They clinked glasses and drank again. They were both hungry and made short work of the food, talking easily about their favorite TV shows. They both loved to binge watch Lost. She didn’t ask about movies, not wanting him to suddenly put her face to her real name. Finally they made it to the slice of cake in a plastic cake container that preserved the icing perfectly. Josh took off the lid and she stared at it, her mouth watering. Five layers with decadent chocolate ganache on top, chocolate icing between each layer.
Josh caught her eying the cake. “You can have it.”
“Oh no. We can share. There’s plenty for both of us.”
“You look like you want to inhale it.”
She grinned. “Personal trainers don’t eat much sugar.” Or actresses.
“We’ll do the intermediate trail after this to work it off.” He speared a forkful and offered it to her. She took it and closed her eyes, savoring the melt of chocolate, the bliss of pure pleasure.
Josh swore under his breath. Her eyes flew open. His expression was hungry. For her.
He reached across the table and slid off her sunglasses. “I want to see your eyes.”
And that was all he wanted. He didn’t lean across the table to her. Didn’t pull her in. A perfect gentleman, as promised.
She was suddenly annoyed at the gentleman act. Even though it was the main reason she felt comfortable being on the date in the first place.
“Go ahead and have some,” she said, pushing the cake toward him.
“I’d rather watch you enjoy it.” He pushed the plate back toward her.
“No, I’m good.”
“You want me to feed it to you?”
“Don’t be silly.” She refilled her wineglass and took a sip. He did the same and then he dug into the cake. He regularly offered her forkfuls, which she greedily took, closing her eyes in chocolate ecstasy each time.
As they drank, they got chattier, laughing about Mad and her crazy antics as a kid and what Claire knew of her from book club.
She leaned across the table and spoke in a confidential whisper. “She brought this crap tequila with a worm in it and then Hailey tried to make me eat it!” She felt pleasantly buzzed, good wine with good food and excellent company.
He grinned. “Mezcal. It’s a novelty and that worm was there solely for Mad’s amusement, trust me. She’s a bartender, she knows the good stuff.”
“Damn, you’re right. Sneaky chick.” She went to pour more wine and realized it was empty. She held up the bottle. “We finished it.”
“There’s another bottle,” he said, reaching down to the cooler. He stopped. “Maybe we shouldn’t have it since we have to drive home after this.”
“It’s no problem,” she said breezily. “I’ll call my driver.”
“You mean Uber?”
She quickly realized her mistake. “Yes. So handy, that service. Let’s drink. You can come back for your car tomorrow. I mean, if you don’t mind spending a little more time with me.”
“Not at all,” he said, his voice gravelly. Sparks of lust shot through her. She hadn’t been with a man in a year, by choice, but now…Josh was really doing it for her.
She looked around the empty clearing and had a brilliant idea. “We could have the wine and then camp here to sleep it off.” And sleep with each other.
Naked camping. She bit back a giggle.
His eyes widened. “Do they let you do that?”
She lifted her hands to the sky. “Let’s find out.”
“What about a tent?”
“We’ll rough it.” She never wanted to go back to civilization. She wanted to stay in this happy bubble until it inevitably popped. She grabbed the blanket from the bench next to her and held it up. “Shelter!”
She went to the grassy clearing and spread the blanket out. It was big enough for two people to sit on, but not big enough for them to sleep on, really. She lay down and her feet hung over the side, the grass tickling her ankles. She propped up on her elbows. “Bring the wine.”
He uncorked the wine and joined her, sitting cross-legged next to her. He filled both their glasses. She followed his gaze out to the horizon. The sun was dipping in the sky, streaks of orange and pink against blue. She sipped her wine and found herself studying his profile, the sharp lines of his cheekbones, his angular jaw with the hint of five o’clock shadow. His lips looked extremely kissable.
She set her wineglass in the grass, relaxed and uninhibited enough to make the first move. She stroked his jaw with her fingertips, feeling the rough stubble. “Anyone ever tell you how gorgeous you are?”