“No, it’s not just okay. It’s freaking fantastic. When do you even get a chance to practice your cooking skills? I mean, you travel all the time. How often do you find yourself somewhere with a stocked kitchen?”
“So you do like it.” The side of his mouth quirked up in a smug smile.
“I don’t like it, I love it.” I slid another melt-in-your-mouth bite past my lips. “Actually, I more than love it. What’s more than love?”
“Hmm. You adore it?”
I nodded, my mouth full.
“Or maybe you just adore the man who introduced you to this culinary phenom?” He rested his elbows on the table and leaned toward me.
I tried not to laugh with my mouth full. It would serve his cocky ass right if he ended up with a face full of whatever awesomeness he’d concocted.
“Call it what you want, but I seriously need this in my life. You need to show me how to make it so I can have it while you’re . . .” My voice trailed off and it hit me. When the wedding was over, Alex was going. All of this, everything we’d shared over the past several weeks, would be nothing but a memory. A temporary pause on his never-ending journey. I was a pit stop. Nothing more than a chance to rest, refill, and move on.
“While I’m what?” His voice dropped lower. In the short time I’d known him, I’d come to love the way his tone grew deeper when we started to discuss something serious.
“You know.” I let my fork rest against the side of my dish. Two minutes ago I’d been ravenous. But now, with the promise of his eventual departure hanging between us, I’d lost my appetite. Not even the mouthwatering blend of spices and sauce could sway me to eat another bite.
“What if I didn’t?”
“Didn’t what?” My heart skittered like a needle scratching across an old record.
“Didn’t . . . you know.”
“Wait, are we both talking about the same ‘you know’ here?”
His shoulders rose and fell in a shrug. An adorable smile danced across his extremely kissable lips. He knew exactly what I meant. He was playing with me, stringing me along.
I placed a palm on his chest and gave him a playful push. “Don’t tease.”
He wrapped his hand around mine, demanding my attention. My gaze met his. “I’m not teasing. At least not about this. What if I stayed?”
The question wedged itself into the sliver of space between us. I didn’t know how to respond. If I acted too excited, wouldI scare him off? If I were too nonchalant, would he change his mind?
“Well?”
“I’d love it if you’d . . . you know.” A grin threatened to split my serious expression in two.
“All right then. It’s settled.” He wrapped an arm around my shoulders and pulled me close. “After the wedding, I’ll find a place to stay. We can try this on for real.”
“Just like that?”
“Doesn’t need to be more complicated, right?”
I didn’t trust myself to react with anything but a nod. The thought of him sticking around for a bit gave me hope. Maybe I wasn’t destined to be alone. Maybe the universe had some magical, mystical plan that would set me up with a chance for happiness.
The mood lightened and we joked around while we ate the rest of our dinner. Alex did a spot-on imitation of Chyna after she lost her hat. I almost fell out of my chair from laughing. After the dishes had been washed, dried, and put away, he held out a hand. “You want to try out that tub?”
“What are you going to do while I’m soaking?” I took the hand he offered, and we moved toward the stairs.
“What do you mean? I measured and there’s plenty of room in that tub for two.”
Alex
We didn’t make it to the bathtub. I had barely shut the bedroom door behind us when Zina whirled around and pressed me up against the wall. Her lips were hungry, as eager for me as minewere for her. The length of her body aligned with mine, her soft curves a perfect fit against my hard planes. I’d been anticipating this night for weeks. Every time she’d brushed against me, every time we’d accidentally touched, every time she’d looked at me with that combination of heat and hope in her eyes, it had stoked the fire she’d ignited when I first set eyes on her.
I pushed off the door and backed her toward the bed. The need to feel every bare inch of her against my skin drove my hands under her shirt. My fingers trailed up and over her ribs while goose bumps pebbled her skin. Her hands worked my shirt up while she continued nipping and sucking at my lips.
