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She threw her head back and laughed, drawing stares and smiles from the women at the nearby booth. “I can’t deny the truth of that, I guess.” Blond waves fell around her shoulders as she shook her head at me, an affectionate look lighting up her beautiful face. “Come on, Romeo, I smell cider somewhere.”
I didn’t hesitate to grab the hand she reached out to me, threading our fingers together so we could continue through the fair. Hand in hand. “Cider? I smell cinnamon and butter and sugar, which sounds like lunch to me.”
“Do you think of anything other than food?”
“One or two things,” I told her with a flirtatious smile. “I’ll tell you about them later. Over dinner.” I had a weekend of romance planned and this little fair had filled an otherwise empty afternoon.
“Dinner? Whatever will I wear?” Her question came out innocent enough and for a brief moment I reconsidered the eight o’clock reservations at the fancy French restaurant on the edge of town., in favor of more of her silky dinner attire.
“I’ll check with the restaurant to check their dress code.”
She stopped mid-stride and turned to me, a question burning in her big brown eyes. “Restaurant?”
I nodded. “How do you feel about French food,” I asked even though I knew she loved it, and not just because I’d been the guinea pig for more than a dozen of her failed attempts at French cooking.
“You know I love to eat it, but it’s my nemesis in the kitchen.” She scowled and turned away to place an order for cider and pastries. “French, really?”
“Yep. Apparently, the restaurant is owned by a well-known French chef who followed a woman to this part of Texas and never looked back.”
Sophie sighed and a wistful smile crossed her face. “That’s so sweet.” She was a romantic at heart, my Sophie, but she fought it so damn hard and it was all thanks to her uptight parents and piss-poor excuse for siblings.
“I knew you’d think so.” A day like today where we could just be Sophie and Stone out on the streets, except we could hold hands and kiss publicly. No more hiding. “This is nice, don’t you think? Being out together like this?”
“It is,” she agreed and took a long sip of cider to buy herself some time. “But there’s something to be said about keeping things between us too, don’t you think?”
“Nope.” I didn’t want to fight with her when our morning had gone so well and the afternoon was shaping up to be even better, but I wouldn’t lie to her. Not ever. “I’d like to be able to take you for dinner in Pilgrim, but I understand that you’re not ready for that yet.” I also knew that if I didn’t push, she would keep us a secret forever.
“Stone.”
“I said I understood, Soph, not that I agreed with you.”
“It would be easier if you just agreed with me,” she said with a sexy pout of her lips.
“Well, you can always try to convince me to agree with you. I’m open to changing my mind.” I would never be okay with being a secret and lying to our friends, but I wanted her to get comfortable with the idea of us. With me holding her hand in front of other people, and I wanted her to feel free to put her luscious lips to mine any time she felt like it.
This weekend was the beginning of all that.
I hoped.
Sophie nodded and a slow smile spread across her face. Her tongue peeked out and slid across her bottom lip, leaving it glistening and tempting. “Are you now?” I nodded and her gaze darkened, intensified as it filled with heat. “How about we make our way back to the B&B? We have a few hours before dinner, right?”
I nodded, wordlessly, and grinned. “It’s not even three yet. We have plenty of time. Plenty,” I told her and dragged the word out so there was no doubt where my mind was at the moment.
“Good to know,” she said, her words breathless. “I have the perfect outfit to help me make my argument.”
I tossed the empty cider cups and the cardboard boxes that only held sugary crumbs, and grabbed Sophie’s hand in mine, practically dragging her the few blocks back to Lazy Suzan’s. “Lace or silk?”
“What?”
I didn’t slow down but I did repeat the question. “This out of yours, is it lace or is it silk?”
Her laughter was playful and melodic as we climbed the wooden steps to the front of the B&B. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”
“Soph,” I growled and she laughed again.
“You surprised me with this incredible weekend Stone and I appreciate it, so much that I think I’ll surprise you with this one small thing. If you can handle it.”
“I can’t,” I told her as we climbed the stairs, making it to our room in record time. “I absolutely need to know. Now.”
