Her body softened as she leaned against him. “Thank you for helping me with all of this. It goes well above first date status.”
He chuckled. “I can’t lie, Viv. This is the first date I’ve felt comfortable on. At least I know what the hell I’m doing.”
She didn’t move from his side as they grabbed some alarms and headed to the cash register. She didn’t move when he greeted the cashier. She only argued briefly when he refused to let her pay, but some woman in line behind them distracted her with a question about her scarf. She was too polite to ignore the question and by the time she’d turned back to him, the deed was done. Resigned, she’d cuddled up against his side as they left the store.
It was nice to wrap an arm around her waist. It was nicer to step out into the sunshine and enjoy the cool breeze that floated through the parking lot, feeling her warmth pressed against him. She made a noise of contentment when he pressed a kiss to her forehead, a gesture that was oddly intimate considering how much he wanted to do far more intimate things with her back at her house.
He was closing her car door when his phone rang. “Harding,” he answered, walking around the back to get to his door.
“Okay, this is the last offer I’m going to give you,” John said. “I’m taking Delilah out tonight. If you want to come, we’ll be at Gianni’s at seven.”
“Mind if I bring a date?”
Zeke couldn’t decide if he was offended or amused by the sputter on the other end of the line. John recovered and said, “Sure, if you want. I didn’t know you were seeing anyone.”
“Yeah,” Zeke said as he slipped into the car and looked at Vivian. “She’s one of a kind.”
Her sweet smile eclipsed the rest of John’s statement. Too distracted to listen to his friend’s amazed babbling about his newfound woman, Zeke said, “See you tonight,” and hung up.
“What was that about?” Vivian asked.
Zeke leaned across and kissed her. Only when he ran out of air did he pull back and answer. “Are you up for dinner tonight with one of the guys I served with? It’d be a double date.”
“Sure. When?”
“Later.” He reached for her again. This time, she gave a happy sigh and kissed him back. Only when his hand inched up the hem of her dress and her hand neared his fly did they both draw back, breathing heavily.
“We should put up the alarms,” she said, breathlessly.
“Yeah.”
“Probably in the bedroom first.”
“Definitely.”
It was a miracle he didn’t get pulled over on their way back to her apartment. The moment the door closed behind them, her hands were on him and he was more than happy to return the favor.
The couch was nearest and his control was shot to hell. He kissed her deeply, then spun her around, wrapping an arm around her waist and keeping her pinned against his body. “Do you trust me?” he whispered in her ear.
She swallowed, but nodded.
“Good.”
He slid her scarf from around her neck and threw it over a shoulder so it wouldn’t get lost in the chaos. He was going to want it in a minute. Her dress peeled up, revealing matching black lace. He groaned and latched his mouth to one of her nipples, ignoring that her arms were still trapped over her head by the dress.
She made a noise and worked to finish dragging off clingy material. It didn’t matter. He switched to her other nipple, suckling it through the fabric. Her eyes were dark when he finally stood and gathered his control.
“Turn around.”
She obeyed and he slipped the silk scarf over her eyes, tying it behind her head. “You okay?”
“Yes.”
“If you aren’t–”
“I’ll tell you.”
Smart woman. He walked her to the couch and pressed her against the edge. “Bend over,” he ordered. He barely caught sight of her lips curling into a sly smile before she fol