“Mercy!” she yelled.
He stilled and stared down at her. “My God, you’re pretty.” His hair stood on end, and he looked like such a boy in that moment. She wanted to take care of him in ways she couldn’t explain, even though he was clearly able to take care of himself.
Cupping a hand at the sharp edge of his stubbled jaw, she whispered, “You’re just one big surprise, Gage King.”
“Is that a good thing?”
“I’m not complaining.”
“Good.”
They sipped champagne and nibbled on chocolate covered strawberries for the rest of the flight. The more time she spent with Gage, the less intimidating she found him.
Her shoes came off and her guard went down as they told stories of growing up and laughed about old, dumb things kids used to do. Apparently, kids were just as reckless in Texas as they were in Center County.
“Open.” He held a strawberry by the stem, teasing it over her mouth as she tried to catch it like a Largemouth bass and laughed.
“Come on!”
He laughed, watching her with such amusement in his eyes. “You gotta want it.”
She leaned up and bit the tip. He shocked her by smearing chocolate over her lips. “Gage!”
“You missed a spot.” He kissed her passionately, tasting of sweet berries and dark chocolate. “Delicious.”
The light flashed on, warning them that they would soon land, and there was a quick announcement from the captain. The flight had passed in a blink. Technically, their date hadn’t even started, yet she was already having the time of her life.
Buckling her seatbelt, she took his hand and smiled. “Thank you.”
“For?”
“Tonight.”
“We haven’t even started yet.”
“But in case I forget to tell you, I’ve had a great time.”
He leaned close and brushed a kiss on her lips. “Me too.”
Chapter 5
As much as the medication helped her nerves, her body instantly recognized the peace of mind that came with surrendering to gravity and placing both feet safely on the ground. A limo waited on the tarmac, and she glanced at Gage and laughed. “You realize this is like ten dates in one. You might be peaking too soon.”
“Impossible.”
“Your confidence is admirable.”
He took her hand and held it on the drive to the restaurant. Every time his thumb traced over hers, she got a pleasant buzz in her belly that warned her, this would eventually hurt. Then her brain reminded her Gage was just a temporary fix, so she shouldn’t get attached. Boundaries, no matter how inconvenient, were there for her own protection. But her lady parts were having none of that savvy logic, so she decided to simply gorge on all the carnal delights he offered.
She leaned into his strong shoulder and sighed when his arm curled around her, pulling her closer. As far as men went, he was a pretty perfect specimen. His smell was off the charts pheromone-tastic. His appearance screamed he’d be a good hunter and provide healthy offspring—not that she was in the market for children. His voice tickled her ears every time it rumbled and purred with that gravelly baritone. And his kisses tasted like champagne sliding over a bite of masculinity. Altogether, he seemed to be the fruit of the devil, but she was fully committed to sinning in his Garden of Eden, so common sense be damned.
“You’ll love this place I’m taking you for dinner.”
“So confident.”
He kissed her temple. “They have the best deep-dish pizza. They’ve won awards, and people travel from all over the world to try it.”
“I guess so. I mean, we were in Pennsylvania a few hours ago.” She still couldn’t believe they were there.
Once they entered the city, her eyes feasted on the architecture. It was cleaner than New York and different in verve but similar in that unmistakable tempo.
“Do you like cities?”
“I’ve only ever been to Philadelphia and New York. But, yeah, I like them. Not sure if I’d ever be able to live in one.”
“It’s definitely an acquired taste.”
“How about you? Do you like them?”
“Depends which one. I like New York for a long visit and Chicago for a quick trip. I’d prefer to live in San Antonio because of its world charm, but I’m more drawn to the vapid mentality of Houston or the big business of Dallas. But all in all, my absolute favorite city is New Orleans. Unless you were asking worldwide. In that case, I’d have to think about my answer.”
“Wow. You’ve been to all those places?”
“Several times.”
She was back to feeling intimidated and inexperienced. “Why New Orleans?”
“It’s the most honest. In NOLA, you get what you get. They’re shameless about pleasure, and things aren’t replaced until they no longer work. It’s old and timeless and unlike any other city on earth.”
She bumped New Orleans up to the top of her must visit places.
He lifted her hand and kissed her knuckles. “We can go if you want. Make this a long weekend.”