Love, Chocolate, and Beer (Cactus Creek #1)(35)

Dani’s face was a mask of restrained curiosity. “Oh, so you’ve seen it?”

“I kind of figured you wanted me to. What with your blatant twitter taunt this afternoon.”

When he provided no further comment, she jabbed him in the ribs. “C’mon! I gave you feedback on your video. Tell me what you thought of ours.”

“Eh.”

Her eyes narrowed to annoyed slits.

God, she was fun to tease. He continued military silence until she unleashed a piqued kitten growl. “Okay, okay.” He kept a straight face and lied outrageously, “It was abysmal.”

In disbelieving amusement, her lips quirked to the side. “That bad huh? And yet our abysmal video still managed to acquire nearly as many hits as yours already. Go figure.”

“Ah, but let’s give credit where credit is due. That was mostly Quinn and you know it. When she turned this little wager of ours into the online frenzy linked to our promotional events and videos, she put us on the cyber map. With the amount she’s been tweeting, facebooking, and blogging, the Arizona college population alone is putting in hundreds of views a day.”

“You’re right,” admitted Dani. “I saw all the cyber buzz she’s been getting out there. She’s really firing everyone up for this throwdown.”

“And you’re providing some particularly flammable fuel.” Humor colored his tone. “The shot of the Desert Confections chocolate box just as Evan blew out the candles on their crappy date? Nice touch.”

“Caught that, did you?” An effervescent giggle rippled out of her as she patted her back.

“Yep. And somehow tricking Quinn into practically demanding that you allow Rissa and Evan to star in your video? Very impressive. Superhero caliber, even.”

“I remember you said she has a younger sister.” She grinned. “Being one myself, I just dusted off the old techniques I used to annoy my brother with. Quinn never stood a chance.”

He laughed. “So far, you’re proving yourself a worthy adversary, Miss Dobson.”

“Oh, you haven’t seen anything yet.” Her eyes danced.

The woman could even make unrelenting competitiveness look sexy. Bewitched, Luke leaned over, eyes locked on her simpering lips in an I’m-about-to-kiss-you sort of way.

…Only to have her shift away at the last second.

Not without a spark of hunger in her eyes and a soft, frustrated sigh, however.

“I’m sorry,” he apologized immediately, kicking himself for not holding to his own assurances that this wasn’t a date. He wanted her trust. But dammit did he want that kiss, too.

“Don’t be,” she said quickly, quietly. “It’s not that I don’t want to. Believe me. It’s just… Well, besides that first night in the storage closet… Basically, this would be our first official...even if it’s not a date…” She trailed off with a frustrated huff—tongue-tied and gaze locked on her shoes.

His eyes widened in understanding. She’s nervous. With first kiss jitters. The woman was just so unbelievably cute. Not allowing her another second to retreat back into her head, back over that wall she’d erected after their careers and the throwdown got in the way of what they’d started back in that storage closet, he circled his arm around her waist and drew her body flush against his. He drank in the tail end of her gasp as he bent down to quickly brush his lips over hers, nearly growling when she responded like a lit fuse.

Finally. He’d waited over a month to feel her in his arms again. And it was every bit worth the wait. Tilting his head, he deepened the kiss, knowing it was already far deeper, hotter, just…more than the ones they’d shared as strangers the night they met.

Christ, it was sweet.

When Luke eventually lifted his lips away—almost needing to see for himself that this wasn’t just one incredible wet dream—an accidental confession slipped out from under her breath. It was quiet, but he heard it: Best first kiss ever.

With a groaned sigh born of pure tenderness, he leaned in to collect a second kiss. Then a third. Soon, he lost count. He slid his hands through the silken strands of her hair, reveling in the fantasy of that simple touch as well. It had been torture over the weeks watching those smooth, sleek espresso rich strands barely kiss the tops of her shoulders whenever she moved, remembering the feel of the satin waterfall against his jawline when his teeth had scored over her collarbone.

Jesus. So much better than his memories. Every apple-scented square inch of her fit in his arms even better than his memories.

Breathing heavily, Luke looked down to see that her eyes were still closed and his imagination swiftly whipped to an image of her looking like that in bed. His bed. “You’re killing me, sweetheart.” Her shivery cat-content smile didn’t help any. “Unless you want me to throw you over my shoulder and head to my place—if we make it that far—you need to open your eyes.”

She did.

And he swallowed another deep groan.

Pure pleasure mingled with unabashed desire in her eyes. He blindfolded her with his hands. “Never mind. Keep ‘em shut. If you keep looking at me like that, I don’t think I’ll be able to stop myself from jumping you.”

This time, when he peeked at her eyes, they were twinkling with amusement.

“You’re forever amused at getting me all hot and bothered,” he mock complained.