Accidentally Wild (The Wilder Brothers)

“I guess I should have eaten lunch today, huh?” she asked.

“Why didn’t you stop for lunch?” I asked.

“Because there’s way too much to do this week. I finally had to dip into the rest of our budget and get a repair man out to look at the air conditioning. That thing can’t keep going out. I’ve got too many small kids to not have cold air running through that building on ninety-degree days.”

“I agree with you.”

“And my computer? It might as well be a useless brick.”

“Aren’t bricks already useless?” I asked.

“Not all of them. Some of them are stacked together and create beautiful structures. Then, there are some bricks that lay on the ground and crumble a little more every time someone blows wrong in its direction. That’s my computer,” she said.

“Maybe I should buy you a new one, then,” I said, chuckling.

“Don’t you even think about it, Everett Wilder.”

“Oh, the first and last name. Does that mean I’m in trouble?”

“Yes. And not the good kind.”

“What do I have to do to get the good kind of trouble?”

I slid my foot against hers underneath the table as her eyes connected with mine. I’d never get tired of gazing into her beautiful emerald stare. I watched an easy smile trickle across her cheeks as my bare toe slid against her bare ankle, her cheeks tinting with that beautiful flush of hers. She giggled before she shook her head, then went back to eating her dinner. I stroked her skin as another comfortable silence fell between us, and I didn’t stop until it was time to put our bowls in the sink.

“Ready for dessert?” I asked.

“Mmm, and what did you have in mind for dessert?” Andrea asked.

I knew that voice. I recognized that voice. But that part of the evening hadn’t rolled around yet. I had all of the time in the world with her, and I wanted to make our first official date something she’d remember forever. I grinned at her as my eyes dropped down her body, and my tongue darted out to lick my lips. I saw her nipples pucker against her bra. I saw the outline of them pressed against her shirt.

“Did you forget about the ice cream bar I mentioned earlier?” I asked.

I ripped open the freezer and pulled out two pints of ice cream as Andrea threw her head back and laughed. I smiled at her as the beautiful sound filled her apartment, and I opened the fridge to pull out everything. Chocolate and caramel sauce. Whipped cream. Cherries. Sprinkles. Honey-covered nuts. The works. I had it all for our little ice cream bar, and Andrea grabbed us each a small bowl with a spoon.

“Do you have an ice cream scooper?” I asked.

“We ain’t fancy ‘round these parts,” she said playfully.

Then, I watched her dig her spoon into the pint of sweet cream ice cream.

We dipped up massive bowls and covered them in all sorts of goodies. I preferred double-fudge chocolate over anything else, and the fact that Andrea enjoyed the plain sweet cream meant we each had a massive pint to ourselves. She went and sat on the couch while I fiddled around with the DVD player, then she picked a nice romantic comedy for us to settle down and watch. I turned off the lights and sat by her on the couch, and I watched her face as the movie illuminated it.

She was more entertaining than the movie could ever be. Her laughter. Her tears. Her happiness and her sympathy for the characters. She was a beautiful woman to be around, but she was also real. Down to earth. Unashamed of who she was and where her priorities lied. I watched her lips curl around her spoon time and time again and it made my body sizzle with delight. I forced my eyes back to the television from time to time when I caught her staring at me. But the truth was, I didn’t want to stop looking at her.

I didn’t want her out of my sight for a fucking second.

“Would you like some more ice cream?” I asked.

“Mmm, no. I’m so full I think I’m about to burst,” Andrea said.

“Then let me take your bowl and I’ll get it into the sink.”

“You can just put them on the floor.”

“I’ll be right back.”

“Please don’t leave.”