"So, you had some of my mom’s banana pudding at the BBQ. Now it's time to try her Coca-Cola Double Chocolate Fudge Cake. She used to try to teach me how to make it, but mine never came out like hers and she gave up. Said she'd just wait and share the recipe with my wife to make for me," I chuckle.
Kayla laughs as I serve us each a slice. I'm getting ready to dig into my piece and I’m completely unprepared for the moan that comes from her as she takes the first bite. Her eyes are closed, and a look of pure bliss is written all over her face.
When she swallows that bite, her eyes open and she looks at me. There is a small piece of cake on the corner of her mouth. Without thinking, I cup her cheek and brush it away with my thumb. Her lips are soft and tempting, but the way she’s looking at me, well, it’s like she’s begging me to kiss her.
Before I know it, I'm leaning in and my lips are finally on hers. Her lips are kissable and taste like chocolate cake and forever. That should scare me, but right now it only calms me. When she opens up to me, I take it and deepen the kiss, my tongue playing with hers. The cake is long forgotten as she wraps her arms around my neck and runs her hand through my hair. With a jolt, I swear I feel that touch all the way to my dick.
When she lets out another one of those sexy moans, I have to pull back or I’ll be pushing forward for something neither of us is ready for, at least not tonight.
We both look at each other and don't say a word. I give her a gentle, chaste kiss before settling back on my side of the truck. In that instant, I miss the heat of her body next to me.
"Eat your cake. I'd hate to have to tell my momma you never got more than a bite." I smirk, making her chuckle.
We eat in silence, both enjoying the cake. When we’re finished, I clean up and set the coolers on the ground out of our way. Then I lie down and pull the blanket over me and hold it up for her.
"Come, lie down with me. I promise nothing more than kissing," I say, reassuring her that I have no intention of pushing my luck tonight. When she lies down beside me, it surprises me. Instead of using her pillow, she cuddles up against me and rests her head on my shoulder. I pull the thick, gray fleece blanket over us, making sure she’s covered, so she stays warm. Then I wrap my arm around her and enjoy the feeling of her in my arms.
"I always loved looking at the stars. It's harder to see them in Dallas, but it never stopped me from trying. In high school, when the noise of everything got too much, I'd go to the roof of our building and lay there trying to see the stars. Of course, we were in the heart of Dallas by then and the lights washed out most of them, but you could see the brightest ones on a good night."
"I love coming out here. There is no cell phone service, no one to bother me, so I can clear my mind. Whatever is going on in my head, it helps me work it out."
"One night,” Kayla says dreamily, “after I caught my high school boyfriend cheating on me with the head cheerleader, I was in my room crying my eyes out. My parents loaded me in the car and drove for miles outside the city limits and parked on some dirt road. The three of us lay on the hood of the car and looked at the stars for hours until I was ready to tell them what happened. I still think of that night, not of the guy but that night where my parents showed me they paid attention to me even with how busy they were."
"I could tell just from the one video call how much they care about you and how close you three are."
"We are, and it's why I made a vow I wouldn't start a family or even get married until I was able to put the time in. I don't ever want my husband or kids to feel like I don't have time for them, and right now this is the first time off I've had in five years. I busted my ass working in each department of the company. When I was fifteen, I started in customer service and worked in each department.”
After I graduated high school, my parents took me to Greece. Then, for their thirtieth wedding anniversary, the summer going into my senior year of college, we all went to Paris. I started full time at the company the day after I graduated, and I haven't taken a day off since. Even on days I don't get into the office, I still work at home."
"You need a break every now and then. All that stress isn't good for you. You’ll see when you get back to work you will be more productive."
The words taste like acid in my mouth. The last thing I want is for her to go back to work. Her going back to work means going back to Dallas and leaving me. But this is our first date and how crazy would I sound if I started begging her to stay right now?
No, I need her to want to stay for her own reasons. It can't be just to be with me.
Even though I have a long way to go to make her fall in love with Rock Springs, I'm sure as hell going to try.