“The ones Idon’t.I make a habit of following the options I didn’t pick to see if I made the right choice.”
“That makes sense.” Camila lifted her glass to her lips, but paused before taking a sip. “So here’s a question for you. Do you beat yourself up about the ones you missed? I’d probably lose a whole lot of sleep over that.”
James chuckled, recalling specific times he’d done that very thing. “I did at first. In fact, it almost stopped me from doing it. Duke—the one who booked this trip—he’s more like Winston was. They never wanted to know if a deal they passed up made it big. But see, that’s what I think makes me more like you. I want to know, not so I can beat myself up, but so I can make better choices next time.”
Camila set her glass back down, lifted her gaze back to him. “Hmm. That’s interesting.”
James wanted to somehow bottle the moment. He couldn’t exactly explain the vibration skittering over his skin as he looked at her. The living, growing connection that made itself known in every interaction they had. Assuring him that he and Camilaweren’tso different after all.
“Should we test out these desserts?” Camila said, pulling his mind from his musings. She dangled a fork over her triple berry tart.
“I think that sounds like a good idea,” James agreed, snatching his spoon off the table. “Guess we can call this a study session then, right? It’s almost part of your job.”
She giggled. “Right.”
James motioned to his dish. “Shall we?”
“We shall.”
He sunk the tip of his spoon into the small dessert and got himself a nice spoonful. Camila did the same with her tart.
The rich, chocolate flavor, smooth on his tongue, nearly melted in his mouth. He’d definitely made the right choice.
“Well,” she urged. “What do you think?”
“I think I chose right,” he said with a grin.
“Oh, but how can you be sure? Remember, you’ve got to test out the one youdidn’tpick, just to be sure.”
That.It was things like that witty comment that fanned his longing for her—the one low in his belly.
“You’re right,” he said with a grin. It was more than some raw desire for a beautiful woman. It was an appreciation forwhoCamila really was. A picture of what he never knew he could find.
“You try mine first,” she suggested, readying a bite for him. She lifted it to her mouth and blew. “It’s pretty hot though,” she explained. “Kind of burned my lip.”
“Occupational hazard?” he guessed.
She nodded. “Always.” She lifted the forkful toward him, and James leaned in to meet her partway.
The tangy flavor was delicious, tart and sweet all at once—like her. “Mmmm,” he moaned as he chewed. And the crust. It was a perfect, savory compliment.
“Well?” The look on her face, coupled with the expectant tilt of her head, said she already knew the answer.
James dabbed his lower lip with the napkin. “I chose wrong.”
Camila laughed along with him once he said it. “Let’s see if I think so now,” Camila said.
“Right.” James prepared a nice spoonful of his layered desert and fed it to her across the table. He watched her expression after she ate it, curious to discover which she liked best.
She nodded, pointed a finger at him, and then dabbed her lips before speaking. “That was amazing.”
When she ended it there, James started to guess where she was going next. “But…” he urged.
She shrugged and reached for her glass. “But you chose wrong.” That sparked another round of laughter. Camila surprised him then by slipping the spoon from his fingers and sliding her fork in its place. She caught the edge of the mousse dish with the tip of the spoon and proceeded to drag it closer to her.
“We’re trading,” he realized as she brought another spoonful of his dessert to her mouth. Camila only nodded and moaned.
“Hey,” he said, bringing the tart in front of him. “Did you trick me just then?” Not that he minded. The tart was definitely his favorite between the two.
