She rushed him and grabbed him by the lapels. “Don’t mess with me, Kyle.”
“Check the freezer,” he said, laying his hands over hers.
The contact of his skin touching hers sent a bolt of desire through her. She grabbed the back of his head and gave him the most heartfelt, sultry kiss of her life. Then she dashed for the ice cream. When she opened the door, she could feel a giddy smile spreading across her face. There it was. Her three favorite flavors:
Café con Lechewith vanilla, espresso, and fudge.
Mantecadoin all its cinnamon-laced Cuban vanilla magnificence.
And finally,Abuela María, which included the mostawesome blend of flavors ever—guava, cream cheese, andMariacookies mixed with vanilla ice cream.
She grabbed theMantecadofirst and pressed it to her chest as she closed the door and whirled around, treasuring the coldness against the heat in her heart. “You got five cartons of each.”
He was standing only a couple feet away, looking much too tempting. “I figured I was already paying for them to get here fast. Seemed economical.”
Like hell. “I must have been a really good girl this year.” She didn’t care if her voice sounded breathy. “This is the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me.”
His throat moved, and his smile faded. “I’m glad, but damn if it doesn’t rip my guts out a little too. Mad, these gestures are nothing. Just some comfort food from home, your personal little care package.”
She lifted her hand to cup his jaw. “It’s not nothing, and you know it. Kyle…”
Say the words.She knew there was no better time. Her heart was pushing against her chest, so big it could not be contained.
“I love you,” she said softly.
His blue eyes gleamed as he brought her against his chest. “You said it. God, I didn’t expect that.”
“Remember it when I’m messing up and get weird again.”
He traced her cheekbone, his gaze filling with a tenderness that stole her breath. “I love you too. I’ve never imagined loving anyone like you.”
She coughed out a laugh. “I know! Who could have imagined it, right?”
“No…” He cupped her entire face in his hands. “That’s not what I meant. I mean… I love you more than I ever thought I was capable of. I used to think a dog would help me express all the warmer emotion I had to give, but neither my mother nor Paisley wanted to have one because of pet fur. Funny, right?”
Hearing it was kind of sad actually.
“Madison, you’ve shown me how big my heart can be. Do you have any idea how incredible that is?”
“Were you… Did you think you were somehow deficient in the love area?”
He rested his forehead against hers. “Maybe. Yeah. There were a lot of times growing up that I wondered if something was wrong with me. I didn’t exactly love my family.”
“Me either,” she confessed, reaching up to caress his nape in comfort. “That doesn’t make us bad people. I mean, I love our friends here. Dean barged into Nanine’s tonight and piled up a plate like we were a buffet. I wasn’t even tempted to kick him out or anything. If that’s not love…”
His laugh was reassuring, but she was still hung up on what he’d said about doubting himself. Very unlike him.
Clearing her throat, she said, “Would you like to try the ice cream? I can guarantee it will make you feel better.”
He drew back. “Mad, how could you ever imagine I wasn’t feeling on top of the world right now? I feel like I’ve been waiting my whole life for this moment.”
She knew she had to make another confession. “So do I.”
He held up his wrist and slid back his suit sleeve in the most tantalizing of ways, showing her his watch. “It’s after 12:01 a.m. I thought it might be easier to slide into our first date.”
Tapping his watch face, she cocked a brow. “I thought the setup seemed a little date-like.”
“How are you feeling about things?” he asked huskily, sliding closer and fitting his hand around her waist.
