After she took the last bite, she dropped the spoon in the bowl. “Handsome, that was delicious.”
“I could tell.” He sent her a cocky smile.
“What in the world would ever make you leave the kitchen?”
All the hot and bothered feeling he’d had over the last few minutes instantly turned to a block of ice. “I wanted to focus on fighting.”
Not a lie, but not the whole truth either.
She tipped her head. “How’s that going for you?”
“Best decision I ever made.” That wasn’t a lie.
“Don’t you miss being a chef?” she asked.
“I miss cooking for others. Not necessarily the working in a restaurant part.”
There, a nice balanced response. He could do this.
“Well, you can cook for me anytime.”
When she stood and reached for his plate, he said, “I’ll get the dishes.”
“Nope, you cooked. I’ll clean.” She took the dishes to the sink. “Do you want anything to drink while I do this? I have spiced rum in the liquor cabinet just waiting to be opened.”
Alcohol sounded good. “Yeah, I’ll take one of those.”
As she added coke to a shot of rum in a tumbler, he leaned against the end of the counter, and when she offered it to him, he sipped while she started washing the dishes. His gaze traveled over her body, lingering on the swell of her hips. She reached for one of the pans and he noticed a dark bruise on the back of her arm, right above her elbow. “Did that come from today?”
She twisted toward him, a question on her face.
He nodded toward the bruise. “Your elbow?”
She tilted up the arm in question. “Oh. Yep. I think I got that one from the wall I slid down. Got a nice big bruise on my thigh, too. Don’t tell me you don’t have any injuries?”
“A couple of scrapes.”
“It’s that fighter’s body of yours. It’s used to taking a beating, and something as simple as a mud race isn’t going to damage it.”
Eyes on her discolored skin, he pushed off the edge of the counter and moved until he stood directly behind her. He ran his fingers gently over the bruise and the curve of her elbow as he lifted his gaze to look down at her. A shiver quaked her body.
“Don’t forget the one on my thigh,” she whispered, turning into him. As she tilted her head back and looked up at him, the invitation in her eyes was unmistakable.
“Where is it?” He reached down to run his fingers over her knee.
She dragged the hem of her dress high up her thigh. A dark bruise about the size of a fist stood out against the creamy skin. He trailed his fingers over it, loving the feel of her smooth skin. He wrapped his arm around her waist and tugged her to his chest. With mouths inches apart and her hands on his biceps, they gazed at each other. It was the most intimate embrace he’d been in for so long, he took a moment just to enjoy the feel of her soft, curvy body pressed into his.
Then he ran his palms over her hips, cupped her ass, and lifted her those mere inches to capture her lips in a kiss so opposite the one earlier in the day, it could’ve been given by a different man—and in a way, it was. Unlike before, he was no longer struggling. He’d made his choice. And now it was time to claim his reward.
Her arms wound around his neck, her breasts flattening against his chest, and he swept his tongue past her lips into the warmth of her mouth. A groan erupted from deep inside him. She tasted so good—a mixture of the food he’d made, and something more, something uniquely Gayle.
Her flavor was intoxicating, addicting. Hauling her up his body, her gorgeous legs instantly wrapped around his waist, bringing her center to rest on the rigid strain inside his jeans. He took the few steps needed to press her back into the counter. As he ground his cock against her, he moaned into her mouth. Holy fuck, that felt good.
He propped Gayle in the corner of the counter and ripped his mouth away to look at her. Lips swollen, eyelids heavy, breathing rough. All from his actions. God, she took his breath away.
Now he wanted to hear her. Tugging the tube top down, generous breasts bounced free, nipples puckered into tight, perfect tips. He circled one with his tongue and was rewarded with her sharp, uneven gasp. Fingers cleaved through his hair, holding him there. As he sucked one nub deep into his mouth, he worked his hands under the skirt of her dress and found the elastic band of her panties. He tugged them over her legs and let them drop to the floor.
Now it was time to see exactly how uninhibited Gayle was.