He cut off a bite, the hot icing dripping around the cinnamon doughy goodness. His eyes stayed locked on mine as he brought the food up to his lips and chewed. I held my breath and waited on the edge of my seat for his judgment.
“Well?” I questioned after he’d swallowed.
He pursed his lips, leaned back in his chair, and declared, “Okay. You were right. That shit was good.”
I beamed proudly and sat up taller in my seat. “I told you. If there’s two things I know, it’s food and books.”
Dante really perked up then. “Books? You like reading?”
“I love reading. Books are my world. I always stop by the bookstore next door or the library down the street after I leave here on Saturday mornings.”
“Sick. We’ll go there after we’re done here. I needed to find the local library and bookstores, so this is perfect.”
It was my turn to lean forward in amazement. “You like reading?”
“Fuck yeah, I do. Though, I’ve been reading a lot of duds lately. Got any recommendations for good books?”
I nibbled my lip and pondered the question as I twirled my coffee on the table. “I know some great ones, but I’m not sure if you’d like them.” I flashed him a sheepish smile. “I only read romance books.”
He nodded, his nose ring glinting in the light. “Okay. Lay ‘em on me.”
I stared at him like he’d just appeared out of thin air. “You read romance books?”
He cocked his head and raised a brow. “What? You think guys can’t read romance books?”
Alarm struck lightning quick, and my eyes doubled in size. I quickly held up my hands and waved them wildly as though to make the mere idea disappear. “What? O-Oh my gosh, no. Of course, they can! That’s not—”
He started laughing and leaned his forearm on the table, the perfect picture of ease andnotone of offense. “I’m just messing with you. Seriously, though. Recommend me anything. I read it all,especiallyromance. I find it …educational.”
There was no missing the heat that flooded his gaze on the last word, nor the sensual edge to his voice. I pictured Dante leaning back on a bed, naked while reading a spicy romance book. Fire flooded my bloodstream.
I snatched my coffee and quickly downed some as I banished the indecent image from my head. The heat remained on my cheeks, so I set to digging in my purse for some paper and a pen. I grabbed one of my capybara-shaped post-it notes and jotted down the first three book recommendations that came to mind.
“Here are some different books that I really like. There’s a fantasy romance, a dark romance, and a sports romance, depending on what you like.” I finished writing the titles and handed it over to him.
He glanced at the note with a bemused smirk. He didn’t seem to be reading what I wrote, but, rather, looked at the actual sheet of paper itself.
“It’s a capybara,” I quickly explained, feeling silly for writing the books on that instead of on standard notebook paper. He probably thought I was so weird, carrying around animal-shaped sticky notes.
He made a noncommittal sound. “I can’t wait to try all of these.”
I sat back in my seat, and despite my efforts, I stared at him—this god of a man, this celebrity,myidol. I still couldn’t believe this was happening. How had I woken up this morning and found myself sitting across from Dante Braxton of Sinners Do It Better, eating cinnamon rolls and discussing books?
I swallowed down the bite I’d just taken of my own cinnamon roll and shook my head. “This is so crazy. I can’t believe that you’rehere. Withme. What made you guys relocate to Tennessee of all places, anyway? If you don’t mind me asking.”
He finished off his food and sipped on his coffee. “You can ask whatever you want of me.” He winked then finished, “As for what brought us here, it was Zagan’s dick.”
I choked on my coffee and stared at him with wide eyes.
Dante shrugged, unfazed by my shock at his blasé delivery of such a statement. “Just speaking facts.”
I pushed away my now empty food container and tried to drink without spewing hot coffee everywhere. After a few successful sips, I probed, “So the rumors are true, then? He really has a girlfriend here?”
There had been rumors circulating among the Sinners community about the band relocating to Tennessee and their sudden hiatus, which they were still on. Zagan, the lead singer of the group, had been spotted around the area a lot lately, and those sightings gave birth to the rumor that he was datinga mystery brunette. Some Sinners were losing their minds over the idea that the members were dating, but I personally didn’t care what Sinners Do It Better got up to. As long as they were happy, that was all that mattered.
Dante stared out the window, and his lips tightened as the teasing light left them. “Something like that.”
“I think that’s sweet.” I grabbed our trash and made my way to the trash can with him right on my heels, holding our coffees.
