She smiled.“You would find something healthy on the dessert menu.”
“It’ll still be good.”
“You hear me arguing?It’s perfect for this time of year.”The calendar said it wasn’t fall yet, but the weather indicated that the change in seasons was on the way.
A short time later, the waiter returned with their apple galette.The spiced apples were nestled in a bed of puff pastry dusted with sugar crystals, and the order came with sides of whipped cream and mascarpone ice cream.Spencer took one spoon and handed her the other.“As any dietitian will tell you, it’s good to sneak fruit and vegetables into every meal,” he said in his most sanctimonious voice.
Misty rolled her eyes but dug in.Spencer followed suit, taking a spoonful of ice cream before attacking the pastry, and it was all he could do to keep from moaning out loud.They didn’t talk much as they ate, and it wasn’t long before the pretty dessert was reduced to a handful of crumbs.
As she put her spoon down, he noticed something.“You have whipped cream on your face.”
“Crap.Where?”
“Corner of your mouth.”He poked his tongue out and licked the corner of his upper lip to give an approximate location.
Her tongue popped out in search of it, and he realized the problem with his demonstration.“Other side.”
She slid her tongue across her upper lip, which was a hair thinner than her lower, and vigorously licked the opposite corner.If she’d had lipstick or anything on when she arrived, it must have come off when they were eating.Though speaking of food, her lips looked like she’d just bitten into a berry.
Completely unbidden, thoughts of how those lips would taste and feel flooded his senses.Add in the thought of taking her tongue into his mouth, which gave way to a fantasy of her tongue sliding up his shaft, and he gave silent thanks for the table that hid his growing erection.
“Did I get it?”She was only a few feet away, and yet her voice seemed to be coming from the end of a tunnel.
He allowed himself one last look at her mouth.“Yeah, it’s gone.”He picked up his water glass to keep himself busy.The waiter came back, and the discussion about the check served as another distraction.They wound up splitting the bill.
Misty was quiet as they left the restaurant, but paused to face him.“I’ll admit I did need some help with my diet and the structure of my workouts.I looked into the combine more, and just about every minute of every day is accounted for.So if I get in, it won’t be such a culture shock after our schedule.”
“Whenyou get in,” he corrected.“I believe in you.”
“Thanks for that, and for tonight.”She paused.“It was good to see you again.”
“Good to see you too,” he said sincerely.
She didn’t answer, but stood on the sidewalk looking at him.He didn’t move away, but silently drank in the sight of her in civilian clothes, long hair, and full makeup.
“I’m going east.”
“And I’m heading west.”Still, neither of them moved in the opposite direction.
“Well...”He shuffled his feet, a move that brought him a few steps closer to her.
“Um...”
She inched forward, and there couldn’t have been a foot of space between the two of them anymore.As Spencer closed it, his bare arm brushed against hers.How was this going to end?He categorically refused to shake her hand because this wasn’t a business meeting, but did this night warrant a kiss?
She raised her arms as she stepped closer, and he wrapped his around her.She leaned into him, and he lost himself in the warmth of her body, the strength of her arms, and the smell of her hair.There was that coconut again, but this time he caught a deeper scent.He’d parse out the separate elements when he felt like thinking again.For now, all he wanted was to savor this moment.
She squeezed him one more time before letting go.“Good night.”
“Good night.”As she walked away, some raging part of Spencer, mostly below the waist, urged him to run after her.However, the rest of him was more than content to bask in the echoes of her touch.
A tickling sensation on his foot broke the spell.He looked down to see a meatball of a pit bull mix sniffing his sneaker.“Buttercup, no!”the owner scolded, pulling the leash back.“Not that I blame her.Great shoes.”
“Thanks.”Spencer decided to go home before the dog got any ideas.He barely felt his feet on the sidewalk for the short walk home.
