“It wasn’t hard. I just had to move out of Black Oak and his sphere of influence.”
“Smart,” she complimented. Then, honesty forced her to admit, “Tobias comes into the store and the cafe pretty regularly. Having a parent with an, um, forceful personality myself, I can understand how it’d be challenging to live with such a strong person. But I have to admit, I do like him.”
She didn’t add the bit of gossip she’d heard earlier that day, that Tobias had hooked up with that nasty piece of work, Lilah Gomez. Telling a man his dad was dating someone younger than him was hardly dinnertime conversation.
“Most people like Tobias,” Caleb said with a shrug. “He’s got a way with the charm.”
“Like father like son?” She smiled, handing him the glass of wine.
“You’re kidding, right?” Caleb shook his head, obviously not seeing himself as a charmer. “I was a disappointment on that score. Maya’s got a way about her, that’s for sure. But Gabriel got the bulk of the charm. Me, I got the short end of that particular stick.”
Pandora wanted to tell him just how appealing rough edges could be, but took a sip of her wine instead. Then she gathered her nerve and lifted the platter filled with the promise of sexual nirvana.
“Speaking of sticks and their length,” she said with her naughtiest smile, “I have your proof here. If you’d care to give it a try?”
Caleb swore he felt the energy in the room shift. Friendly good humor changed to a sexual thrum in the blink of Pandora’s hazel eyes.
Not that he minded, but there had been something nice in that friendliness. He didn’t think he’d ever been friends with a woman. Coworker, acquaintance, lover. That was about it.
But, hey. He’d be an idiot to complain about stepping over to the sexy side. And a bigger idiot to regret having her take away something he hadn’t even realized he might want to enjoy a little longer.
“Proof, huh?” he challenged as he took an appetizer from the tray and inspected it. “Looks like any other stuffed mushroom. How’s this proof?”
“Mushrooms and sausage together are a strong aphrodisiac,” she assured him before she bit into one herself.
Caleb had his doubts, but he had just enough of his father’s fabled charm to know better than to call his hostess a liar. Especially when she looked so sexy sitting across from him.
So he took a mushroom.
By the end of the meal, Caleb realized two things.
One, he’d never spent this long with a hard-on, and not done anything about it, in his life.
And two, he’d never talked-just talked-to a woman before like this. By unspoken agreement, they’d avoided the biggies like family and career. Instead, they’d shared their favorite Christmas memories, discovered they had the same taste in music and movies, and debated the merits of paperbacks versus ebooks.
It was like an actual date. Caleb had always wondered if that getting-to-know-a-person-on-a-date thing was real or just a myth. But this was, other than the painful pressure against the zipper of his slacks, totally awesome.
“Dessert?” she offered, noting he’d cleaned his plate for the third time. She’d been a little more delicate in her eating, only having one helping.
Despite his gluttony, Caleb glanced at the rich, chocolaty mounds of fluff with the caramel topping and sprinkling of nuts and his mouth watered.
“Sure,” he agreed. Then he realized he’d better clear some stuff up before they got into anything else that made his mouth water.
“But here’s the thing,” he said once she’d served them both and sat back down at the table. Then she started fiddling with the button, just there at the very center of her cleavage, and he forgot what he’d wanted to say.
Instead, he focused on the silky smoothness of her pale skin. Unlike most redheads, she was freckle free. At least, she was as far as he could see. Instead, her skin was almost translucent. Delicate.
“Caleb?” she said.
He dragged his eyes away from the contrast of the rich black fabric against the tempting swell of her breasts.
“Huh?” he asked, meeting her amused gaze. His lips quirked, knowing he deserved that look.
“The thing?” she prompted.
“The thing…” He frowned, thinking back. “Yeah, here’s the thing. This meal was delicious.”
Her smile was slow and sweet, those full lips curving in delight as she reached across the tiny table and rubbed her hand over his. Caleb’s dick reacted as if she’d licked it.
“Thanks,” she said softly. “I’m so glad you enjoyed it.”
“I did. And I’m sure I’m going to enjoy this dessert just as much,” he assured her, gesturing with the spoon he’d picked up. “But as great as it all was, I’m not getting how you think this proves that aphrodisiacs work.”
Pandora gave a slow nod, as if she was agreeing, or at least considering his words. Then instead of picking up her spoon, she swiped her finger through the caramel-drizzled whipped cream.
Caleb tensed.
She lifted her cream-covered finger to her mouth, then rubbed it over her lip, licking the sweet confection away with a slow swipe of her tongue.
Caleb’s eyes narrowed. He tried to swallow, but his throat wasn’t working right.
Some cream still on her finger, Pandora sucked it into her mouth, her lips closing around the tip just enough so he could still see the pink swirl of her tongue as she licked it away.
Son of a bitch.
He swore he could smell the smoke as his brain short-circuited.
When she reached back into that crystal bowl and scooped up more dessert, this time cream and chocolate both, Caleb held his breath.
But instead of repeating the tasting show, she leaned forward to reach across the table. The move made her dress, unbuttoned so temptingly, shift to show more of the red lacy fabric of her bra. Before he could groan at the sight, though, she offered that fingerful of temptation to him.
“Taste?” she said, her words low and husky.
As hard as it was not to stare at the bounty bound in red lace, his gaze locked on hers. Her eyes were slumberous. Still sweet, he didn’t think anything could change that. But sexier. There was a knowledge in them that said she knew exactly what she was doing to him. And that she planned to do a hell of a lot more.
Holding her gaze, he wrapped his fingers around her wrist, bringing her hand to his mouth. The chocolate was rich, with a hint of coffee. Her finger tasted even better. He sucked the sweet confection off her flesh, then ran his tongue along the length of her palm, scraping his teeth against the mound at the base of her thumb.
Pandora gave a little mewl of pleasure.
Caleb grinned.
“So…” she said after clearing her throat.
“So?”
“So that’s the thing.”
Caleb frowned.
“You said you wanted me. And I obviously am attracted to you,” she told him, gently extricating her fingers from his hand.
“Yeah?”
“But let’s face it. I’m not your type. I’m what’s usually termed a good girl.”
“How good are you?”
“Really,
Caleb frowned, not sure he liked how well she read him.
“So?”
“So that’s my proof,” she said.
Before he could point out that it really wasn’t proof, she held out her hand. He took it, getting to his feet. She didn’t move back, though. So his body brushed against her smaller, more delicate figure.
“Your proof is that we’re not each other’s type?”
