“I watched you save a duck.”
She squints at me. “What?”
“I left for work one morning before we met, and you were chasing a duck out of the road.”
“Anyone else would’ve done the same.”
“Would you have before Costa Rica?”
“Dylan. I’m a vegan influencer. Saving ducks is on brand.”
“No one was watching. You were already saving it before you could’ve seen my truck coming.”
She finally accepts the coffee tumbler with an eyeball ofyou’re ridiculousaimed at me and ahmmreverberating in the back of herthroat, but when she takes a sip, the noise changes to a full-on throaty moan that makes my cock hard in an instant. “Oh myGod, this is delicious.”
I smile. “Haven’t had Ridhi’s best yet, hm?”
“Ridhi made this? Holy shit. No wonder Phoebe calls it good coffee. Okay. Okay. I get it now. And clearly, I need to up my game for this surprise birthday party for Shiloh.” She sips again. “Wow.Wow.”
“You nail Shiloh’s birthday party, and I bet you get coffee like this every day.”
She twists her neck to squint at me sideways. “You’re honestly free and willing to help me today? I mean, duh. Right. Who in their right mind would be up at this hour of the day, on a Saturday, waiting with coffee, if youweren’tplanning on torturing yourself for the rest of the day too, right?”
I somehow don’t think any of spending an entire day with Tavi will be any kind oftorture. “Shiloh loves chocolate.”
She eyeballs me and hums again, takes another sip of coffee, and if that’s anywhere close to what she looks and sounds like midorgasm, then I am the biggest idiot to ever walk the face of this earth for turning her down in the locker room shower a month ago.
“GoodGod, that’s delicious,” she says. “Ten minutes. The basement. We’ll plan while I work. Donotlet anyone follow you, and if they do—”
“Say I heard water running and went to investigate.”
She goes up on her tiptoes and presses a kiss to my cheek. “You’re the best.”
I grip her by the hips, and we both freeze.
“The s-sun,” she stutters. “Have to hurry.”
“You’re a good person, Tavi Lightly.”
For once, she doesn’t argue.
Just blinks those big blue eyes at me like I’m holding her world together.
And hell if that isn’t a high I don’t need.
She’s leaving.
But she’s here now.
Today.
And that’s going to have to be enough.
Chapter 23
Tavi
Chocolate and I first met when I sneaked a Twix bar out of Millicent Grover’s mother’s purse while we were waiting to be called back to stage for the results at the end of a beauty pageant when I was about eight, and it’s been my secret lover ever since.
