But God help her, she wanted to. She wanted to ruin the hell out of this friendship.
Grace appeared next to the pullout with two tiny cups of syrupy black coffee, handing one to Alix with a flourish.
“Oh,” Alix said reverently after a sip. “This looks like it’s going to ruin me for all other coffee ever.”
Grace flushed, but Alix caught the smile tugging at her mouth. “It’s called a cafecito. Happy Thanksgiving.”
“Dinner is going to have to be incredible to compete with this,” Alix said, sipping what was surely the best thing she’d ever tasted. Creamy and sweet and rich and bitter all at the same time. It was heavenly. She needed twelve.
“Did you go somewhere this morning?” Alix asked, looking Grace up and down in a blue sundress that she definitely didn’t have on yesterday. The color was stunning against Grace’s tanned skin, and the neckline exposed just enough — the hint of cleavage, the curve of her shoulders. Grace was an intoxicating combination of curvy and fit, and Alix imagined what it might feel like to — Jesus, just how creepy was she, sitting here, drooling over a woman’s shoulders?
“Yeah, I ran home and grabbed a few things.”
Alix let out a teasing heavy sigh. “No more Cruisin’?”
“Thankfully, no.” Grace shook her head for emphasis.
“Why do you say it like that? I might steal it from Aunt Sylvia and frame it. It’s art, Gator,” Alix teased again.
Grace rolled her eyes.
That shirtwasart for many, many reasons, the first and foremost being the way the white fabric had gone completely transparent —good God, Alix. Get yourself together.Did she need a cold shower just to get through the morning?
They sat by the pool while Baby swam languid laps, Alix dipping her legs in the water. For the first time in days, she felt loose and easy. Grace, hair glossy and eyes bright, didn’t hurt either.
She hadn’t been expecting Grace to be so stunning. She was effortlessly sexy, like she didn’t know just how breathtaking she was. Like she had no idea how the way her sleek hair slid over her shoulders was doing things to Alix’s stomach. The way a tiny divot formed at the top of her lip when she smiled. Alix stared with abandon.
They’d only FaceTimed a few times, but the first time had been Grace in a pantry, and the other handful hadn’t done Grace justice. Sure, she’d been enamored with how clever and funny and sweet Grace was, but the instant physical attraction had been almost palpable in her body. She found herself leaning toward Grace, wanting to touch her arm or leg, to take any excuse to brush invisible things from her cheek.
“So, what time is Thanksgiving dinner?” Alix asked.
“Late. It takes a whole day to roast a pig, and they make such a big deal about it,” Grace said with a tentative smile.
“Your parents know I’m vegan, right?” Alix asked. “Should we, like, swing by the store and grab a tofurkey, or will that get me banned permanently from future events?”
Grace nodded. “It took some explaining, but they know. My mom thinks that means salad, so maybe eat a little something before we go, just in case.”
Eventually, they made their way back into the kitchen, Alix leaning against the counter to watch Grace make another cafecito. Grace moved with dancer-like elegance, filling a contraption with water and ground coffee, then placing it on the stove.
“What’s that called?” Alix asked.
“A cafetera. Or a moka pot if you’re fancy. I think it’s, like, all moka pots are cafeteras, but not all cafeteras are moka pots. Kind of a loose enough term… but I think I’m getting a little too into semantics here,” Grace explained.
She was patient as she went through the steps, but Alix had a hard time focusing on anything other than Grace’s long, slender, perfectly manicured fingers as she stirred a few drops of espresso with sugar, whipping it into the creamy concoction that Alix couldn’t get enough of. Who knew hands could be so sexy? Alix wanted to reach out and take Grace’s hands in hers, study every line and curve.
Alix hunted for a snack as Grace poured the two cafecitos. She passed up the empanadas stacked like gold bars in the freezer, but her eyes landed on a Tupperware containing the vegan brownies Sylvia had mentioned the day before, cut into neat squares.
She held them up in a trophy pose.
“At nine in the morning?” Grace raised a brow.
“Technically nine thirty.” Alix popped the lid of the brownie tub and took one, then bit in, groaning around the chocolate. “Oh, hell yes.”
Grace sighed, took a piece, and popped it into her mouth. “Okay, yes, these are delicious,” she acquiesced.
They finished their cafecitos and carried the entire container of brownies to the back porch again, sitting in the morning sunlight together.
“How many brownies is too many brownies?” Grace asked, eyeing the Tupperware container again.
