The Guy on the Left (The Underdogs, #2)(51)

Personal Assistant, Los Angeles



Makes 12 servings





1 hour


2 8 Oz. Packages Guacamole (Add garlic powder and salt to taste)





1 Cup Sour Cream


1/2 Cup Mayonnaise

2 9 Oz. Cans Bean Dip

1 Bunch Green Onions – Sliced

3 Tomatoes – Chopped

1 8 Oz. Can Sliced Black Olives (Optional)

1 8 Oz. Package Sharp Cheddar Cheese – Shredded





1 Jar Picante Sauce


Combine sour cream and mayonnaise together. Spread bean dip in 13x9 pan. Top with guacamole. Layer sour cream mixture next. Sprinkle with green onions, tomatoes, and olives. Cover with cheese and top with Picante sauce.



Serve with tortilla chips.





Clarissa

I’m sitting at my vanity as the boys get ready to head out. I’m still stunned by Troy’s words. They ring true. He knows his son. He’s caught onto his quirks, memorized his routine, and I can’t help but wonder how much of a mirror he thinks Dante is. I was an absolute mess at breakfast, ashamed and devastated, and somehow Troy managed to pull me from that place and make it…better. I decide to make it a point to thank him before they leave. And it’s the leaving I’m wrestling with, though I know Troy would never let any harm come to Dante. I bat away any notion that I’m jealous as I apply my lip balm.

Am I jealous?

The truth is, Troy wouldn’t take him without my permission, and I find myself at odds that he does have it, fully. I can trust him with his son.

I’m still spinning in that revelation when I see Troy in the mirror, shutting my bedroom door, his eyes trained on me as he twists the lock.

All words catch in my throat when I see the intensity in his gaze. He stalks toward me, stopping just behind me as I sit in wait.

He lifts a hand and gently runs his fingers through my wet strands, pulling my head back slightly before gathering the hair at the nape of my neck. I draw my brows in confusion as he reaches for one of the hair ties next to my brush and secures it around his fistful of my hair. I’m just about to speak when he leans down, and his warm lips connect with the slope of my neck. His open-mouthed kiss is gentle, sensual, and I feel myself lean into it. Slowly his lips roam up and down my collarbone, up and down, covering the length of my shoulder. Mouth parted, I watch his eyes close as he begins to deepen his kiss, adding the slide of his tongue, before pulling at my sweater and exposing my shoulder.

Stunned, I watch his assault alternating between licks and bites while his warm hands wipe away the wetness of his kiss. Panting, I can do nothing but watch while he leads, his fist in my hair as his lips do all the talking. It’s when he hears my moan that he begins to quicken his pace. Every touch precise, purposeful. He licks the shell of my ear before drawing the whole of my lobe into his mouth, biting, sucking as he cups my breast, lifting, molding, in worship. Nothing is off-limits as he blankets the whole of me with his touch. I’m on fire, wetness pools in my panties, my heartbeat pulsing between my thighs. I gasp as he tugs on my ponytail and my head lolls to the side as he makes quick work of covering the entirety of my neck with the same intensity of his lips. I’m moaning uncontrollably now as he encompasses me with his hands, still cupping my breasts, mouth roaming, moving to the front of my neck, tracing the divot in my throat with precise flicks of his tongue. I’m on the verge of an orgasm when he tweaks my nipple, my gasp caught by the side of his mouth as he licks playfully around my lips and pulls away, just as I lean in for more. And then he’s making a slow descent down my back, his hand gliding down the front of me. My leggings are no match for his deft fingers as he presses a thick digit exactly where I need him.

Gasping, I clutch what I can, but he’s still fast at work, covering me wholly in his kiss, momentum building as my chest heaves. Getting a grip on his shirt, I twist it in my hands, unable to see anything but the lust in his eyes as he pulls away, his stare piercing. I open fully for him, spreading my legs, granting him more access. He runs his finger up and down my center, massaging my clit, as my heart hammers out of control, I’m seconds away from begging for his kiss when his lips drift back up to my throat, I turn my head and we meet, open-mouthed as he thrusts his tongue in deep, kissing me to within an inch of my life.

And with one more flick of his finger, I come, and he dives while my sporadic breaths pump into his mouth. I’m thoroughly seduced, completely intoxicated as he keeps his pace, his hands working their way back up, his lips and tongue still roaming the whole of my face, chest, and neck. I’ve never in my life felt so worshiped, so intoxicated by a man’s touch. I’ve never, ever, been kissed like this. When his lips finally return to mine, I grip him to me, twisting in my seat and kiss him back with everything in me. I’m rewarded with the tangle of our tongues as he thrusts so deeply, I drown. Slowly, he pulls away, staring down at me with so much heat and longing, it steals what’s left of my breath.

“Just think about it.”

Slowly righting my sweater, he places one more open-mouthed kiss on my neck before walking out the door.





Gabby’s Smothered Pork Chops Architect, New Mexico

Makes 6 servings





1 hour


1 Stick Butter