His cheeks heated, and he knew he’d blushed like a teenage girl. “It was amazing. She’s really something.”
Allie moved to the dresser and leaned over it to wipe the makeup smudges from under eyes. “You’re going about it all the wrong way. No relationship lasts when it’s built on misrepresentation.”
“Doling out relationship advice again? How did the last few times you dated turn out?”
“You know how well they went. The last one showed up with a Christmas list that started with a Porsche and ended with an island. I get why you don’t want her to know, but eventually, she’ll find out.”
The Parks’ name was synonymous with wealth. “It would be different if I was homeless and pretending to be a millionaire.”
“It’s no different to a woman. Omission is the same as a lie.”
“But my lie only hides the fact that I can afford an eight-figure lifestyle.”
Allie stood straight which meant, without heels, she was about five-foot-three.
“You need to tell her the truth if you want this relationship to work.” She slid on her heels and grew at least four inches. “I like her, and I think she’s good for you. She makes you happy. Don’t screw that up.”
“I think she might be the one. We all get a do-over. I made a mistake with Grace by working too hard and leaving too much. I won’t make the same one with Dani.”
“It’s so sweet that you’re already at the cutesy nickname phase.” She shrugged on her jacket. “If I didn’t love you so much, I might hate you.”
“You’ll find your prince.” He ducked away from the wadded up towel she used as a projectile and left.
People everywhere considered money a blessing, and it was. He didn’t have to worry about his next meal or if he’d go home to a dark house because the electricity payment was late. That was a benefit, but money was also a curse. Having a lot of it meant he had to question people’s motives. Were they into him because of who he was or how much he was worth?
He knew that wasn’t the case with Dani. She offered to pay for their dates because she worried about his finances. They could dine out every night, and it would be a rounding error in his checkbook. Tonight, he was cooking her dinner because Dani wasn’t pretentious. She didn’t expect caviar and Cristal. She just wanted him.
With three bags in his arms that contained everything he hoped he’d need, including an indoor grill, he tapped the door with the toe of his shoe.
Seconds later, Dani answered, looking edible in shorts and a T-shirt. He’d never gotten a good look at her legs, but they were remarkable.
She took one look at the load he was carrying and gasped. “Are we feeding an army?”
He stepped inside and headed toward the kitchen.
“No, but I brought enough to make two meals in case I messed up the first one.” He set the bags on the island counter. “If I get lost in your kisses, I might burn the first round of steaks.”
She bounced on her bare feet. “We’re having steak again?”
He forgot they’d been to a steakhouse on their second date. “Wow, I wasn’t thinking.” He unpacked the ribeyes. “You put these in the freezer for another time, and I’ll run out and get chicken or something else.”
“You will not. I love steak.” She helped unpack the rest of the groceries. “I don’t think my house has ever seen this much food.”
“What we don’t use we can eat another day.”
She moved close to him and lifted on her tiptoes for a kiss. “You’re confident I’ll say yes to another date?”
He pulled out the George Foreman. “I’m cooking, that’s got to get me bonus points.”
She rocked her head back and forth. “Depends on if you cook a steak like I bake a cake.”
“I’m up for the challenge.” He lifted the grill and inspected it like it was a science project. “Not sure how this works, but Betty at your local store told me to get one. She said it would change my life.”
There were a few scratches on the top and a groove where the drip tray burned. “She sold you this?” Dani cocked her head. “It’s used.”
“I know, and it only cost me seven dollars at the thrift store. I guess Betty shops there all the time and knows what’s in stock.”
“She’s a sweet woman.”
“That she is. If this doesn’t work, I’ll pan fry these big boys unless you have a barbecue.”
She raised both hands in surrender. “Non-cook here. I have a crockpot, though. My mom gave it to me when I was in college.”
“Throw it away. It’s ancient and the wires could be bad,” he teased. “You might burn down the house.”
“No worries there, I’m insured. Trish, my best friend, is my agent, so I’m certain she’d hook me up.”
He washed his hands and opened the steak packages. After spicing them up, he googled the grill.
“What do you want me to do?” Dani asked.
“Wash the potatoes and stick them in the microwave.”
She picked up the large bakers and went to the sink. “I’m a professional microwaver, so you picked the right girl for the job.”
“Yes, I did.” He meant that in more ways than one. He washed the grill’s cook plates and reassembled everything. “These will cook quickly, once it preheats.”
She placed the potatoes in the microwave and started them. “How long do we have?”
He pointed to the George Foreman. “When it beeps, we’re good to go.”
“Perfect.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down. “It’s time for a kiss.”
Oh, what a kiss it was. He knew he should have worn his looser fitting jeans because Dani had a way of making him react like a pimply-faced kid getting his first feel.
He’d never had a toe-curling kiss until her. Each time their lips met, he said a silent thanks to her ex for being an idiot.
The timer beeped, telling them the preheating finished, but she held on and kissed him a minute longer. When the microwave beeped, she let go.
“I’ve got quite an appetite tonight,” she said.
