I finished up my deliveries, said goodbye to Dillon, grabbed a couple of things from my house, then I was ready to pick up Chinese and go meet Serena for dinner.

Dillon had given me shit about taking food back for his cousin, but when I told him it was our first unofficial date, he looked at me curiously and backed off. I wasn’t sure if he had an opinion on my dating Serena, but I didn’t really care.

At this point, I was just trying to scratch the surface and see if there was more to her than I’d first thought, and I wanted to know more about this chemistry we seemed to have.

I figured Serena and I had to see how we felt about each other first, before her family’s opinions would be a factor. Still, I would treat her with the respect she deserved, for her, and for her cousins, who I liked and respected. But that was as far as their input went.

I parked in front of the gallery, gathered what I needed, and went to the door. When Serena didn’t answer after a few moments, I knocked again, then opened the door and peeked inside.

“Hello?” I called when I saw the foyer was empty, except for my table, which I had to admit looked pretty damn good.

“Hello?” Serena called back, her tone distracted, then she seemed to remember me and added, “Oh, yeah, Jed, come on back.”

I tried not to let that deflate my ego and shut the door behind me as I let myself inside.

Since she was obviously still busy, I found a spot that was cleared and laid out the blanket I brought. I dropped my keys on the blanket and pulled the Chinese food containers out of the bags and set them out, then opened the bottle of wine I’d brought to let it breath. Finally, I pulled out the paper plates, plastic cups, napkins, and chopsticks I’d brought, then I got up and went to search for Serena.

I walked through the gallery. Everything was out and unpacked, but not yet showcased on the wall or wherever else these things would be showcased. The room was bright, clean, and very, very white. When I didn’t see Rena in the open room, I walked down the hall toward a series of doors, one of which was open. That’s the one I went to.

She was in a pristine and well-organized office, which almost looked out of place considering the chaos of the rest of the gallery. She was at the computer, tapping a pencil on her chin as she looked at the screen.

“Hey,” I said quietly, so as not to startle her.

Serena stopped tapping her chin and held the pencil up, as if to say, give me a minute, so I waited.

Once she finished what she’d been doing, she turned her face toward me and smiled.

“Hi, sorry about that, I just needed to get that down before I forgot.”

She rose from her chair and rounded the desk. She looked a little dusty, rumpled, and unlike her usually composed self, and I had no choice but to kiss her. She was just too adorable.

Before Serena could say anything else, I reached out and grabbed her hand, pulling her toward me until her small body was flush against mine. Her lips parted in surprise, which totally worked in my favor, as I lowered my head and brushed my lips against hers.

At first, she didn’t move, then her hands found my chest and she gripped my shirt there, as she tilted her head and I knew she was all in. I brought my hands to her waist, so they wouldn’t roam of their own free will, and happily took all that she offered.

It was hot and wet, the kind of kiss that swept you away, and if you weren’t careful, would leave you shipwrecked with no hope of rescue.

Her lips were soft and pliant beneath mine, and the little noises she was making caused the blood to surge through me and my body to heat. I deepened the kiss, needing more, even though I knew I had to stop soon before I took things farther than I’d meant.

When we were both breathless, I pulled back, keeping her body against mine, and looked down into her face. Cheeks heated and eyes lazy, she was impossibly gorgeous. The need to take her on her desk was great, but I kept my urges in check and squeezed her flesh softly beneath my palms.

“Hungry?” I asked, trying to catch my breath.

Her big brown eyes caught mine, and I saw her lips hitch up as she replied, “Starved,” and I knew she wasn’t talking about Chinese.

With a groan I pushed her firmly away from me and ran my hands through my hair.

“Then let’s eat,” I said roughly, ignoring her invitation.

I saw disappointment flicker across her face, before she smiled easily and nodded.

Taking her hand in mine, I led her out of the office and down the hall, to the makeshift picnic I’d made in the center of her gallery.

“What’s all this?” Serena asked, stopping at the edge of the blanket to look up at me with an expression that looked a lot like wonder.

That innocent look tugged at something within me, and I ran my thumb gently over her hand as I answered, “Dinner.”

“It’s lovely,” she said.

“You’re lovely,” I replied, then, unable to help myself, I pulled her in for another kiss.

Once her lips were swollen and her breathing was heavy, I lifted my head from hers and gestured for her to sit.

We lowered ourselves to the blanket and I picked up the wine and began to pour. I handed Serena the first glass, then poured my own.

“Thank you,” she said softly.

“You’re welcome,” I replied. “I hope you like red.”

“I do,” Serena said, then added, “But I mean for all of it. This is really sweet of you, and I have to say, it really makes me want to kiss you again.” Her voice lowered on that last bit, as if she were a little shy.

I bit back a growl at her statement, and another glimpse of her vulnerability and said, “So, what do you say we eat up and then make out on the blanket.”

Serena laughed and flushed prettily, before saying, “Sounds like a plan to me.”