“That does sound good,” I whisper, my eyes locked on his lips.
When I look back into his eyes, I find them half-lidded with lust. Yeah, he’s thinking the same thing as I am.
Normally when I show up at his place, we spend the first little while mapping each other’s bodies. Tonight, it didn’t happen because he wanted to take me out on a date. Now it feels like every breath is foreplay.
I take a sip of my drink because looking at my man and thinking about all the pleasure he can give me has made my mouth dry. Not taking the edge off before we came out was a mistake.
The tension zings between us and becomes a physical thing. I clench my thighs together because being near him has my entire body yearning for him.
“Rhodes,” a man calls out as he strides toward us with a huge smile on his face as his eyes ping back and forth between us. When he stopsnext to the table, I take in his tall frame, mahogany colored hair and the way his eyes are dancing with mirth. He looks at me curiously while asking out of the side of his mouth, “Is this the woman you’ve been stalking in Dogwood Ridge.”
Rhodes lets out a groan while I can’t help but giggle before looking at my man as innocently as possible. “Maverick,” he growls, “I have not been stalking her.” He looks at me and smiles. “Helen, this is Maverick, he’s one of the owners of The Goose.”
“It’s nice to meet you,” I offer Maverick politely, but I find I can’t look at him too long. My eyes keep straying to my man. I glance his way again with a small smile. “You have a great place here. I’m very curious about this claim about your burgers being the best in the state.”
“Uh-oh,” there’s a tease in Maverick’s voice, “you’re giving me shit about that already? My wife did that too.” He looks at Rhodes, his tone surprisingly serious, “Don’t fuck this up.”
They share a look, one I’m not sure I completely understand. But it’s weighted and wrapped in a warning. Rhodes sits up a little straighter and gives a nod.
Men.
Maverick’s attention shifts and the smile on his face is stunning. I blink at him a few times and then look over my shoulder to see a gorgeous woman with curls like a crown. The three kids with her are walking in like they own the place. The group is trailed by two people who must be the woman’s parents.
“Helen,” Maverick sounds distracted and he doesn’t look at me, “it was lovely to meet you. Dinner is on me tonight because I’m all about romance and The Goose being the place for it. Excuse me, it’s time for me to have dinner with my family.”
He doesn’t wait for a response and starts striding away while Rhodes chuckles under his breath. I watch as he grins at the kids but doesn’t stop until he’s taken the woman in his arms and kissed her softly. She melts against him.
“That’s Lark. When she moved here a few years ago with her two kids after the death of their father it was because her parents already lived here. They run a family practice in town,” he informs me and I soak up the information like I’m tuning in for my favorite telenovela.
After Maverick releases his wife, he greets each child with love and interest while smoothly leading them to a table on the other side of the room. He does it easily and Lark looks on with love and peace written all over her face. If Rhodes hadn’t just told me that they aren’t all his kids, I would never have guessed, there’s just that much love there.
As I turn back towards Rhodes, I have a big grin on my face. “It’s clear that they love each other. It’s sweet.”
“There’s one more thing you should know about Lark, it’s a town secret that isn’t a secret at all,” he tells me as he leans over the table. “She’s a romance author.”
I gasp, “No!”
The smile he gives me is sinful as he nods. “The spicy kind.”
“I’m going to need a lot more information about that.”
Before he can tell me more, two chairs come out of nowhere and land on the sides of our table right before two men slide into seats which they have procured themselves. My jaw drops as I look between the men.
“Fucking hell,” Rhodes grits out under his breath while wiping a hand down his face. “Now it’s you two.”
“Bowie,” one of the men calls out and when our waiter looks our way he continues, “we’ve joined this table.”
“You have not joined this table,” Rhodes hisses.
“Hello,” one of the guys offers, the one who is clearly more clean-cut. He looks familiar, but I can’t place him right away. He offers me his hand and my manners take over. “I’m Granger Lowe, the mayor here.”
“Ah, that’s why you look familiar. It’s nice to meet you,” I offer. My attention is pulled toward the other man who is practically bouncing in his seat. “You seem very excited. Are you hopped up on like energy drinks or is something else going on?”
The man barks out a laugh before he looks at Rhodes with twinkling eyes. “We’re keeping her, right?”
“We,” Rhodes emphasizes the words, “aren’t doing anything. But she is mine.” His eyes flash with a possessiveness that is far too sexy to be happening right here and now. “Sweetheart,” he addresses me.
Before he can say anything else, the man chimes in and teases, “Ohhh, Sweetheart, that’s cute.”