“Me too, but it’s got very little to do with the steak.” He walked by her and gave her bottom a squeeze as if he did it all the time. It felt so natural to walk by and touch her, and yet, he never had. “Where are the plates?”
She pointed to the cupboard to the left of the sink. When he opened it, he found a surprise on the bottom shelf. He turned around and held up the jar of body chocolate.
“Do you have plans for this later?” He grabbed two plates but didn’t let go of the jar even though she tried to pluck it from his hand. He loved it when she blushed. All the heat rose to her chest and face. “Glad you thought ahead. I forgot about dessert. Now we’re set.”
“Give me that.”
He shook his head. “Not on your life, sweetheart.” He opened the cupboard and put it on the highest shelf, where he knew she’d need a step stool to reach it.
“The sooner we eat, the sooner we get to dessert.”
She immediately wrapped her arms around her chest, but not before he saw she was aroused. Thin cotton T-shirts never hid much; how he loved them.
He put the steaks on the grill and closed the lid. The next five minutes would be the longest of his life. Not because of the steaks but what waited for him after. He watched her as she prepared the potatoes, filling them with butter and sour cream and cheese.
He considered how he’d prepare her. Would he start at the top of her and work his way down, or start at the bottom and make his way up? It didn’t really matter because he planned to spend most of his time right there in the center.
“I don’t see you as a man who shops in the thrift store.” She folded the napkins and gathered silverware.
“I’ve never been in one, but it’s amazing what people get rid of. They had a ton of bikes, and the book section was enormous. A person could spend days walking down the aisles.” He opened the lid even though it said not to, but he wanted to make sure e
verything cooked correctly. Brown grill lines were already forming.
“I get to the flea market most Saturdays with Trish. It’s kind of the same, but you get to negotiate the price.”
“Did you go today?”
“No, I cleaned the house since you were coming over.”
He leaned over and gave her a quick peck on the lips. “You should have gone. I didn’t come over tonight to see your house.” He took her in from her pink painted toes to her dark coffee-colored hair. “With you in those shorts, I’m not seeing anything but those legs.” He squatted in front of her and traced his fingers from her calves to the hem of her shorts. He was tempted to sneak a hand below the fabric, but the timer went off.
He popped up and moved the steaks from the grill to the plates.
“Follow me.” Dani said in a low, smoky whisper.
“I’ll follow you anywhere.” She led him to a table on her back porch. When he saw a bottle of wine opened and breathing, he palmed his forehead. “I forgot about wine.”
“That’s okay. We make a good team.” She poured while he took a seat. “This isn’t Screaming Eagle or Pride Reserve, but it’s a decent cheap wine you can pretend you like because it’s in my budget.”
He sipped the Pinot Noir and let it coat his tongue. “It’s good. Really good.”
“Shall we toast?” she asked.
He lifted his glass. “Here’s to steak dinners and body chocolate.”
She choked on her wine. “If you must know, Trish brought that over yesterday and left it on my counter. She was afraid I’d feed you my cake, and the night would be over.”
“I like the way she thinks. Someday I’ll thank her for her ingenuity and good taste in desserts.”
“You can do that if you want to go to the flea market tomorrow. She and Rob are looking for another lamp, and since I didn’t go with her today, I said I’d go and try to find them.”
“Sounds great. You said, ‘another lamp’ like this is a perpetual problem for them.”
She swallowed her bite of steak. “First, the steak is amazing. Second, the lamp is an ongoing thing. They’re newlyweds, and they do what newlyweds do. They break stuff with all their surface sex.” She took another bite.
“Hmmm, surface sex.” He gripped the edge of the wrought-iron table and shook it. “Seems sturdy enough.”
“No way, you haven’t even gotten to second base yet. I’m not having sex for the first time with you on a patio table.”
He finished his potato. “Oh, sweetheart. I’ve been everywhere with you in my mind. This table is tame when it comes to my fantasies.”
She nearly fell off her seat. “God, you make me so—”
“Hot?” He pushed out of his chair and stood in front of her. “Say no now, or I’m picking you up and carrying you to bed.”
She looked at the table with half-empty plates. “What about the dishes?”
He held out his hand. “Yes or no, Dani. I’m hoping for the former, but I’ll accept the latter.”
She took his hand and stood. “Yes.”
He could feel her tremble and wondered if it was in anticipation or fear. “You have nothing to fear.”
She swallowed hard. “I’ve never slept with a man on the fourth date.”
He bent over and swept her into his arms. “I’m worth the wait,” he teased.
“What if you don’t like me afterward?”
“Impossible.” He moved through the kitchen down the hallway. “Is this your room?”
She nodded.
He held her close. His conversation with his sister poked him like a sharp needle. He should have told her who he was by now, but he loved that she wanted him for who she believed him to be.
“Dani, can I ask you a question?”
“I’m on the pill and haven’t been sexually active for well over a year,” she blurted out.
He pulled her closer and kissed the top of her head. “That’s not what I was going to ask.” Once he set her on the bed, he knelt before her, looking into her soulful eyes. “Would you care if I was something else?”
“Like what?” Her fingers combed through his hair. “A janitor?”
