What could she do but curtsey? “Thank you, kind sir.” Already charmed beyond measure, she eased onto the stool. “Something smells awesome.” She had no idea what the food was, but the aroma of spices and garlic had her mouth watering.
“That’s dinner.” He picked up a glass of wine she hadn’t noticed and came around the counter, taking a seat next to her. “To a beautiful evening with a beautiful woman,” he said as he held up his glass.
“Thank you for this.” She touched her glass to his before taking a sip of the wine, savoring the fruity flavor of the pinot grigio on her tongue. The dim lighting in the kitchen cast a cozy glow over everything, making it seem as if they were in their own little world.
“If I kissed you now, would you taste like apples and spices?”
“You could kiss me and see.”Please kiss me.
He set down his glass and leaned in, his lips a whisper away from hers, his breath warm on her skin. She couldn’t move, barely breathed, waiting to feel his mouth on hers. Finally, he closed the distance between them. His lips were soft against hers, and the taste of wine lingering on them blended with the sweetness of her own. It was as if a spark ignited a flame, filling her with a warmth that spread to every corner of her being.
Lost in this little world of theirs, she didn’t know how long they kissed. Probably only minutes, but if you told her it was days, she would smile dreamily and murmur in agreement. No man had ever kissed her so tenderly, yet so passionately.
When he pulled away, she opened her eyes to find him gazing at her intently, his eyes dark with desire and need. For her. Shereached out to touch his face, tracing the line of his jaw with her fingertips. “I never knew adult evenings could be so… .”
“Sexy with the hottest man you’ve ever known?”
He waggled his eyebrows, making her laugh. “Well, I was going to sayenchanting, but sure, let’s go with that.” He was adorable. She picked up a grape and held it out. When he caught her fingers between his lips, looking at her with so much heat that she thought she might melt, she couldn’t stop the moan bubbling up from her throat.
A wicked smile tilted his lips as he sucked the grape from her fingers. “Something you should know about me, Kens.”
Kens.She really liked him calling her that. “What’s that?”
“Just this. In order for a mission to be successful, one must plan down to the last detail. I’m a great planner because the end game is always for success. I have a very detailed plan for tonight, and it’s taking all my willpower to stick to the plan and not toss you over my shoulder and carry you to my bed.”
Pfff. Who needed a plan anyway?
“But I’m not going to do that.”
Well, that was disappointing.
“You want to know why?”
She nodded.
“Because tonight is for you.” He danced his fingertips across her shoulders, nothing more than a feathery touch, but she felt that touch down to her very core. “If we successfully stick to my plan, the reward will be amazing. And I want you to have someamazingin your life.” He picked up her glass and handed it to her. “Let’s enjoy our wine and get to know each other a little better. Okay?”
“Okay,” she said, the only word she was capable of after that, and yes, a thousand times yes, she wanted thatamazinghe was promising.
They fed each other cheeses and grapes, sipped their wine, and their conversation flowed effortlessly, weaving between topics both lighthearted and profound. He told her about his baseball coach, a man who’d mentored him, helped him to see that if he worked for it, he could make something of his life. She learned that he was a reader, his preferred genre thrillers, espionage and military histories. She loved it when he admitted he secretly read military romances. His favorite color was red, and his favorite TV show wasYellowstone.
“I’m sorry, but those are the most unhappy people ever. I tried watching it after everyone raved about the show, but I just can’t deal with them. And that Beth woman. She’s over the top.” She rolled her eyes.
He chuckled. “She is something else.” He refilled their wineglasses, then pushed to his feet and picked up the almost empty appetizer plate. “Step two of my plan commencing.”
“Can I help?”
“No, you may not.” He dropped a kiss on the corner of her eye. “Tonight is for you. Move over to the dining room table.” He grinned. “Please.”
He’d listened to her when she’d told him her imagined perfect night, and he couldn’t know what that meant to her.
Chapter 19
Cooper had prepared the Tuscan chicken pasta while Kendall was in the bath, and he pulled the fancy casserole dish he’d bought this morning out of the oven.
“Whatever that is, it smells amazing,” she said.
He set the dish in front of her. “Tuscan chicken pasta, made especially for the lady.”