Tilting my head, I see his bunched brows. “For what? You had a wife, Rhodes. You have a son. I have a son and had a husband. The difference is that mine is still in my life on a daily basis, and you lost yours far too early.”
His eyes soften. “Yeah. But it’s not good form to bring her up during a fantastic date with a woman I hope to see again.”
“You wanna see me again?” I ask, my lips quirking into a small smirk.
“Well, you’re cooking doesn’t suck.”
“Nice to know.”
“And you make the art of cooking a hell of a lot more interesting.”
I shift forward in my seat, leaning into an elbow on the table. “That was because I had a sexy man in my kitchen cooking with me.”
His eyes flash again. Fuck I like that look on him. Then his expression turns serious again. “But I am sorry. Jake and I talked about it after Lily passed away, and we agreed we would never forget her, and part of that is by talking about her.”
I reach over and hold my hand out, the weird tightness in my chest easing when he laces his fingers with mine. “I love that though. I can’t imagine what it must’ve been like to live through losing the love of your life, and to have Jake to think about while all of that was going on. But I also can’t imagine you’d ever forget her, Rhodes. I’d want to hear about her.”
His body jolts. “You do?”
“She’s as much a part of you as Jake is. And to state it plainly, so there’s absolutely no doubt in your mind, I like you, Rhodes. A lot. And I want to spend time with you—and Jake—and want you to meet Harvey again too.”
“I want that,” he says with no hesitation, no uncertainty.
This man, god, he kills me with his honesty. It’s so fucking good. Flynn and I lived in denial for such a long time, trying to keep a steady ship and not rock the boat by admitting what we both knew to be true. Since then, I made myself a promise to always be honest and put my needs way up the list.
Rhodes isn’t finished. “I also want it known that I don’t date—not until you—and I know it hasn’t been long, but this feels right between us and I’m not a fan of sharing, so—”
“You asking me to go steady, honey?”
He chuckles and shakes his head at me. “Yeah, I guess I am.”
“Then do I get your class ring or letterman jacket?” I tease.
“Haven’t had those for a long time. I could probably give you one of my CFD tees.”
I giggle and sigh dramatically. “Oh, I guess that’ll have to do.”
He rubs his thumb over my knuckles. “I’ll try to limit bringing Lily up.”
“Don’t you dare.”
His eyes widen and his glass stills.
“I’m serious, Rhodes. We said we wouldn’t censor, and with all indications being that I’m going to want to see you for a while, you’ll have to interact with Flynn, because he’s still a big part of my life too.” I squeeze his hand to make sure I have his attention. “You accepted meeting my ex-husband and barely skipped a beat. You’ve gotta trust that I can do the same. Lily was your wife and Jake’s mom. She’s important, and I wouldn’t be the woman you deserve if I can’t accept that.”
“Fuck I wanna kiss you right now.”
I arch a brow. “What’s stopping you?”
“Absolutely fucking nothing,” he spits out as he surges up and rounds the table before pulling me to my feet, wrapping me in his arms and slamming his mouth onto mine. My lips part and my tongue seeks his. My hands glide through his hair and hold him in place, my body threatening to overheat as we make out like teenagers, the world around us fading away. It’s sublime.
A little while later—after feeding each other my famous chocolate lava cake and tasting it on each other’s lips, which might be my new favorite way to eat anything—Rhodes regrettably says he should head home.
“Before you go,” I say, releasing his hand and walking over to the fridge. I pull out a paper bag with the Delish logo on it and move back to him where he stands watching me with a confused expression. “This is for Jake.”
“You made my kid a doggy bag?”
I shrug. “It’s nothing. We had leftovers, and it’s better than letting it all go to waste.”
“You know you’re gonna be his favorite now, right? Probably more than me.”
“You’ll be the one delivering it so we might share that top spot. Not a bad place to be.” I grin up at him. “Especially if it scores me brownie points with his dad.”
“All you have to do is breathe to do that, sweet cheeks.”
I huff out a breath, making him growl.
Hand in hand, we walk out to his car before making out against the wall. It leaves me pent up, and for a brief moment, I wish I could drag him back to the kitchen and say goodbye with other parts of my body.
“Thanks for dinner, Dee,” he rasps against my lips, his body still pressed against me.
“You’re welcome. Thanks for helping me cook it.” I roll my hips, earning a deep groan that courses through me.
“Don’t tease me when I’m on a knife’s edge here.”
“Oh, really?”
He turns to where we just came from, down the hall. “Any other time, any other place, I’d be showing my appreciation in more creative ways.”
Absolutely nothing could wipe my grin off my face in this moment. I slide one of my hands down over his butt and push him against me. “I’ll hold you to that.”
“That’s a promise, sweet cheeks.”
My lips quirk up. “Feels to me like it’s you with
