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"I do, but there are other desserts I also like."
She shook her head at the wicked look in his eyes.
"Mommy, I'm done," Leo declared, drawing her attention back to him.
She looked at his plate. The fruit was gone, and he'd eaten a little more pasta. "Okay, take your plate to the kitchen and then you can play for a few minutes while we finish eating."
As soon as Leo vanished down the hall, Decker leaned across the table to kiss her. It was so sweet and far too short. He gave her a smile. "I'd like to have you for dessert."
"You have to be careful," she said with a warning smile. "Leo is always listening and then he repeats things to whoever will listen."
He cocked his head to the right as he gave her a speculative look. "Are you trying to hide what's going on with us? Because your friends seem to be on board. Even Hannah, who frankly scares me a little."
"She scares a lot of people. I'm not trying to hide anything. I just need to be careful where Leo is concerned. I don't want to confuse him. Right now, he thinks you're a great friend of ours, and that seems like a good place for us to be."
She knew she was taking a risk getting involved with Decker. She could get hurt. So could Leo. But not getting involved with him would also hurt. So, she was going to stay on this ride for a while longer.
"Chloe?" Decker said, bringing her gaze back to his. "Where did you go?"
"I was just thinking. I should get the ice cream out." She got to her feet and moved to the freezer. "I have chocolate and vanilla. You can pick one or have both."
As she set the cartons on the counter, Decker was right in front of her, giving her a serious look.
"You need to tell me what you were thinking about Chloe, because a dark cloud came into your eyes."
"It was nothing. Let's just make sundaes and enjoy the evening. I really like spending time with you, and we haven't had much of that this week."
"I feel the same."
"Good. So vanilla or chocolate?"
"Both."
She handed him the ice cream scooper. "You scoop. I'll heat up the fudge."
An hour later, after sundaes, two imaginary games that Leo created for all of them to play, and a couple of bedtime stories, Chloe put Leo to bed and returned to the living room. She was surprised to find Decker sprawled on the couch, his eyes closed.
She smiled to herself as she just let herself look at him, remembering the feel of his hands on her skin, the taste of his mouth, the way his body had moved in hers. Shivers ran down her spine at the memories. It had all just flowed between them. They'd been in sync, able to sense what the other person needed. It hadn't been too serious, either. There had been a lot of light moments, a lot of laughing along with everything else.
She sat down next to him on the couch, and he stirred, his beautiful green eyes suddenly looking back at her.
He straightened. "Did I fall asleep?"
"You did. Maybe you should go home. You're clearly tired."
"I don't want to go home. But I wouldn't mind going to bed."
She licked her lips as his gaze darkened. "I wouldn't mind that, either, but you can't stay all night. You can't be here in the morning."
"We have a lot of time before the morning." He took her hand and gave it a squeeze. "I don't want you to be uncomfortable. This is your house, Leo's house, and if it doesn't feel right—"
She cut him off by putting her fingers against his lips. "It feels incredibly right," she whispered, removing her fingers to press her mouth against his.
When their kiss ended, she rose, taking his hand and leading him into her bedroom. She closed the door and drew in a breath, suddenly feeling nervous. She'd never slept with anyone else in this room but Kevin. The brief relationships she'd had since her divorce had happened elsewhere.
But since the divorce, she'd made the room her own. There was no sign of Kevin or their past life in any of the décor or the bedding. She'd even bought a new bed. But bringing Decker in here made her feel like she was really moving on.
"Chloe? You're thinking again," Decker said. "If you don't want this…"
