezer, which displayed tubs and tubs of flavours of ice cream. All were made in Maleny using produce from the local dairies.

“The Cherry Ripe is my favourite,” Linc whispered into her ear.

“How do you choose?”

“Go with your gut. What looks good?”

She stared into the freezer until her gaze stopped on the one thing she had never been allowed to try. “Nutella.”

The server scooped the rich dark ice cream into a cone and passed it over. Linc paid and took his own cone before following her to a bench to sit and eat.

“I ...” Scarlett opened her mouth to thank him, but at that moment, a drip of gelato melted down the cone and rolled onto her wrist. Without thinking, she lifted her hand to her mouth to lick it off. She stopped dead, feeling the cool sensation slide down her throat, tasting the dense, nutty sweetness of the hazelnut, rich and delicious—an explosion of pleasure on her tongue.

She took another lick and moaned out loud. "God, this is so good!" She devoured the gelato, savouring the sweetness and creamy coolness. She looked up. Linc was watching her hungrily—an expression that had nothing to do with food.

Then, that all too familiar feeling started to twist her stomach and constrict her throat. Trying to stay calm, she slowed and deepened her breaths.

It was crazy, she knew, freaking out over one tiny ice cream, but she couldn’t help it. She’d spent years counting every precious morsel she would allow between her lips, calculating calories and fat units, knowing that the slightest slip-up would edge her further and further away from her goal weight.

“Are you okay?” Linc placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.

Scarlett squeezed her eyes closed for a second then turned her attention to Linc’s concerned face. The genuine worry in his eyes helped smother the flames of her anxiety.

“I’m fine. Sorry, but I’m not going to be able to finish this.” She held out the ice cream cone.

“Let me get rid of it.” He took the cone to the bin then quickly returned to her side. She stood up, expecting to walk, but instead he gathered her into his arms.

The tension drained from her body as she melted into his embrace. Tears burned her eyes but didn’t flow. She pushed those feelings back into the box where they usually lived and concentrated on being in the moment.

It felt so good, Linc being moulded against her like that. It was warm and cosy. And he was being supportive. She had never truly had support from anyone.

She closed her eyes and raised her face, unspeaking but asking for his kiss. He happily responded with soft, reassuring lips.

Safe and secure in his embrace, she wished their kiss would never end. The anxiety in her stomach was replaced by desire and heat. She wanted more of Linc. She wanted to know every curve and muscle of his body.

As if sensing her need, he lifted his lips to ask, “Can I take you home?”

She nodded and smiled at him, her heart pounding wildly in her chest. She wanted nothing more than to be touched and enjoyed by this man.

He found her hand and held it firmly as they walked back to the car where he opened the passenger door for her and closed it once she was safely inside.

The drive back to her place seemed to last an eternity. Heated tension sizzled like fire between them. When they finally pulled up in front of Scarlett’s house, Linc turned to her.

“Are you sure about this?” he asked, his voice husky with desire. Scarlett glanced at the very pronounced bulge at the juncture of his pants and felt a dampness in her own underwear.

“I’ve never wanted anything more,” she admitted.

He had her out of the car and to the front door so quickly she barely felt the splattering of rain against her skin. She fumbled in her purse to find the key, finally pulling it out only to find her hand shaking so much she couldn’t get it in the lock.

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