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"I had a big imagination, too, and growing up here we made up a lot of games, especially Hannah, Gianna, Keira, and myself. A lot of those games reflected what we'd later do in life. Keira was always wanting to make costumes, and she's now a fashion designer. Hannah liked to be the doctor or the nurse, and she works in the ER at the hospital. Gianna and I were not quite so focused. She liked to draw and make things, which carried into her art, but she also liked to play sports and climb trees."
"What about you?" he asked, as she dealt the cards.
"I liked to be the mom or the teacher, something involving kids. I sometimes played restaurant, but that was a later interest."
"What about sports?"
"I was good at softball. Soccer was a little too much running for me," she said with a smile. "I liked books, too. I was a voracious reader. Going to the library was one of my favorite outings. I think that's why I'm so fascinated by your life, because I had to travel through books."
"One day, you'll change that."
"Maybe. It's easy to think about making changes and never doing them."
"That's true. We can get stuck in ruts, even if we don't know we're in them."
"There's comfort in predictability," she agreed. "Anyway, let's play."
"You're on."
For the next two hours, they played game after game. She won a little less than half of them, because Decker was very good, especially when they moved from gin to golf and then to blackjack. They talked about anything and everything while they played. It was fun and easy and just what she needed to take her mind off her birthday.
Around eleven, they called it quits. She got up and walked Decker to the door, a little sorry to see him go, but knowing her early morning would be there before she knew it.
"Thanks again for my cupcake," she said, as he put on his jacket. "And the card games. They were fun. Much better than the horror movies."
"I'll say. And everyone deserves a cake on their birthday. My new favorite flavor is now lemon with vanilla frosting."
"It's the best." As she looked into his warm, green eyes, she felt heat wash over her, and the pull of an attraction she couldn't seem to fight. "Thank you for making my night a lot better than it started out to be."
"You're more than welcome."
He looked like he wanted to say more, and her pulse raced at the look in his eyes.
"I should go," he finally muttered.
"That wasn't what you were going to say, was it?" she asked, their gazes clinging together, the attraction between them suddenly sizzling.
"No. I was going to say there's something else besides cake that everyone should have on their birthday."
"What's that?" she asked, feeling breathless from his provocative look.
"This," he said. He cupped the back of her head with his hand and kissed her.
Her heart jumped against her chest as his mouth covered hers, sending her blood racing through her veins. An intense wave of desire ran through her as she leaned in, and he took the kiss deeper.
When Decker lifted his head, she pulled him back. "One more," she whispered.
Decker obliged, and as she moved against his hard body, she had a feeling that one more wasn't going to be nearly enough. But she had to stop.Didn't she?
Decker answered her silent question by pulling away, his breath as ragged as hers.
He gave her a long look, filled with a mix of emotions. "I shouldn't have done that," he said. "You're with Joel."
The same guilt she now saw in his eyes washed over her. "It was just a birthday kiss. That’s all it was."
"And all it will be," he said firmly. "I'll see you later."
She nodded, giving him a tense smile as he walked out the door. She closed it behind him and leaned against it, still feeling a little dizzy from their impulsive kisses.
