The me I used to be with men before?—
No.
I don’t want to think about that, about him. I want to enjoy tonight, enjoy feeling like myself, enjoy…
Just enjoy.
“Well,” he says, “all the potatoes are currently ash in the oven so you’ve got your choice of onions, peppers, or carrots.”
A flicker of guilt. “Do you want me to order something in? Since I ruined dinner?”
His finger slides down my throat, along my collarbone, and I shiver.
“I think we were both responsible for making charcoal, and I have plenty of food—” His voice rises, drowning out my protests. “So, carrots, onions, or peppers?” He leans in, brushes his lips over my jaw. “Or sitting there looking beautiful while I do the chopping?”
I shiver, give in to the need clawing at me to run my fingers through his beard. “You giving up shaving?”
A lazy shrug. “Didn’t have the energy to bother.” He searches my face. “You don’t like it?”
I think about the slightly rough hairs brushing over my skin…my throat, my breasts, my belly…lower…and I shiver.
His mouth tips up. “You like it.”
“Arrogant man.”
“Happy man that I’ve finally got the beautiful woman who’s kept me on tenterhooks for the better part of two years finally flirting with me.” He drops his hands to the counter, one on either side of my body. Caging me in.
But I’m not scared.
“This is flirting?” I tease. “Telling me to get in the kitchen?”
“You’re already in the kitchen.” Another brush of his lips over my cheek, my jaw, dragging their way over to my ear. “Now you just need to start cooking.”
My hand has somehow made its way into his hair, is clinging tightly to the silky strands, so it takes me a moment to process the words. Then I do, gasping in outrage. “Seriously?” I snap, tugging now, but not hard. Only so I can see his face, can see what I know is going to be in the deep brown eyes.
And yup.
Humor.
Teasing.
Mischief.
And below all of those…need.
It sends my pulse skittering through my veins.
Because I have that same need, that same yearning. From the moment I first saw him in the hallways at the Sierra’s arena, I was drawn to him.
And now I’m here.
Now I’m learning him.
Now he’s smiling and teasing.
Now we’ve touched, kissed…
“You do the carrots,” I say. “I’ll do the onions and peppers.”
