A delicious shiver ran down my spine. “They get punished?”
“Exactly.” He took a slow, deliberate bite of his chicken, maintaining eye contact in a way that made heat pool in my stomach. “And I have some very creative ideas for punishment.”
I pressed a little harder with my foot, feeling him grow even harder beneath my touch. God, I wanted him. Right here, right now, community dinner be damned.
“Is everything alright over here?”
I nearly jumped out of my skin at the sound of Evelyn’s voice. My foot jerked away from Connor’s lap as I turned to see her standing beside our table, a knowing look in her eyes.
“Fine!” I squeaked, my voice embarrassingly high. “Just fine. Great food, right Connor?”
Connor cleared his throat, shifting in his seat. “Delicious, thank you.”
Evelyn’s eyes twinkled with amusement. “Well, I’m glad you boys are enjoying yourselves. I just came to let you know we’re serving dessert now if you’re interested.”
“Dessert sounds great,” I said quickly, desperate to change the subject.
“I’ll bring you both a slice of my apple pie,” she offered, then leaned down closer to me. “And maybe cool it with the footsie under the table. Mrs. Henderson may be half-blind, but she’s not stupid.”
My face burned as Evelyn walked away, her shoulders shaking with silent laughter.
“She knows,” I whispered, mortified.
“Everyone knows,” Connor replied dryly. “You’re not exactly subtle, pup.”
I buried my face in my hands. “Oh god.”
“Relax,” he said, his voice gentler now. “I don’t think anyone here is going to turn us in to Pete. He’s not very popular right now.”
I peeked through my fingers at him. “You’re not mad?”
“Mad? No.” He leaned forward, his voice dropping again. “Turned on beyond belief? Absolutely. And planning exactly howI’m going to make you pay for this little stunt next time we’re alone? You bet your ass.”
My mouth went dry at the promise in his words. I was about to respond when Evelyn returned with two generous slices of apple pie topped with vanilla ice cream.
“Here you go, boys,” she said, setting the plates down. “Enjoy.”
I mumbled a thank you, unable to meet her eyes. Connor thanked her more coherently, and she patted his shoulder before heading back to the dessert table.
“Eat your pie,” Connor instructed, his voice back to normal volume. “And when we’re done, you and I are going for a walk, pup.”
My cock twitched. There was a tone in his voice that told me that my punishment was coming sooner than I might’ve thought.
Chapter 23
Ryder
It took a while to cool down after the footsie, much longer than it took to eat the apple pie, which was incredible. But still, even Evelyn’s famous cooking couldn’t do much to quell the heat of anticipation growing in my belly.
Connor caught my eye across the table and nodded toward the door. “Think I need some fresh air to help me digest,” he said casually, though his eyes told a different story. “Care to join me?”
My heart skipped. “Yeah, definitely. Getting a little stuffy in here anyway.”
We made our excuses to Evelyn, who just smiled knowingly and told us not to wander too far. The way she emphasized those words made my cheeks flush.
Outside, the evening air was cool against my heated skin. The sun had almost set, casting long shadows across the church lawn. A few people milled around the parking lot, but most were still inside enjoying dessert and coffee.
“This way,” Connor said, his voice low as he led me toward a narrow path that curved behind the church. “Where there aren’t so many eyes.”
