Me: I am NEVER talking to you again! Never!
Mom: How’s dinner going? Must be bad if you’re texting me. Do you need some pointers, honey?
I stared at my phone, then set it down before I looked over at the chocolate ganache brownies I had made earlier. With a deep breath, I headed back into the dining room. My place was huge, and most of the rooms were separated by walls; it wasn’t a modern, open-floor design, thankfully. When I got back to the table, I quickly sat.
“Dessert is cooled but still warm and ready to eat whenever you want it.”
Hudson wiped his mouth with his napkin and gave me the sexiest grin I’d ever seen. “Tell me what it is.”
The way he spoke in a low, deep voice that oozed sex nearly had me purring my response.
“It’s, um…”
Oh dear God. I forgot how to talk again. Look away from him, Greer! Look away!
“A, um…um, what is it called again?”
Hudson leaned back in his chair and smiled. That bastard knew he had messed with my thinking.
I suddenly found my voice. “It’s chocolate ganache brownies.”
His brows slowly rose, and I watched as he ran his tongue over his lips. “With vanilla ice cream?”
Annnnd there goes my fuzzy brain again. Damn this man. Forcing myself to speak clearly and not like a crazed woman, I laughed as if offended by his question. “Of course. Who would dare serve warm brownies without ice cream?”
He flashed me a panty-melting smile that nearly had me sighing like a lovesick puppy.
“Should I clear the plates and get you a brownie?” I asked.
“How about I help you clear the plates.”
With a shake of my head, I replied, “Nope. You’re the guest. I’ll do the cleaning up.”
I stood and reached for his dish, but Hudson took hold of my arm to stop me. “We never opened the wine.” He looked at the unopened bottle sitting on the table and then back up at me.
The press of his hand made my entire body feel like it was trembling. “I guess we didn’t.”
Our eyes met, and for the briefest moment, I swore I heard the air crackle between us.
He let go of me and said, “Then I guess we’ll have to open it and have it with dessert.”
Every inch of my body heated as I fought to control my breathing. “I like the sound of this plan.”
Hudson
What was I doing, flirting with Greer like that? Playing with fire, that’s what I was doing.
Greer cleared her throat. “Let me get the table clear and then I’ll bring out dessert.”
“Nonsense, let me help you since you did the cooking. Guest or not, I wasn’t raised that way.” I stood with her and started to clear the table.
Her cheeks turned that beautiful shade of pink again, and it made my dick jump in my pants and had me willing myself not to touch her.
“Okay, then. That only means we’ll be having dessert much faster.”
I laughed. “What a positive way to look at it.”
“Positivity is my middle name.”
After we got the table cleared and the dishes rinsed and put in the dishwasher, Greer showed me the brownies she’d made.
“I think I should drop to one knee now and ask you to marry me,” I said.
With the sweetest little snicker, she pointed behind me. “Will you grab two plates?”
I did as she asked and watched while she put a brownie on my plate and one on hers. Turning, she reached into her freezer and took out vanilla bean ice cream.
“Did you call my mother and ask her what my favorite ice cream was?” I asked as I took the ice cream scoop from her.
“No,” she answered. “As you can see—” she opened the tub and showed me the half-eaten ice cream—“I’m a fan of it as well. I can’t believe you like vanilla bean. Lots of people love the classic homemade vanilla, but I’ve never found anyone else who likes vanilla bean.”
I scooped some out and placed it on a dish. “Well, you just found your ice cream soulmate.”
After I dropped some onto the second plate, I put the lid back on and handed it to Greer.
“I have a sitting area on the roof if you’d like to go up there,” she said. “It’s a rather warm evening, so it might be nice.”
“That sounds good. I’ll grab the wine; you grab the desserts.”
She picked up both plates. “The wine opener is on that buffet table in the dining room.”
After quickly grabbing the bottle of wine and the opener, I followed Greer up a narrow staircase and out onto the roof of her building.
I did a quick sweep of the three-hundred-and-sixty-degree view and whistled. I could see the entire town of Boggy Creek and well into Boggy Creek Valley. The Pemigewasset River wasn’t far from Main Street, and Greer had a view of it running through the town. If I closed my eyes I was almost positive I would be able to hear it meandering along on its journey. “Oh man, this is amazing, Greer.”