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Smiling, she cut and plated a generous slice, then scooped a healthy spoonful and held it up to Joe. “Try this.”
His lips enclosed the spoon, and in that moment, she would have given just about anything to be that little utensil.
He closed his eyes and moaned. “Pardon the French, Rox,” he mumbled with his mouth full. “But holy shit, that’s fucking amazing.”
Her answering grin was part culinary satisfaction and part female pleasure at seeing such a fine male specimen blissed out. “It’s my latest creation. Death by Chocolate. You approve?”
“Oh hell yeah. It’s like a freaking party in your mouth. What’s in it?” His brows knit together in worry. “Or do I want to know? I have a feeling I’m probably going to have to run an extra mile or two tomorrow.”
“It’s notthatbad.” She wrinkled her nose. “Well... seeing as we’re going to eat this whole thing tonight... yeah, we should probably add in a few more miles.”
Her newest concoction was a decadent chocolate dessert—hence the name. But it was flourless, so it couldn’t be too terrible for you, right? Never mind the full pound of butter and full pound of Belgian dark chocolate, or the sweet and tart raspberry sauce drizzled on top.
In fact, the way Roxie saw it, Death by Chocolate was practically a health food. Dark chocolate was good for your heart—thank you, antioxidants—and raspberries were fruit and fruit was good for you in general. At the very least, it was a not-completely-horrible-for-you dessert choice. It was all about balance.
Oh, and it was a dessert that went best with a nice glass of red wine—which was made from grapes, and grapes equaled fruit. Ergo, balance.
Joe topped off her glass and took a lengthy swallow. She arched a brow at him.
“Sorry. I assumed you were sharing.”
The corner of her lips twitched, and she nodded.
Without delay, he took another sip of wine and snagged the spoon from her hand, then downed another bite. “Damn, it’s even better with wine.”
Her smile turned smug.See. Balance.
Joe held out a spoonful for her. Accepting the bite, she closed her eyes, allowing the rich, savory chocolate to dance on her taste buds.
“Holy crap, sometimes I even amaze myself.”
“Damn, baby.”
She looked at him in question. “What?”
Joe shook his head. “I thought the dessert was good, but watching you eat it may be even better.”
“Really?” Taking the spoon from his hands, she scooped a large bite and held it to his lips. “That’s funny, because I think watchingyoueat this is doing wonders for keeping my mind off the creepy aspects of today.”
Mouth full of chocolate, he moaned again. “Damn, that’s good. Seriously, I’ll be a distraction for you anytime. You need a guinea pig for new recipes? I’m your man.”
Her heart squeezed.Yes. Yes, you are.
Roxie cleared her throat. “Speaking of distractions, is your offer for a back rub still on the table?”
“Always.” A sly smile lifted his lips. “Did you know that ninety percent of back rubs end in sex? Statistically speaking, of course.”
She bit her bottom lip to suppress a chuckle. “Is that so?”
“Hey, that’s just what I heard. So, if we play our cards right, the back rub may literally end up on the table. Or this counter.” He wagged his eyebrows, slapping the kitchen island. “You game?”
“For the back rub, most definitely. For the rest?” She pursed her lips and tapped her chin. “My brain’s a little preoccupied tonight. I might need some convincing... and probably a softer surface.”
He laughed and plucked the spoon from her hand, then tossed it onto the counter. “Challenge accepted, baby.”
CHAPTERTWENTY-ONE
While the temperature was still brisk—it was January, after all—the gray gloom of winter in the Pacific Northwest was noticeably absent. If the Saturday afternoon crowd filling Comfort Food was any indication, the ferry dock was extra busy today. Rare bluebird skies usually led to tourists pouring onto Hudson Island.
