CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Jackson
lips curled up in a snarl. He looked at me and I lifted my chin in a challenge. No I'm not ready to give up the game, I told him in a glance. Not yet.
Did it bother me that he was kissing her? That she was kissing him? It should have, I'll tell you that much. I should have felt like now she was off limits, but for some reason, seeing the two of them entwined like that only made me want to try harder with her. Him kissing her wasn't a rejection, no. It was a fucking invitation.
Because the way she looked at me, with those heavy, sleepy, just-fucked eyelids slitting her shining eyes, well fuck, it only made me want to kiss her myself.
Finn leaped back from her, banging his knee on the underside of the table. "I'm going to look for that missing bottle of dry Riesling," he muttered in his haste to get away from me, probably to keep me from punching him in the face.
I got it. I appreciated it.
"I already checked the wine cellar," I said, as casual as can be. "It's not there.
"I'm looking anyway," he barked.
I watched him rush away with some amusement.
And then slid into the booth and took his place.
I looked at Bee. Her lips were parted, her cheeks flushed. Fuck, I liked seeing her like this. Even if I wasn't the one who made her this way, I could still fucking appreciate the effect. "Now," I told her. "I want your opinion on something."
She eyed me warily. Her cheeks were still pink and each little freckle stood out on her pale chest. And I'm not going to lie, my dick was as hard as a diamond. If she reacted this way to just Finn kissing her, how over the top would she be once I did?
And how incredible would she feel squirming against my tongue?
"About what?" she said again and I realized I'd never finished my sentence.
I leaned back in the booth. "The dessert menu," I told her.
Her eyes flashed with interest, but I could see that she was still holding back. "Please, sit down, I'm not going to bite." I told her with a grin. "Unless you want me to."
"Don't flatter yourself," she said archly.
"It's not flattery if it's the truth," I told her.
Her cheeks colored with angry heat, but she sat down anyway and I licked my lips trying not to lean forward and grab her by the face and claim her lips for myself.
Instead, I leaned back even more, trying to put some distance between us as I spoke. "I'm tweaking the dessert menu too," I told her. "Shall I bring out the tray?"
She pressed her lips together. I could almost see the mental arithmetic she was doing, calculating the precise mix of pleasure she would allow herself. When she finally nodded, I felt a burst of triumph in my chest.
I always did think of food as foreplay.
"I'll go grab it," I told her, standing back up again. Her eyes slid down my body and I could tell that she could see the shape of my cock through my pants. She looked away with an inadvertent squeak.
I was totally fucked for this girl, there was no escaping it.
I pulled the dessert tray from the refrigerator and hesitated. Desserts were my weakness, I’d be the first to admit it. Always had been. And there was no denying that I was showing off for Bee right now, trying to impress her, competing with Finn for her attention. So it would be silly of me to bring this out only to have her be disappointed.
But on the other hand, I really did believe she could teach me something I didn't already know. I trusted her opinion, especially when it came to baking.
And that was why I was already carrying it out to her before I really had time to think it through.
Finn had returned with a bottle of wine and already opened it and set it out on the table. He must have been off looking for stemware, because he was nowhere in sight, thankfully. I looked down and saw it wasn't the dry Riesling, but I didn't care when Bee looked up at me with those plump lips pursed in thought.
I grabbed the bottle of wine that sat on the table. Watching her, I lifted it to my lips, checking to see if she was going to object. She was watching me with wide eyes, but it didn't say a word, so I took a swig from the bottle. Fuck, I needed something to steady myself if she was going to keep looking up at me like that.
And then I set it down and placed the tray in front of her.
"Oh my God," she said, leaning forward with her eyes shining. "I think I've died and gone to heaven."
I grinned. "Here, try this first," I told her.
It was a simple panna cotta with fresh blueberries from one of the local farms. Nothing fancy. I scooped it up, spooning it up into her mouth. She licked her lips, eyeing me warily, but then leaned forward, too interested in tasting the dessert to defy me.
I swallowed as she closed her eyes. The fork slipped between her lips and I had to suppress a groan when I saw the way they closed tightly around it.
She held it in her mouth for a moment, licking her lips, and I reached out to swipe a fleck from the corner of her mouth. Her eyes fluttered open and she swallowed.
"In your professional opinion," I said slowly, and she blushed and reached for the wine bottle, eyeing me. "Tell me what you think."
She swallowed and licked her lips again. "Your balance is a little off," she said, slightly haughtily. "Two sweet.
I nodded slowly. "It's true. I like things that are sweet," I told her again. "But not too sweet."
She grinned. "You should sprinkle the top with Kosher salt," she said, licking her lips again.
A light bulb went off in my brain. "Brilliant," I said, leaning forward. "You're absolutely brilliant." She blushed even harder now, her whole face red. "Here, try it again to be sure." I reached out with the fork.
As she leaned forward, I leaned in too, catching the corner of her mouth with mine and brushing a quick kiss past her lips.
She looked up at me with wide brown eyes, startled, but not moving away.
I bent down, taking her face into my hands. Then I leaned in and kissed those full, sweet lips.