“I see.” He smiles as he starts to help me put stuff away.
“I should also say that spending time with them gives me an excuse to eat junk food for a couple days without feeling guilty about it.”
“Why would you feel guilty about eating junk food?” he asks as I shove the chips into the cupboard.
“When my jeans are so tight that I have to lie down on my bed to button them up, it’s not a good feeling. I don’t always make the best choices at the grocery store. I try, but colorful things catch my attention and throw me off track.”
His eyes slide over me from head to toe, making my skin feel hot. “You’re beautiful, babe. You have an amazing body. I don’t think you need to worry about having junk food from time to time.”
Not sure how to respond, I don’t say anything. I go back to putting stuff away, and once we’re done, he unpacks the Chinese food. We carry our takeout containers to the living room, where we’ve eaten dinner the last few nights, and I pass him the remote so he can find something for us to watch. I dig into my sweet-and-sour chicken with fried rice and try not to moan. I love Chinese food—really, I love any kind of takeout. There’s nothing better than eating food you didn’t have to cook.
“I work tomorrow, but I’ll come over for dinner, if you’re cool with that,” he says when I have a forkful of goodness close to my mouth.
I meet his gaze and smile. “I’m cool with it. The boys already know you, so I’m sure they’ll be happy to have you hanging with us.”
He nods with a small smile, and we both go back to eating and watching the crime show he ended up on. Once I’m stuffed, I set my dish on the coffee table and lean back against the edge of the couch, tucking my feet under me.
“Are you tired?” he asks after he sets his empty dish next to mine and slouches toward me on the couch.
I shake my head. “Not really. The last few days have been busy, but it hasn’t been insane. Most days are filled with my scheduled clients. I haven’t had a lot of walk-ins this last week, so I’ve been steady but not overwhelmed with work,” I explain. “How much longer until you guys are done with the church?”
“We should finish Tuesday if things go as planned. When this job is finished, I’ll be working Monday through Friday. The hotel doesn’t want work done on the weekends, since that’s their busiest time of the week.”
“I get that.” I know I wouldn’t want to hear construction if I were on a vacation for a weekend. Actually, I’d probably demand my money back if I had to deal with construction while I was supposed to be on vacation.
He reaches out with his hand, and my eyes drop to it as it lands softly on my knee. “I want to take you out to dinner next Saturday.” My heart starts to pound hard against my rib cage, and I lift my eyes to his. “I hope by then I’ll have given you plenty of time to get to know me so we can move on from what we are now.”
“What?” The word comes out in a hushed tone as I look into his eyes. Is he saying what I think he’s saying?
“As much as I like just hanging with you, baby, you gotta know it’s killing me not to kiss you or touch you like I want to.”
Oh my God.
“I—”
“I wanted you to get to know me,” he says, cutting me off. “I wanted to be sure before I made a move.” His hand moves, and his fingers land gently on my cheek. “The thing is, I like everything about you, and every time you open your mouth, I have to fight to keep from getting hard or kissing you.” His expression softens. “I told myself I’d take this slow for you. I’ve been working on doing that, but I don’t know how much longer I’ll be able to hold myself in check when it comes to you.” His eyes drop to my mouth, and I lick my lips as he does the same.
I hear him groan deep in his chest, and that sound vibrates through me. I don’t know who moves first, but our mouths collide, and a frenzy ensues. I touch my tongue to his bottom lip, and he groans again, wrapping his arms around me, pulling me against his big warm body and adjusting me until I’m straddling him. When his tongue slips between my lips, his taste explodes across my taste buds, and I latch on to him, kissing him back and drinking him in.