by Addison Cole
“A tubful of fudge to melt later, perhaps?” he whispered.
When she met his gaze, it was swimming with heat. Molten lava. Temptations of the naughtiest kind. Holy cow.
Before she could form a response, he said, “We’ll get some of that, too.”
How would she ever eat chocolate again without seeing that look? Where did it come from? Oh my, she must look as lustful as she felt.
They stepped up to the counter, and Matt waved at the display of desserts. “What would you refrain from eating if you were with Hagen?”
“How did you know…?”
“You said he can only take so much sugar before he turns into a factoid chatterbox and you can’t keep up. More specifically, I think you said the equivalent to one kiddie-size ice-cream cone was his limit.”
You remembered?
“Said with the love of a mother, of course,” he added with a warm smile.
She banged her forehead on his hard chest, which she’d done a few times before. They were friends; it wasn’t so weird of a thing to do. But now it felt intimate. She forced herself to take a step back. “You remembered that, too?”
He tapped the side of his head. “Hear it, read it, see it. Once is all it takes. Like that brilliant boy of yours. Now pick out all your mouthwatering treats before the hungry crowd behind us riots.”
She stared into the display, but her mind was still on that brilliant boy of yours. People outside of her family called Hagen a lot of things—nerdy, quiet, different (the one that bothered her the most)—but brilliant was never tossed his way, except by her, which didn’t really count. Her brothers called him smart, and bless their hearts, they talked about manning him up when he was older. Of course, as much as she appreciated their efforts, they couldn’t know that the suggestion also stung. She loved her boy just as he was. She liked that he enjoyed learning more than he liked kicking a ball.
Matt’s hand pressed more firmly against her, bringing her mind back to the moment.
“How about we choose together?”
“Yes, please.” Anything to get my mind to behave.
He pointed to a piece of decadent chocolate cake, chocolate-covered strawberries drizzled in white chocolate, and raspberry cheesecake. “What do you think?”
“Um…” Her mouth watered as she tried to decide. “Which do you want?”
“Which? I was thinking we’d get all three and share.”
“All three?” She imagined smearing all that richness on her hips, where it was all going to end up anyway. That led to her thinking about Matt spreading it on her hips and his big hands moving along—
Gulp.
Time to shut her brain up.
“And a piece of milk-chocolate fudge,” he added casually, sending her brain right back to the gutter.
“Or should I order a bucketful?” he said into her ear. Then a little louder, he asked, “Is water okay?”
“Yes. With ice. Extra ice, please.” Chocolate and Matt together kicked off an avalanche that caused her brain to tumble south. Although his very impressive south was outlined nicely by his jeans.
She tore her eyes away. She was an educated, responsible mother, and it was time to act like one. This was the trouble with being around him. Other guys were easy to ignore, or at least resist, but Matt was different. She knew his family and friends. She’d seen him with her son. He was the epitome of a good friend, and a reliable, smart Princeton professor—which was probably where her naughty coed fantasy came from, considering she’d never had that particular fantasy while she was in college.
Pushing that thought away took many hard swallows and thoughts of butterflies and puppies, and…Hagen. Once again clear-headed, she focused on having a night of clean fun.
The tables were all taken, so they headed outside to the patio.
“What do you think, sunshine? Would these taste better on the beach? Or do you have someplace else in mind?”
Her mommy brain kicked in. “Cell phones don’t work on the beaches, and I want to be available in case Hagen needs me.”
“I forgot about the cell reception issues around here. Sorry about that.” With a hand on her back, he guided her toward the parking lot. “Provincetown? Cell reception is fine on those beaches.”
“P-town? You don’t have to drive that far. We can—”
“That far? On your one free night? No such thing as too far, unless I’m boring you already?”
“No, definitely not. I’m just not used to having free rein over my time. P-town sounds great.”
They headed across the parking lot toward his car. Between Mira’s job at the hardware store and the bookkeeping she did on the side, she made a solid living, but her Subaru paled in comparison to the luxurious Mercedes she was climbing into. She’d been in it before, but it was just another friendly reminder to her crazy hormones not to get too excited. She’d spent years dealing with daycare and menial part-time jobs that allowed a modicum of flexibility for her to miss work when Hagen was sick. Her life had finally become stable, thanks to Matt’s father. Neil Lacroux was a wonderful, caring boss, and he understood the often-changing schedule of a single mother. The hardware store was already on shaky ground, trying to compete with bigger companies who could offer deeper discounts. She didn’t need to further jeopardize her job by acting on her crush on her boss’s son.
She stole a glance at Matt, and her stomach tumbled. Apparently her hormones hadn’t gotten the memo.
