“Oh,” she murmured.
Caleb’s jaw tightened. “That good?”
She held the spoon out toward him. “Come closer.”
He didn’t reach for it. He leaned in.
Close enough that his knee brushed hers under the table. Close enough, she could feel the heat radiating off his body. Close enough to see his blue eyes darken as his lips closed around it.
Slow. Deliberate.
Mia’s pulse raced.
Caleb swallowed, eyes never leaving hers. “That might be unfair.”
She smiled. “You didn’t complain.”
He reached out and took the spoon from her. “Your turn,” he murmured.
He scooped another bite and held it toward her. She leaned in, her lips closing around the spoon, her breath brushing his knuckles.
Neither of them pulled back right away.
“This,” he said softly, “is dangerous.”
“So is denying it.”
His thumb traced the inside of her wrist. “We’re still in public.”
She tilted her head. “Then you should probably stop touching me like that.”
He didn’t.
“Or,” he said with a smile, “you could tell me you want me to stop.”
“I’d be lying.”
His thumb pressed a moment more. A promise. A warning.
The espresso continued to melt the gelato, pooling together and impossible to separate.
Caleb finally leaned back. “We should leave.”
“Because of dessert?”
“No,” he said. “Because if we stay, I’m going to forget how to behave.”
Her smile turned soft. “Then I suppose we should go.”
But neither of them moved just yet.
Caleb exhaled slowly,forcing himself to put a little space between them. Dinner wasn’t turning out exactly as he had planned. It was better, and his body noticed long before his brain caught up.
“Want to go back to my place for a while?” he asked.
Mia thought for a second. “I’d love to. I need to shoot my dad a text so he doesn’t worry.”
“Good idea.” He nodded. “At least he doesn’t know where I live. I can just imagine him showing up with a shotgun, ready to have a talk.”
