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“Helping,” he said.
“Sit. You’re my guest. Besides, you’re tired.”
“And you’re not?” he asked.
I hadn’t slept much either last night, but for different reasons. I had tossed and turned all night with the anticipation of seeing him again. All I could think about was how our kiss at the carnival had stayed with me all these years as a cherished memory. One that I had told myself it was time to forget. But the more I saw him, I knew that not only did I want to remember that kiss, I wanted more of them.
But I couldn’t help but worry that like my lasagna, it wouldn’t, it wouldn’t be as good as it was in the past.
My hands trembled and I almost dropped the dish. He reached out quickly and grabbed it from me.
“Maybe you should sit, and I clear the table,” he suggested, then placed the dirty dishes on the counter beside the sink. He turned and said, “But I’ll warn you now, I don’t wash dishes” At first I thought he was serious, then he gave me a playful wink.
I picked up a few more dirty dishes and handed them to him. “How do you feel about drying them?” I teased back.
“Maybe we can talk about it after dessert,” he said.
“Or I can just put them all in the dishwasher and we go sit on the deck and enjoy the night instead,” I suggested.
“That sounds nice.”
I had no intention of scrapping the dishes and loading the dishwasher right now. He watched as I scooped out the pudding and placed them in bowls. Then I grabbed some whipped cream and topped them.
“Wait. One more please,” he said. “I have a sweet tooth.”
“I do too. Just I’ll have to hit the treadmill twice tonight if I indulge,” I said, only adding more to his bowl.
When I handed it to him, he said, “You don’t look like you need to worry about it.” I could feel his eyes roaming over me, and I blushed. “I didn’t mean to embarrass you. I’m just telling you the truth. Then again, you’re a beautiful woman, and I’m sure you hear that a lot.”
Like, never.
Smiling, I said, “I guess I wasn’t expecting it from you.”
“Why? Do you think there’s something wrong with my sight?” he joked.
“No, just your tastebuds, since you thought dinner was fine,” I said, avoiding the focus on me again.
He wasn’t dropping it this time. “I’m serious Danielle. When I compliment you, you…pull away from me. I can’t figure out whether you like me or not.”
“I like you. It’s just that…I can’t stop thinking about what happened before. I guess it gets in my way of enjoying the here and now,” I admitted.
“You mean that kiss?” he asked. I nodded.
Robert took my bowl from me and placed both of our desserts on the table. “There’s one way to resolve this.”
“How?” I asked.
He cupped my face and when his lips touched mine, the magic all came back. I felt like I was eighteen again and didn’t have a care in the world.
I wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him closer to me. He dropped his hands, ran them down my back and grabbed my ass, lifting me up into his strong arms.
It would be so easy to let down all my walls and fulfill some of my fantasies, and it probably would be amazing. But outside of kissing a stranger on a dare, I’m not one who ever rushed into things.
Don’t think, just feel.
I’d deal with tomorrow when it comes. Tonight, being in his arms was where I wanted to be.
I opened my mouth and coaxed him to do the same and a low growl escaped his lips and into my mouth. A new flood of need rushed through me, but before my tongue could explore, he pulled back and loosened his hold on me.
