“I’m good. I’ve been… training.”
“You have?”
“Yeah. I ate Bolognese with chopsticks yesterday.” That is both so cute and so funny that I hide my grin behind my fingers. “I’m still not as good as you,” he concedes, “but I’m getting better.”
I watch in awe as he slowly picks up a dumpling and brings it to his mouth, adorably focused. He chews on it with a dubious expression before nodding. “This is good.”
“You sound surprised.”
“I hate garlic, so I didn’t think I’d like any of what we prepared,” he explains.
Puzzled, I frown. “Lex, there’s garlic everywhere. I’ve seen you eat and love things with it.”
“I don’t know what to tell you. I tried it a while back, and it was revolting.”
“Was it a raw clove or something?”
“Yes. Why?”
It takes everything I have in me to quench my laughter. He’s so clueless it’s downright endearing. “Baby, raw garlic is an acquired taste. Itisn’t the same at all once you cook it. You’ve probably eaten more things with garlic than without.”
My explanation disconcerts him greatly, the crease between his brows betraying his perplexity.
“What would you do without me to broaden your horizons, Coleman?” I tease.
He sounds more grave than I expected when he answers. “I honestly don’t know. My interests were limited, and my world was small and repetitive. But ever since you stumbled into it, the possibilities have become endless. It’s as if you’ve opened the universe to me. You make me want to discover food, music, movies… And unknowingly, you constantly push me out of the comfort zone I’ve spent my entire life in.”
Emotions wreck me. I wasn’t expecting such a declaration, nor do I expect what follows.
“I don’t know what I would do without you, Andrea. You’ve become my entire world, and I don’t think I could ever go back to the one I knew.”
Because I know exactly what he means, his words hit me hard. So fucking hard that tears fill my eyes. I can’t answer with my throat so tight and sore, so I stand up and go to him. He welcomes me onto his lap and holds me close as I wrap my arms around him so tightly I don’t know how he breathes.
After a while, he pushes me away tenderly. His thumb gently wipes a stray tear on my cheek, and the way he looks at me melts me to the bones.
“I’ll forever be grateful for the day I picked you out of all the applicants,” he says with intensity.
“And I’m glad I nailed your impossible test by being such a skilled coder,” I cheekily respond.
He chuckles and gives my throat an irrepressible kiss. “Alright, time to be a good little raccoon and eat everything. I have more things planned for tonight.”
“You do?”
“Yes, and you’ll love it. So, back to your seat and eat, Andrea.”
He helps me off his lap, generously palming my ass as he does, and I wriggle away from his touch with a giggle. I return to my chair, excited to see what he has prepared for the rest of our evening.
I don’t see how anything could top this, but the man has always been particularly good at surprising me. It’s a good thing I also have a trick or two up my sleeve—or rather, up my dress.
Tonight, I won’t be the only one getting nice surprises.
Chapter 17
“Is our next destination a secret, too?” Andrea asks as we step out of Ms. Akira’s building.
“Yes. It isn’t very far, so we can either walk there or take the car.”
“How far?”
