Page 37 of Secret Sins

"Only her, actually. The guy—uh, Doug—came out to talk with Ellie and Alex, but we weren't formally introduced."

"Doug's mother's side of the family is Italian. That's where the recipes come from, and why everything is so close to authentic."

"The tiramisu was delicious." As he spoke, Van removed cash from his wallet and counted it out to cover the bill and a tip.

But all I could focus on was his mouth when he said the word delicious. "Yes, it sure is."

He rose from the table, holding his hand out. "Care to join me?"

My mouth had dried up. "Where to?"

Our palms connected, smooth and warm. The skin contact was a comfort, but his body heat cranked up my longing for more.

"A walk back to my place. Or to yours," he added quickly.

"Mama would see us if we went back to my place, and then I'd never hear the end of it." Hell, I was unlikely to hear it until the end of time, anyway.

"As long as you don't mind me walking Heidi as soon as we get back, then my place is great."

Of course, I didn't mind, and Heidi was happy to see us. It was pleasant to walk off our meal in the sunshine, feeling the way the recent rain had held off the humidity.

"I'm closed on Sundays." I don't know why I said it . . . okay, yes, I knew.

"Are you?"

His tone was mild, his focus on Heidi and the squirrel she'd faced down. It was humorous how she could get so crazy over wildlife when she was otherwise very well-trained.

"Yep."

"Mm."

Jesus, I needed to speak what was on my mind. Otherwise, I'd combust. "I would love to spend the day with you."

That got his attention. He looked right at me, and I felt my cheeks heat. "Uh, you would?"

"Yes."

"I'm, uh, I have to be at work at four on Monday morning."

"Okay." My heart thundered so fast, I thought it would burst out of my chest. "That won't be a problem."

"So, you're saying the rest of today and all day tomorrow?"

Why did he sound so hesitant? "Only if you want to."

The hand he'd kept by his side now reached out to hold mine. "It's more a question of whether that's what you truly want. Knowing the consequences."

"I wouldn't have asked otherwise."

Maybe I was putting his faith to the test. Maybe his resistance was waning, and that was a good thing. But it felt as though the last remaining doubts clung to him like barnacles on an old boat. I'd tried my best to scrape away at his hesitancy, so it was now or never.

The molten sapphire in his eyes stared straight into my soul, and I bit back a moan. "This might sound out of left field, but, um." Van inhaled deeply. "I got tested after my release."

He got . . . oh. "That's important."

"But if you want." Here, he paused, his face flaming. "I'll go to QuikStop so you don't have to start a fresh wave of gossip."

Oh, this man. "See, I knew I'd made the right decision, but here you are solidifying that for me." Bumping into each other as we walked close together down the street, I wrapped my arm up in his to cling as tightly as possible. "But you and I are already the subject of plenty of gossip, Van."