I nod, running my fingers over her side. The fabric is a thin linen that feels so soft under my fingers, but it’s the skin underneath I wish I were touching. Standing this close, I can feel the always simmering tension between us reaching a boiling point. I bring my other hand to her neck, rubbing the pad of my thumb over the soft skin of her cheek.
“Yes.They—the RRR. The romance, roses, and restaurant industrial complex.”
Her brow arches and she tilts her head. “The what now?”
“It’s a closely guarded secret, but a bottle of wine, some chocolates, and sexbeforedinner really takes the edge off and makes for an infinitely better date. Stuffing your face over a big dinner might be good formybusiness, but being too full to have any fun is not my ideal date.”
Her finger traces over my collarbone and the neckline of my shirt making my mouth go dry. I want her to be touching me much further south, but I’m also having too much fun talking with her.
She lets out a contemplative hum and her eyes track her fingers that are still dancing over my neck. “Interesting theory. Why am I just now hearing about this?”
Her eyes meet mine and she smirks, which scrunches her nose and it’s impossibly adorable. I’m this close to getting completely lost in her eyes again. The way they bore into me makes me forget every other bit of drama I’ve dealt with this afternoon. I could stay on this balcony with her, breathing in the crisp mountain air, and be perfectly content.
“What aren’t you getting? The whole roses and restaurant industrial complex would collapse if people knew this. I’ll probably be kicked out just for telling you the trade secret.”
She giggles and slaps my chest. “You’re seriously a dork. You know that, right?”
My shoulder rises and falls in a one sided shrug. “Maybe I’m just comfortable around you.”
She nods and hums to herself. “Me too.”
She stands up on her toes and gives me a quick kiss before grinning at me mischievously. “Now, why don’t you tell me more about thisfun before the datetheory?”
CHAPTER 27
KELSEY
“I don’t thinkI need to explain it to you,” Sutton says with a lazy smirk. “Looks like you already figured it out on your own.”
His eyes drift down and mine follow. I didn’t even realize it, but I’ve been inching closer to him. His thigh is now between mine, pushing up the hem of my dress.
“Oh.” I start to step back as a reflex but his hand tightens on my ribs.
He shakes his head and grins. “No. Just keep going. As perfect as that dress looks on you, I like seeing it ride up your thighs even more.”
I do what he says and take a step forward, erasing the distance between us and pressing his thigh against my core. I can feel his worn jeans brush against the bare skin of my inner thighs, pricking the hair on the back of my neck. “Well, you ruined my favorite dress.”
He flashes his charming smile that reveals his dimples. That smile makes my heart skip a beat. I almost didn’t come tonight because the news about my rent yesterday put me in a funk. But after seeing him, I know I made the right decision. Ineed something good to focus on, and the way he smiles at me makes it impossible to think about anything else.
“You know it was worth it,” he rasps in that deep voice that feels like a soothing balm to my nerves, and I can’t argue.
I’ve had to swallow a moan—on more than one occasion—when the taste of my coffee reminded me of his dessert theatrics the other night.
“Fair enough.” My voice is breathy and I feel my knees buckle from how much I want him right now.
“Besides, I already told you I’d fix it.” He tilts his head toward the table just inside and sure enough, my dress is sitting on top of it, neatly folded. Even from the balcony, I can see the buttons are reattached.
My eyes roll back. “Show off. Aren’t we going to be late for our table?”
That charming smile morphs into something hungry and demanding. “First, I don’t care. What’s the point of being a chef and running my own restaurant if I can’t use it to impress the beautiful woman that’s finally giving me a chance?”
That admission seems so casual, but it makes the butterflies in my stomach do acrobatics again. I still don’t get what I ever did that makes him want me, but I also know that I need to start accepting that maybe good things can happen if I stop getting in my own way.
He leans forward and his thigh puts more pressure on my core. His eyes smolder when he drops his hand to my waist. With the look he’s giving me, I know my panties are definitely wet now and probably his thigh too.
“Second, you know I have a sweet tooth. Dessert comes first, just like my date’s about to.”
He cranes his neck and his lips crash to mine. I gasp and he rewards me, plunging his tongue into my mouth. I pull back and look into his lust-filled eyes.