were, but she felt them
'How many fingers am Iholding up?' he asked.
A teasing smile touched the corner of her mouth. 'Two and a half.'
He chuckled, and the masculine timbre of that sound shimmied down her spine with impossible pleasure. 'Good. Your vision is definitely impaired.'
He moved away for a moment, she heard a box opening and other sounds she couldn't identify, and then he returned to the cove between her thighs.
'Here's the first one,' he said, and brushed her bottom lip with the confection.
She parted her lips at his urging and took a dainty bite of what he offered. Immediately, she identified it as the white cake. It was moist with a buttercream frosting… and very ordinary tasting. She kept her revelation to herself, still believing vanilla was their safest bet to please thirty people.
'This is the vanilla for sure,' she said as she chewed and swallowed. 'Are you eating it, too?'
'I'll skip this one.' Another box opened. 'I already know how bland and boring vanilla is.'
She wrinkled her nose at him. 'I can hardly wait to taste what
That deep, rich laugh again. And then two things assailed her senses at the same time as he took his place in front of her. The delectable fragrance of chocolate, and a burning sensation where he rested his palm on her thigh. The combination nearly short-circuited her central nervous system.
With effort, she concentrated on the scent wafting beneath her nose. 'Chocolate?' she guessed.
'Ahh, but this isn't your ordinary chocolate cake.'
She inhaled deeply, catching a whiff of something richer and more decadent. Since he wasn't forthcoming with the flavor, she sampled it for herself. Cocoa, a hint of coffee in the frosting and filling, and chocolate mocha candy shavings that all but melted in her mouth.
'Oh, wow,' she murmured appreciatively. She licked a crumb from the corner of her mouth, feeling ravenous and greedy. 'Can I have another bite?'
'I thought you might like that one.' He fed her another morsel, and slowly dragged his fingers along her lower lip. 'It's called Chocolate Mocha Rapture.'
Rapture.Her eyes rolled heavenward. Oh, yeah, she'd definitely been transported to another plane. Her body felt flushed, drugged, heavy.
He pressed a chilled plastic bottle in her hand and urged it up to her mouth. 'Take a drink to cleanse your palate. I don't want anything to taint the next flavor.'
Though the water was cold and refreshing sliding down her throat, it did nothing to extinguish the flames Ryan's 'experiment' had ignited. Setting the bottle next to her on the table, she waited anxiously for the next dessert.
'Now here we have something sweet and
Her nostrils flared as a luscious aroma consumed her senses. Her stomach rumbled, and she licked her lips in anticipation.
'Open up,' he murmured.
She did, and groaned as an exquisite flavor filled her mouth. Ripe strawberries. Whipped cream filling. A light, fluffy frosting. Shavings of white chocolate. She was certain she'd died and gone to heaven.
'More?' he asked, seemingly knowing exactly what she liked.
She nodded, beyond caring that she wanted to overload her senses with the lush sensuality of Ryan's taste test, or that he'd probably gloat later over proving his point that vanilla was a bland choice. She'd never savored such divine recipes, never felt so seduced by tastes and textures.
'Please,' she said, parting her lips for him. She took such a huge, devouring bite that the cream filling oozed out of the middle. Instinctively, she lifted her hand to stop the flow, and by luck caught the dollop in her palm, but not before she'd smeared it along her chin, too.
'Argh.' The sound of distress caught in her throat. Then, unable to help herself, she laughed with frivolous lightness. 'I'm making a mess. I hope you brought napkins.'
'Don't need 'em,' he replied, his voice infused with amusement, and something far more mischievous. 'I'll take care of the spills and leftovers.'
She assumed he meant to clean up later when they were done, so she wasn't prepared for his more resourceful method. He caught her wrist and she nearly jumped out of her skin when she felt his warm mouth nibble off the portion of cake stuck to her palm. A hot ache spread through her as his teeth grazed her flesh, and she all but melted when he thoroughly laved her fingers, then flicked his tongue wickedly along the crevices between. And when he was done with her hand, he went to work on her chin, eating the crumbs and licking away the frosting and filling with agonizingly slow laps of his tongue.
He indulged in her as if
'Delicious, and so sweet,' he murmured, his low voice vibrating against her cheek.
A sultry pressure coiled low as she waited anxiously for him to complete his task and make his way to her mouth and kiss her deeply…
It never happened. As if he hadn't completely turned her inside out with wanting, he moved away and returned to the business at hand, selecting another cake for her to try. This one was Butter Brickle Ecstasy, and it was everything the name implied… pure, unadulterated bliss for the taste buds.
With each sampling, he tempted and teased her, and she luxuriated in the provocative pleasures he evoked. He used his lips and tongue to clean up the sticky messes she deliberately made, yet always stopped short of kissing her mouth.
Frustration nipped at her. She wanted to take off the blindfold and participate without hindrance-and entice him in return. He insisted it remain, or the experiment ended.
He won, because she wasn't ready or willing to forfeit the delightful confections still to come.
He went on to feed her Fuzzy Navel Cake drenched with peach schnapps that she couldn't seem to get enough of, and a melt-in-your-mouth champagne cake with French buttercream frosting that made her feel giddy and drunk-not on alcohol, but the insatiable desire he was gradually building within her.
But it was the last selection that completely undid her: moist chocolate cake layered with chocolate mousse, drizzled with creamy caramel, and topped with a cloud of whipped cream and chunks of butter toffee. This cake was gooey, messy, but a sumptuous feast that tantalized her mouth and pleased her belly.
She moaned deep in her throat as the contents dissolved on her tongue and slid down her throat like honeyed silk. 'This cake is
He offered her another bite, knowing from previous requests that she wouldn't settle for just one taste. 'Would you believe the bakery called it Better Than Sex Cake?'
She licked the corner of her mouth, not wanting to spare even a smudge of whipped cream, caramel, or chocolate mousse. 'Oh, God, they're right.' She sighed in undisguised gratification. 'This is almost…
'Do you really think it's that much better?' he asked, his tone dubious.
'In my experience, yeah,' she said, realizing too late just how much she'd revealed.
There was a pause, then, 'This cake, no matter how incredible, doesn't compare to the real thing… not when you're with the right person.'
And her one and only lover obviously hadn't been that right person. Suddenly feeling self-conscious under Ryan's scrutiny, she decided it was time to end their playful game, and reached for the blindfold to remove it from her eyes.
His fingers gently encircled her wrist, stopping her before she could tug the tie loose. His touch was firm, hot, branding her.
'Not yet,' he said in a low, sexy voice. 'Maybe you'd like more?' His comment was double edged, giving her the distinct impression that he was referring to more than just feasting on the exotically named cake she'd just eaten. 'It's right here, Jessie, in the palm of my hand. Just reach out and take it, and the euphoria can be all yours. As much as you like, for as long as you want.'
Cocooned in darkness, stimulated by his words and the sexual slant of their conversation, Jessica's heart beat erratically in her chest. He'd issued her a subtle dare, a flagrant invitation… beckoning her to give in to her secret desires and experience just how good sex, with the right person, could be.