Chapter Two
PROVINCETOWN WAS AN artsy community that never slowed down, and tonight was no different. The pier was bustling with people from end to end. Mira and Matt crossed over the boardwalk and weaved through the crowd toward the beach. Mira glanced at Commercial Street, the main drag through town. Music and laughter carried in the air. Colorful lights lit up the eclectic shops, men dressed in drag waved cards undoubtedly promoting comedy clubs and shows, and couples meandered by taking it all in.
Mira and Matt took off their shoes and carried them down to the water. How Matt managed to carry the bakery box, his shoes, and still put a hand on her back was beyond her, but she could see he was in protective mode. His eyes moved stealthily over the other people on the beach as he guided her a short distance away, where they sat by the water’s edge.
Mira set their drinks in the sand and inhaled deeply, blowing out a long relaxing breath. “Boy did I need this. Thank you for dragging me out of the office.”
“My pleasure. You do have me down as your date for the wedding, right?” He opened the bakery box, set it between them, and handed her a plastic fork from within the box.
Yes, please. “Your date?”
“I can’t exactly show up as the only single Lacroux. Women will be all over me.”
“You want me to protect you from all those handsy women?”
“Yes,” he said, dead serious. His gaze heated like it had in the Chocolate Sparrow. “I need you by my side, Mira.”
Either he was full-on flirting or she’d lost her mind. She narrowed her eyes, feeling mildly daring. “What if I’m handsy?”
“You’ll be my date, and my date can be as handsy as she wants.”
Oh boy, did she like the sound of that. Just as her hopes soared, she remembered her little man. “But I’ll have Hagen.”
“Lucky for me I have two hands.” He held up his hands as if to prove he owned two. “A double date, then?”
“Sounds great.” A double date? With her son? That was so…Matt. He’d always included Hagen when he’d asked her out before, but this felt different, which meant she was clearly losing her grip on reality.
“Excellent. So what’s on our agenda tonight? What’s on your if-I-had-a-night-alone bucket list?”
She stabbed a hunk of chocolate cake with her fork. “I don’t have that kind of bucket list. I have a mom bucket list.”
He dug into the cheesecake and took a bite. His eyes widened and he scooped more cheesecake onto his fork and held it up by her mouth. “You have to
taste this, and then I want to know about your mom bucket list.”
She laughed and accepted the bite. The cheesecake and raspberry melted in her mouth. “That’s better than an—” Orgasm. Oh gosh. He was totally messing with her head. She couldn’t even remember what an orgasm felt like when it wasn’t brought on by something battery operated. Of course, those were usually accompanied by visions of Matt perched above her.
“Than an…?”
“Ice-cream sundae,” she blurted out.
He pointed his fork at her and narrowed his eyes. “That’s only because you’ve never had one of my specialty sundaes.”
“Funny. I was just thinking something similar.” Their eyes held for so long she wondered if he could read her dirty thoughts. He picked up the fudge, broke off a piece, and fed it to her with his fingers.
Oh yeah, he could read them all right.
After a few minutes of flustered thoughts and forgetting how to speak like a normal person, Mira pulled herself together, and they finally fell into easy conversation, as they had so many times before tonight. What was it about tonight?
Matt continued feeding her bites of chocolate in between topics.
That’s what it was about tonight. The flirting and feeding and treating her like she was more than a friend.
“You’re trying to make me fat,” she teased, taking a drink of water.
He lifted a chocolate-covered strawberry to her lips, and she bit right through the middle. An explosion of sweetness burst in her mouth.
“Nope, I just love the face you make after every bite. Like you disappear into a dark fantasy.”
She felt her cheeks heat up and covered her face with her hand. “That’s so embarrassing.”
He lowered her hand with a sinful smile that made her insides melt.
“Why weren’t you out on a date tonight?” He asked it so passionately, he might as well have asked, Why do you still have clothes on?
Okay, maybe that was just lust turning her brain to mush.
“The dating pool on Cape Cod leaves a lot to be desired.”
He scoffed and looked around the beach at groups of twentysomethings playing guitars, singing, and talking. “There are plenty of good-looking guys around here.”
“Good-looking doesn’t equate to worthy of dating.” Hagen’s father—the lying, cheating jerk—had taught her that men were even less reliable than the weather. She wasn’t about to go the relationship route and chance Hagen—or her—getting let down again. She took another drink of water, hoping Matt would drop the subject, but his arched brow silently urged her to continue.
