Love, Chocolate, and Beer (Cactus Creek #1)(6)

Of course, like a masochist, she tipped her head back to meet his gaze anyway.

“Hi,” he rumbled gently, a soft smile flirting with the corners of his lips.

It was a content murmur more than anything else and somehow he managed to make that one word, the mere act of greeting her, meeting her for the first time sound so...special.

Oh, hell. The moment her fingertips began gravitating to his chest, the rest of her couldn’t help but follow. His hands settled lightly at her sides and she watched, spellbound, as the simmering heat in his eyes burned hotter. Deeper.

An unexpected sigh of pleasure seeped out of her and instantly, his fingers flexed against her hips in response. It was the only warning she got. In one sultry swoop, he strapped a steel arm around her waist to pull her flush against him before he caught her jaw with his free hand and just exploded past all her defenses with one slow, soft brush of his lips against hers.

Then just as quickly, he pulled back.

Seemingly shocked at his own actions, eyes fixed on hers as if to gauge her reaction, he dragged in ragged breath after ragged breath. To try to slow things down probably.

One second, two seconds...

On three, her lips found his racing pulse just above his collar. A timid tongue swipe was all it took to get her shoulders pinned back against a wall, his hand speared through her hair, and the sensitive skin along her neck schooled on how turnabout was so far beyond fair play.

Breathing became barely a memory as his mouth decimated any hope she had of control. Before she knew it, she was undoing her shirt, daring him to follow suit. She wasn’t normally the bold instigator type but with him...she couldn’t think, couldn’t wait, couldn’t—

She gasped.

I don’t even know this guy’s name.

Shoving him probably far harder than was necessary, she jerked out of his arms and outright leapt as far away from him as she could.

“Are you alright?” He held a startled, worried hand out to her like a forbidden apple.

Yes please. She shook her head hard, sidling farther away from him. “I don’t do that…this. Ever.”

“Well then, you’re one of those who are just phenomenal without needing practice,” he teased lightly, the concern in his voice evident. “Hey, it’s okay. Why don’t we just sit and talk for a bit?” He perched atop a nearby liquor crate. “I promise not to pounce on you.”

He meant it, she could tell. He just sat there waiting, patiently giving her the time and space she needed. Slowly, she sank down onto the crate directly in front of him.

“Are you?” he asked softly, gently smoothing her hair back to study her expression.

Feeling like she’d lost all her marbles, she looked up in confusion. “Am I what?”

“One of those who doesn’t practice much? At this?”

Dani gasped again, this time in anger. “Did Xoey bribe you to end my ‘drought’ or whatever she calls it?!” She jabbed a finger in his chest. “Because I’ll have you know—”

“Hey, calm down.” His hands curtailed her efforts to drill into his sternum. “Your friend didn’t tell me about any, um, drought.” The corners of his eyes crinkled slightly.

“Don’t you dare laugh at me, you ass!”

“I wasn’t laughing. I was smiling.” The glare she shot him could’ve leveled a city.

His hand halted an inch from sliding into her hair again, or rather, an inch from her now fully visible teeth. “Why do I get the feeling biting a hunk of flesh out of me wouldn’t be beneath you”—he blinked, fascinated—“Did you just growl at me?”

While he was now showing her the same caution one would a feral cat, his heated gaze said he found her ferocity inexplicably sexy. “Yes, I was smiling about your drought; so sue me. I like the thought of you not remembering any kisses but mine.” His eyes roamed her face. “To hell with it, I don’t need all ten fingers…” He caressed her cheek and she felt her eyelids drift closed at the touch.

“Dani, you in there?” bellowed Javier, one of her cooks from the kitchen. “Can you bring out the—” His severed request morphed into a muffled howl, a high octave just below soprano. “Never mind,” he reneged in a squeaking gasp of male agony shortly after.

Dani winced, recognizing the audible footprint of Xoey’s handiwork. The mental image of Xoey de-balling poor Javier threw Dani back to the here and now. As reality rushed in, she could once again hear the bar noises sifting in under the door, smell the savory aromas from the grill, and see—even in the semi-darkness—that she’d been minutes from rounding a few of the bases with a perfect stranger.

Avoiding his eyes, she fiddled with her bar apron. “I should probably get back to work.”

“Right, of course.” He stood and helped her up. “Sorry, I never lose my head like that. Not sure what’s up with me...huh, that sounded a lot dirtier than I intended—” He stopped and grinned when a ripple of amusement tinkled past her lips.

She couldn’t help but chuckle. This was fun; he was fun.

As she rolled the liquor cart to the door, Dani racked her brain for a sexy comeback to keep the banter going. Not exactly her forte.

Luckily, she was saved from making a conversational ass out of herself when he abruptly stepped in front of the cart and said, “I know you have to get back out to the bar but I’ll never forgive myself if I let you walk out this door without getting you to agree to have dinner with me.”