“Like anything besides what I am.” He looked into her eyes and was certain he could see heaven.
“No. I wouldn’t care.”
Since he was on his knees, he began at the bottom and worked his way up. Smooth calves to firm thighs, his tongue tasted every inch of her. When he got to the hem of her shorts, he didn’t want to move his hands from her silky skin, so he tugged at the button and zipper with his teeth.
She helped him by shimmying out of them. He moved up, leaving her in the prettiest pink lace panties. Her T-shirt rose until he couldn’t shift it up her body anymore. He tugged it off, leaving her in nothing but silk undergarments.
Making love to Dani wasn’t something he’d rush through. He wanted to savor every moment, so he started at the top and moved his way down, spending a lifetime on her breasts. Tasting. Tugging. Teasing. When she quivered beneath his touch, he moved on. After his second pass, she was naked, panting and squirming, and he was ready.
When he pulled away with his lips glistening with her arousal and the taste of her climax on his tongue, she lifted on shaky elbows. “That was amazing.”
He didn’t expect to push her over the edge so soon, but she was a powder keg ready to explode.
“It only gets better.” He gripped the hem of his shirt and pulled it over his head.
“You are so right.” She sat up and reached for him, her hands exploring his chest. A single finger traced his body from his breastbone to the trail of hair that disappeared beneath his jeans.
He popped the button, kicked off his shoes, and dropped his pants. All that stood between them was a pair of cotton briefs. When her hand slipped inside to grip him, not even that counted.
His knees went weak, and he fell to the bed. It was her turn to explore, and she was thorough. The way she touched him made him think she was memorizing every hill and valley.
“You’re so beautiful,” she said.
“I’m okay with that as long as you don’t stop touching me.” He rolled over and took the top, so his arms bracketed her shoulders, and his length hung heavily between her welcoming thighs.
“I never want to stop touching you.” To prove her point, she skimmed her palms over his chest again. “How am I supposed to get any work done when I know this,”—she lowered her hand and gripped him—“is just around the corner?”
He leaned down and kissed her. He hoped the kiss said it all. He wasn’t a caveman, but he wanted to pound his chest and claim her. He knew she was the one. She stirred feelings in him that had been dormant for years. Words like forever and marriage and babies didn’t sound scary when he thought of Dani. Did she want those things too? They had so much to talk about, but tonight wasn’t about words.
“I brought a condom.” He stared down at her waiting for her reaction.
“You thought it was a sure thing, huh?” Her hands gripped his hips as she moved beneath him.
The corners of his lips lifted into a smile. “I was hopeful.”
She laughed as she held him tighter. “You only brought one?”
“One inside the house, I didn’t want to seem overconfident. I have a super saver box on the front seat of my truck. I’m happy to wear one, but you should know I’ve never gone without. Never. You do something to me that makes me want to break my rules.”
Her thighs fell open, and she tugged his hips forward. Inch by inch he worked his way to bliss.
“Damn it,” he groaned.
She stiffened beneath him. “What? Did I do something wrong?”
“Dani, you did everything right. I’m ruined for all other women.”
She relaxed, and a smile as bright as the north star lit up her face. “Be careful with my heart, James. I could fall for you.”
He pushed deep inside her. “Baby, you’re already behind because I fell for you weeks ago.
”
“But we only met weeks ago.”
He moved inside her. “That’s when I tumbled.”
He was relentless in the pace and pressure. Her entire body shook as her climax approached. When he finished making love to her, he wanted her to melt into the sheets from exhaustion. He knew when she was close because tiny tremors pulsed against him. Her core tightened like a velvet fist before she exploded around him. He’d never felt anything like it. Sex had always been good, but it had never been like this. Tonight was life-changing. It wouldn’t take much to fall completely in love with Dani Morgan. He was more than halfway there already.
Chapter 17
Danielle
The morning sun peeked through the curtain to spotlight the half-empty jar of chocolate. Trish knew her desserts.
Danielle laid on her side and watched James sleep. He was exhausted from the workout they had the night before.
Never in her life had anyone done the things he did to her. Every muscle in her body ached from pleasure. She wanted to reach out and touch him to make sure this wasn’t a dream—that the beautiful man in front of her was real.
“I can hear you thinking,” he whispered. The slow burn of his voice moved through her.
She inched closer and wrapped a leg over his hip. “Not thinking, just admiring.”
He opened his eyes, and she fell into their depths. The rich brown with speckles of gold dust and topaz pulled her deeper.
“You’re beautiful. Everything about you,” he said.
“Are you trying to flatter me to get in my pants?”
He set his palm on her hip and tugged her closer. Close enough to feel his morning arousal against her. “You’re not wearing any pants.”
“You’re right.” Never had she felt so comfortable asking for what she wanted, but with James, everything was different. He made it all so easy. “Care to have a quickie?”
He rolled over, so he was on top of her and nuzzled into her neck. “I don’t do quick.”
“But we have to be at the flea market soon.”
He ran his tongue over her collarbone. His touch was electric.
“We’re going to be late.”
A Tablespoon of Temptation (A Recipe for Love Novel Book 1) Page 13
