Mac had ordered the lobster for himself and suggested she try the shrimp. She speared a juicy morsel on her fork and leaned over to offer it to him. With eyes smoldering, he opened his lips and allowed her to feed him. He closed his teeth on her fork, pulling it playfully before releasing it. When he offered her a bite of his lobster, she made a show of taking the morsel and then flicking her tongue against his fork before releasing it. His eyes were riveted on her mouth as she swallowed the bite. “I’m going to visit with Ella and the baby tomorrow night. Would you like to go with me?” she asked as he finally returned his attention back to his plate.
Nodding in agreement, he said, “Yeah, I’d like that. Declan says that they haven’t slept in days. Maybe you and I could manage to hold the fort down while they take a nap. Do you know anything about babies?”
Alarmed, Ava shook her head frantically. “The only thing I know is that you’re supposed to give them back immediately if they start crying or smelling funny.”
Mac chuckled. “Yeah, that’s been my experience too. Aren’t they supposed to mostly sleep at first, though?”
“I have no idea,” Ava admitted. “Maybe we should Google it.”
Taking a sip of his wine, Mac said, “Here’s what we’ll do. If the baby is asleep, and I mean really out of it, we offer to give them an hour to sleep. If she’s awake or sleeping, but restless, then we keep our mouths shut. I feel bad about it, but they’d probably rather lose some sleep than have us mess the kid up.”
Beaming her approval at Mac’s logic, Ava agreed with him. “That’s a good idea. We also need to find out how much mileage she has on the diaper she’s wearing first. If the time’s almost up and she’s due for a change, then she might suddenly wake up freaking out.”
“And the milk thing,” Mac added, “don’t forget that. They suddenly start raising holy hell when it’s time to eat again. Shit, there’s a lot to consider here, isn’t there?”
“Maybe I could make a checklist before we go in?” Ava suggested. “That way we don’t forget anything. We could get in there, get scared, and forget to ask some important questions.”
Mac lifted a hand, clicking his finger at her. “Good idea, baby. We’re likely to freeze up under pressure. Let’s go through the whole list in the car right before we go in. That way we’ll at least remember to cover the important points. And there’s no shame in just backing down if we’re not sure, agreed?”
Ava raised her glass and clicked it against his. “Absolutely. Sounds like a plan.” Having finished her meal, she let her hand return to his thigh. She knew she shouldn’t, as she’d never done anything like it before, but she couldn’t resist. In a way, this was like a sexual milestone, and she wanted to reach it. Her hand moved upward and covered the bulge in his pants. His eyes widened and his leg jerked, causing the china on the table to shake. Oops, had she grabbed him a little too hard? Had he flinched in pain or pleasure? Biting her lip, she looked at him in concern, wondering if she had messed up her foray into public groping. Crap, according to Cosmopolitan, there was no such thing as a wrong touch where a man’s penis was concerned. She was still a little unsure of the whole ball-tugging thing, though, and she didn’t think that was possible to do while he was wearing pants anyway. She had planned to save that move for later on. “Um . . . did I hurt you?” she asked, feeling embarrassed.
Mac coughed, looking as if someone were squeezing his windpipe. “Avie . . . you know you’re holding my cock, right?” he wheezed out.
She flexed her hand, marveling in the fact that he felt much bigger than he had just a minute ago. “Yes, I know. Is it okay? Am I holding Mr. Wood too tight or not tight enough?” Oh God, she was doing something wrong. His eyes looked ready to pop out of his head and his face was almost purple.
As she started to pull her hand away, he clamped down on it, holding it in place. “Mr. Wood?” he asked, sounding strained.
Ava sagged in her seat, completely disappointed. She’d done everything that the magazine suggested to seduce her man during dinner. She had flirted, touched his penis, and even given it one of the manly names that they had suggested. Nothing seemed to be working, though. Instead of looking madly aroused and ready to throw her across the table, he looked as if he was just seconds away from passing out. As tears of disappointment threatened, she whispered, “I’m a complete failure at this, aren’t I? I guess you can’t be taught how to be fun and sexy, because it’s not working for me. I’m more like the antidote to all that. I’m sorry, Mac. I tried.”
Mac looked horrified as a lone tear slid down her cheek. Reaching out to brush it away, he cupped her face in his hand. “Oh, baby, I have no idea where all this is coming from, but you just surprised me, is all. You don’t have to try to be any of those things. To me you’re already all of them and more.” Lowering his voice, he moved the other hand that was holding hers against his cock and pushed firmly down. “I get hard just being near you. I panicked when you touched me because I knew I was dangerously close to coming in my pants for the first time in my life. You have no idea how your touch, your smell—everything about you affects me. I lose what little sophistication I’ve acquired through the years, and I’m back to being nothing but an out-of-control, horny teenager.”