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He shrugged. “Probably sappy. But, hey, Friday’s Valentine’s Day. Every guy ought to dig down and discover a little bit of romance in his soul for Valentine’s Day. Even if it’s just delivering something sweet wrapped up in a red satin bow.”
“You obviously didn’t have to dig too far. Thank you, Joe. No man ever went to this much trouble for me before. My typical Valentine’s Day involves sticky little fingers stuck to red construction paper hearts, not red satin.”
He chuckled, then met her eye steadily. “And I bet you keep every one of them, don’t you?”
She answered with a slow nod. “In a box in my closet.”
He seemed to like her answer. She held her breath as he reached out to touch her cheek, scraping the back of his finger from her hairline to her jaw in a caress so tender it made her sigh. She somehow resisted the urge to turn her face, to taste the tip of his finger, to press a hot kiss in his palm.
“You’re special, Meg.”
She shrugged, reaching for her glass and sipping from it, trying to busy herself so she wouldn’t throw her arms around his neck. “No, just sentimental.”
“I like that about you.”
“I warn you,” she returned, “I cry buckets at movies.”
He nodded and earnestly replied, “I cried when Dumbo’s mother got locked up.”
She rolled her eyes. “Everybody cried when Dumbo’s mother got locked up. Besides, when did you see it? Twenty years ago?”
“Last Christmas,” he replied, deadpan.
She lightly smacked his shoulder. “Smarty-pants.”
“I’m serious. I bought it for my new baby godson. I’m starting him a Disney collection.”
“You really cried?”
“Well, okay, maybe not real tears. But, man, it came close when my sister-in-law came in to tell us dinner was ready, and that she’d made the turkey.”
She snorted.
“She is the world’s worst cook. I think even my brother Mark, the cop, cried then. And that started a fight because Nick, the marine, noticed and gave him crap about it. My mother came after them with a wooden spoon when they started yelling and woke up the baby.”
“Aha!” She shook her index finger at him accusingly. “So, the baby was asleep while you were watching Dumbo?”
He stared, obviously realizing he’d just been nailed. “Damn, you’re quick. I’ll have to remember that.”
They both laughed as he poured them each more wine. He served Meg some bread, torn fresh off the loaf. Falling into the same easy sense of companionship they’d felt the night before in his truck, they spent another hour laughing, whispering, sharing cheese and grapes, and watching the stars come out above. At one point, when he tried to show her one of the constellations, Joe moved closer, sitting behind her on the blanket. It was the most natural thing in the world to scoot back between his parted legs, leaning back against his hard chest as he whispered in her ear and pointed up to Orion’s belt.
Frankly, Meg couldn’t care less about any belts except the one pressing against the small of her back. Somehow, the wine had made her lethargic and restless at the same time. She stretched against him, tilting her head to the side to put it on his shoulder. “This has been a wonderful evening,” she said, whispering the words close to the bare, warm skin of his neck.
She saw him swallow, hard. Then he said, “Maybe I should get you home. We were out pretty late last night.”
She closed her eyes. “I’m fine.” Wriggling closer, she hid a languorous smile at the feel of his jeans against her backside. He was very fine, too. And obviously very aware of their closeness, if that hard ridge in the crotch of his pants was any indication.
“Meg...”
His voice was gravelly and thick with something she didn’t quite recognize. She turned to face him and when she saw the way his eyes darkened as he stared down at her—their faces inches apart, their mouths so close they shared the same breaths—she suspected it might be exactly what she was feeling.
Heat. Desire. Pure need combined with budding emotion.
“Yes, Joe?”
“Did I tell you you look beautiful tonight?” he whispered as he cupped her waist.
She shook her head, licking her lips. “Did I tell you if you don’t kiss me soon I might just open the door and throw myself off that balcony?”
