Troubles and Treats (Chocolate Lovers #3)(64)

When we first started dating, we went to the movies one night and he bought me a giant bag of Skittles. I sat there for fifteen minutes before the movie started and picked out all of the red and purples ones, putting them in a napkin in my cup holder before handing him the bag. From that point on, every once in a while for no reason at all he would give me a little white box that was filled with just purple and red Skittles. I couldn’t even tell you the last time he did that for me.

I knew exactly what would be in the box and my hands shook and my eyes filled with tears as I closed the front door and opened the lid. Sure enough, the box was filled to the brim with purple and red Skittles. Not only was he stepping up his game around the house before I even had a chance to sit down and talk to him, he was starting to do the little things that I loved the most like giving me my favorite treats.

And tonight, he had given me another favorite treat: kissing my collarbone.

I can’t wipe the smile off of my face as I enter the kitchen and find Liz and Claire seated at the table, arguing over who is going to win the game.

“Ladies, ladies! No more arguing. The winner has just entered the room,” I tell them with a smile as I sit down at the table with them.

“Well, it’s about f*cking time you got your confidence back!” Liz tells me. “Bartender, pour us a round of shots!”

Jackson laughs and turns toward the counter, filling up drinking glasses with a few inches of black cherry vodka.

“You know he’s not a bartender, right? He’s a carpenter,” I whisper to Liz.

Jackson comes back over to the table and places a glass in front of each of us.

“Shut up and do your shot!” Liz tells me.

We down our shots, let out a cheer, and Jackson begins our questions.

~

“Alright, for five points, making your score a grand total of forty-five, Drew – what would Jenny say is her favorite place to make love?” Jackson asks.

“VAGINA! IN HER VAGINA!” Drew screams excitedly.

Jackson looks over at me and nods, and I flip over my card for everyone to see my answer.

Jim and Liz groan from their spots on the floor, and Carter and Claire start to laugh while Drew bounces up and down and gives me a high five when he sees the word “vagina” written really big on my card.

“WOOOHOOO! We are kicking ALL of your asses!” Drew shouts as I throw my card down to the discard pile on the floor.

I don’t know why I was so worried about this game. No matter what, Drew and I know each other very well. It doesn’t matter if we aren’t on the same page or even reading the same book. Which we never are anyway because I like romances and Drew only reads the funny pages, and it just occurred to me that that statement is kind of dumb. Who reads the same book at the same time? I takes me months to read a book and other people might read fast. That’s just weird.

Anyway, we were really kicking everyone’s ass and unfortunately, poor Jim wasn’t going to be plowing the back field tonight since he and Liz are currently in last place with only ten points.

“Jim, who did Liz say is better at handling money?” Jackson asks him.

Jim chuckles and finishes off his drink, setting the glass on the coffee table next to him.

“Man, this is an easy one. Me!”

Liz flips her card over and then smacks Jim in the chest with it.

“Are you kidding me? You went to the store two weeks ago and bought seventy-two bottles of Windex. Who the f*ck even USES seventy-two bottles of Windex in their entire life?” Liz complains, throwing her card down on the floor.

“IT WAS ON SALE!” Jim yells at her. “I saved money in the long run!”

“We will DIE before even half of that is used. You WASTED money!” Liz yells back.

“Alrighty then, moving on. Carter, for five points, bringing your score up to thirty-five, if you told Claire that tomorrow you would do one item from her ‘Honey-Do List’, what would she pick?” Jackson asks.

Carter leans over and kisses Claire on the cheek and answers confidently, “Install the new sink in the guest bathroom.”

Claire leans away from him and gives him a dirty look before flipping her card over.

“I installed the sink myself three weeks ago. What did I tell you JUST THIS MORNING that you needed to fix before I smothered you in your sleep and set fire to your Sopranos DVD collection?”

Carter leans forward and looks at her card.

“Ohhhhhh, right. Move the heavy bag I hung in the middle of the garage because now you can’t park in there. My bad,” Carter says apologetically.

“Okay, final question and for the win. - Drew, you’ve run out to the corner store late at night to pick up milk. You decide while you’re there to get a treat for Jenny. What did she say you would buy her?” Jackson asks.

I look over at Drew and he looks over at me and we both smile.

“Skittles, Funyons and a Chinese finger trap!” Drew says without looking away from me.

I flip my card over and everyone voices their complaints when they see Skittles, Funyons, and a Chinese finger trap written on my card.

“With fifty points, the winners are Drew and Jenny!” Jackson shouts.

Drew and I both jump up from the couch and start hugging and jumping up and down. Before I know it, his lips are on mine and his hands are pressed against my lower back, pulling my body up against his. I don’t even think twice before sliding my tongue past his lips and swirl it around his. He tastes like whiskey and a hint of the peppermint toothpaste he used earlier, and I want to swallow him whole. I clutch the front of his shirt in my fists and pull him even closer, sucking on his tongue just the way he likes. Drew groans into my mouth, his hands sliding down toward my ass. I bend my knees slightly and prepare to jump up and wrap my legs around his waist when the sound of throats clearing and Jim yelling, “GET A ROOM!” breaks through our haze of lust.