“You kids gotta try this!” An elderly woman who looks generically like everyone’s grandma hands us each a piece of dark candy in a cup. “Caramel roasted in creamy Dutch chocolate, not too sweet, and just a hint of salt to finish it off. It’s fromBelgium!” Her eyes grow wide and she saysBelgiumas if it were Mars. “First time in the states this week!” she beams before heading off to a crowd of girls coming up behind us. Knox and I waste no time popping the delectable fudgy treat into our mouths, and we let out another choir of groans as we let the chocolaty goodness melt in ourmouth.
“So freaking good,” he moans through his words. His lids hang low as if he were loaded, and for a second it looks as if all of his lust is directedatme.
A hard moan rips from me as I get lost in those candy blue eyes of his. “We’ll have to get a boxforsure.”
“Salty and sweet”—his Adam’s apple swings up and down as he sears his gaze over my features—“with just enough notes of dark chocolate to finishitoff.”
“Dark notes.” I nod as I step in close to him, and before I know it, his chest is pressed close to mine. I can feel the heat emanating off his body like a forest fire, those eyes of his hood even lower as if he was staring down his next sweet treat. And both Sylvia and I sort of hopeheis.
“So very good,” I pant as my eyes magnetize to his lips. God knows I’ve been craving another delicious bite ever since that night at the Black Bear. “You know, I recognize some of the people here from school.” I swallow hard, embarrassed to go any further with theimplication.
He glances to our left. “Those are Jen’s friends.” He nods as if totally onboard with what needs tohappennext.
“Really?” A prickling of excitement runs through me, and suddenly I’m alert, alive, awake, making everything that came before this moment seem like a sleepy dream. “Then by all means, we should give them something to report.” That tiny twat and her empty threats come back to me. Honestly, if she ever kissed these lips, why would sheleavethem?
“I think maybe you’re right.” His arms find a home around my waist and my body electrifies to life. “Maybe we should give them something to talkabout.”
Knox comes in close, his lids growing ever so heavy, closing his eyes at the last possiblemoment.
My heart drums up to my throat, because dear God, THIS ISHAPPENING!
His mouth glides over mine and a searing heat rips through my body, hot as a furnace, and in that instance, I know it’s real. Knox’s kisses are electric, mandatory for a healthy long life, sexually healing in the very best way. His tongue slips into my mouth, soft and tender at first, and then in a moment we’re probing, tasting the chocolate goodness still coating one another’s mouth, licking it down as if it were our very last meal. Knox digs his fingers into the back of my hair and pushes our mouths together, harder, far more demanding, far more passionate than anything we shared at the Black Bear. And just like that, the impossible happens. Knox Toberman’s kisses are like fine wine that just get better with time. They highlight the fact I have never really been kissed before, not like this, not in any way that mattered. I should pen both Janelle and Justin a thank you note for landing me in the only arms I ever want to be in—KnoxToberman’s.
Knox
Harper Shelton’smouth is North Carolina’s best-keptsecret.
If I didn’t think that first kiss at the Black Bear could get any better, I was wrong. Scratch that. I was fucking wrong. Just the feel of her soft little tongue probing my mouth made me hard. Not a good look for the grocery store. We hit the register and I insist on picking up the astronomical bill. But who am I kidding? This is better food than I’ve eaten in a year. The food of my youth, caviar and expensive cheeses. I can’t wait to get home and feast, and judging by those lusty groans Harper keeps throwing when she looks at the cart, she’s feeling the verysameway.
We wheel our cart full of treasures right out the door, and no sooner do we hit the night air than I see it from across theparkinglot.
Just when I didn’t think Harper Shelton could get any more perfect, we both freeze in our tracks at the glowing neon sign blinking on and off in the window of the Silver Spoon Restaurant and Bakery.All fresh baked pieshalfoff!
“Oh my shit,” Harperwhispers.
“The sign doesn’t lie.” I toss the groceries into the cab of the truck and we headonover.
The inside of the Silver Spoon is crowded, with the bakery humming with hungry people just waiting to get their hands on the fresh bakedgoodness.
“My God, what a paradise we’ve stumbled upon!” Harper manically peruses the selections. “Fruit pies, cream pies, specialty pies,cheesecakepies!” She looks up at me, and I’m stunned at how cuttingly gorgeous she is. Harper can easily be a supermodel if she wanted. Hell, I wouldn’t be surprised if she is one. “Have we died and gone toheaven?”
“If your definition of heaven consists of a variety of half-priced pies, then yes, we have very much arrived.” A part of me wants to tell her she belongs here. She looks like anangel.
“Yes.” She pushes in close to my chest as we wait for our number to be called. “So, how many do we wanttoget?”
I step back with a laugh and reflexively my arm swivels around her waist. “I’m glad you asked how many and not which one.” My affect darkens as I glance to the selection. “Janelle hated pies, so we neverdidthis.”
“What?” Her hands land over my chest as her eyes fill with outrage. “Only soulless people don’t like pie! Everybody loves pie. There’s a pie for every person on this planet. What’s nottolove?”
“I feel the exact same way.” My hand drops lower without meaning to and I accidentally graze her bottom. “Sorry.” I hold my arms up amoment.
“Don’t be.” She reaches up and places my hands square on her hips. “I think we should take advantage of every public moment with a display of affection.” Her bottom lip tugs down a moment. “Even if it is false. I mean, it couldn’t hurt,right?”
“No.” I take a step in and fall into her marbled green-brown eyes. “It couldn’t hurt.” But a pain sears through my chest like maybe itmight.
They call our number and we load up on five pies, no thanks to some last-minuteindecisiveness.
We climb into the truck and laugh all the way home at our culinary haul. Harper and I unload the groceries in less than three trips. She lines the pies up along the island while I set out our edible treasures for us toinspect.
