I drove my elbow back, connecting with his stomach. He let out a grunt and then laughed again.
His teasing made me smile, but it was his warmth that had me feeling safe, as if maybe, just maybe, I could let loose a little bit and simply enjoy the wind on my face, the way his body wrapped around mine protectively — something I’d never once in my life experienced, not even when I had been married. Maybe I could enjoy the laughter around me and not constantly wonder where it all had gone wrong in my life, how I’d been brought to this moment in time — almost forty, with kids nearly grown — wishing I could have at least once experienced the sort of romantic love people wrote songs about, fought for, maybe even died for.
The sun finally disappeared below the horizon, blanketing us in dusk, and the temperature immediately dropped a few degrees.
I didn’t want to move, but I knew we needed to build a fire, so I reluctantly started pulling away only to have Drew keep me locked in place. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t finished watching.”
Huh? Confusion clouded my mind, and I shifted to get a look at him, but he held me in place. “But… the sun set already…”
“You think I was watching the sun the whole time? How adorably wrong.” His nose trailed down my neck up and down, and then his teeth nipped my ear, causing shivers to erupt all over my skin. “I was watching you watch it, and I’ve never seen anything so awe-inspiring as a gorgeous woman watching the sunset for what seems like the first time.”
My knees literally felt like they were going to turn to jelly.
How do you even respond to that?
Ask him how much longer?
Kiss him senseless?
I am in way over my head, aren’t I?
I mean, I’d barely dated my ex before our parents forced us to get married.
I gulped and kept my eyes staring straight ahead.
“I’ve made you uncomfortable,” he murmured. “You should probably get used to it because I don’t really have a censor, especially around you, and I don’t think I should have to stop myself from telling you how beautiful you really are. Maybe one day, you’ll actually believe me.”
He slowly wrapped the blanket tighter around me then left me standing there, wondering what the hell had just happened.
The smell of fire burned my nostrils a few minutes later. I tried to compose myself as I grabbed my chair and pulled it close enough to the flames to get warmth.
Drew was busy putting hotdogs on the sticks, and had them both hovering over the fire in no time. “Good thing I’m a pro at this since I’m cooking tonight.”
“Can you cook anything else?” I wondered with a smirk.
“I can… read?” He offered with a sly grin. “So yes, I can follow a recipe, but living on the road doesn’t really give you a lot of time to learn all the secrets of a master chef. I do know I would sacrifice a goat just to have some of your lasagna.”
I nearly spewed wine out of my mouth. “A goat?”
“It was the first thing that came to mind.” He shrugged, his eyes flickering to mine over the orange blaze. “All right, you want your wiener slightly burnt or medium well?”
I hesitated for a minute. “Why do I feel like this is somehow a trick question?”
He shrugged. “Better hurry… don’t want me burning both wieners. Imagine the pain!”
I rolled my eyes. “Medium well!”
“Done!” He pulled both of the dogs back and set them each in a bun. “Ketchup, mustard, relish— Wow! I just may kiss you. Nobody remembers the relish! It’s like the red-headed stepchild of barbecues!”
I threw my hands in the air. “Thank you! I hate it when people forget!”
“It’s truly the only way to eat a wiener. Well done, little girl. I may just give you an A.”
“Imagine if I would have gotten two jars.”
He moaned. “Stop teasing me. I’m sensitive.”
I covered my face with my hands. “Stop moaning!”
He just moaned louder then added giant scoops of relish to each of our hot dogs. “Ketchup?”
“And mustard.”
“This is why we’re best friends now,” he said under his breath as he prepped mine and handed it to me. “Cheers.” We bumped our hotdogs together, and then each took a bite.
“Oh God,” I groaned and chewed. “You’re my new favorite person.”
His eyes heated across the fire as he watched me eat and then, “Yeah, I’m going to need you to repeat that. I was too busy watching you annihilate that hot dog. Damn, you can swallow… food… well.” A smirk.
I almost choked. “Um, thanks?”
He took a small bite and continued watching me eat, then just shook his head and whispered something under his breath.
“Everything okay?” I asked.
“Perfect,” he said through clenched teeth. “Was just having a pep-talk with my body about what we could and could not do. No worries, my dick just hates mass disappointment, so I gotta let him down nice and easy.”
This time I did choke. “I’m sorry. What?”
“Ohh… I just had to explain that this wasn’t a one-night stand where we get to count how many orgasms I can give you.” He grinned. “That’s all.”
My eyes widened. “I, uh…”
His smile fell. “You, uh, what?”
“It’s nothing!” I shoved the hotdog into my mouth until I was having trouble fitting any more of it, and then I chewed carefully while he seemed to stare me down in an effort to read my mind.
Then his eyes widened, and he jumped to his feet, nearly falling over in the sand in an effort to come and sit by me. He suddenly was right at my side just as I swallowed my last bite and stared into the fire.
“Orgasms.” He just had to repeat the word. “I mean, you’ve…” His eyes narrowed. “…at least with your ex you did… or someone you dated after… or—”
At my expression, he stopped talking. And then I just shook my head