“Okay, fine.” She rolled her eyes. So much for keeping her thoughts to herself. “Before I had Hagen I might have dreamed of finding Mr. Right. Being romanced with French restaurants and poetic gestures. All the immature fantasies girls are brought up to have.” She shook her head and laughed softly, remembering how real and attainable that felt at one time.
“But that all changed when real life set in. A baby, sleepless nights, juggling schedules, dealing with colic, and…It doesn’t matter why. Dating takes time and energy, and I don’t have much of either left at the end of most days. I’m also a package deal. And more importantly, guys want attention, and I’ve never met a man who was worth diverting any of my attention away from Hagen.” That was a tiny white lie. When she was with Matt she never felt like she needed to divide her attention between him and Hagen. The three of them blended together seamlessly. But there was a world of difference between spending a few hours with each other and a lifetime of togetherness.
“I guess that makes sense. I haven’t been dating either.” He paused, as if he wanted that to sink in, which it did, only to make her worry she was reading too much into it. “Tell me about your bucket list.”
Glad for the change in subject, she said, “Only if you’ll tell me yours.”
She picked up a strawberry, and he wrapped his fingers around her wrist and held it still as he bit into the sweet treat, his eyes searing into hers. He licked his lips and took the stem from her hand, setting it in the box without ever breaking their connection. Silence had never felt so alive. Her mind traveled to those dark places she was trying to ignore. Maybe we could be friends with benefits for just one night?
“My bucket list in general?” he asked. “Or my one-night-of-freedom bucket list?”
What was she thinking? Her boss’s son? No. No benefits! She needed the real benefits of having a job more than she needed sex with this gorgeous, fun, flirty creature.
“One night of freedom,” she said quickly.
“That’s a loaded question,” he said in a low voice. “With dangerous answers. Let me think on it while you tell me yours.”
Maybe the chocolate was laced with an aphrodisiac.
He glanced over her shoulder at a group of people by the pier playing guitars, breaking their connection. She inhaled a deep breath to rein in her out-of-control hormones.
“Okay, but you’ll probably be disappointed. On my mom bucket list is making sure Hagen has a secure and happy future, which means eventually sitting for the CPA exam so I can make more money. Not that I want to leave your father’s hardware store. You know I lost my dad when I was twelve, and your dad has become like family. He’s really good to me, allowing me to work around Hagen’s schedule and making other accommodations that I know would be impossible to find elsewhere. He’s a good man, even if he is too stubborn to admit that the business is threatened by big businesses offering lower prices.” She waved a dismissive hand. “Anyway, that’s about it. I’ve got a great cottage at my brothers’ resort, and a job I love. Right now my life is all about bringing up Hagen.”
He settled his hand over hers with a serious expression. “That’s a respectable mommy list. Now tell me about the list you apparently don’t have. Your fantasy list.”
You mean the one you’re the star of?
“We have all night to do whatever you want, sunshine. What do you want to do?”
You, nearly slipped out. She cleared her throat and said the only other thing she could think of. “A ghost tour.”
He laughed.
“Seriously.” If I can’t have my real fantasy, I might as well have my top nonsexual fantasy. “That’s something I can’t do with Hagen, and I have always wanted to go on one. Now it’s your turn. What’s on yours?” And answer fast before some embarrassing confession slips from my lips.
His eyes heated again. “This is it.”
“Getting a sugar high in P-town? That’s not much of a list.”
“I disagree. Spending an evening alone with you is a very fine start to my list.”
Oh my. Her heart fluttered at his words, his touch, and the tender look in his eyes. Tender. Not rip my clothes off and take me for a night, but I want to kiss you until you can’t see straight tender. Yeah, that look, and boy did she ever want that kiss.
“Professor Lacroux, that was a very smooth line.”
“It wasn’t a line, and for the next three months I’m not a professor. I’m on sabbatical. Remember the article I wrote for the New York Times that went viral?”
It wasn’t a line? You’re here on sabbatical? “H-hard to forget. You were like a local hero.” Her voice came out soft and shaky. She remembered the throngs of customers coming in to the store to congratulate his father more than she remembered the article itself, but she knew it was a very big deal.
“A hero? So ridiculous. Anyway, I’ve been wanting to do more than teach for a long time. There’s so much administrative red tape, and between research papers, teaching, and applying for grants, I was losing my mind. When that article came out, I had two unfinished goals. Making dean of the School of Social Sciences would be the brass ring, the pinnacle of my career—and it’s never going to happen, since the man who holds that position said they’ll have to carry him out in a wooden box. And publishing a book. A substantial book deal came through as a result of the article. And as for the dean position”—he shrug
ged—“I guess some dreams aren’t meant to be achieved. Or maybe we’re simply meant to make tough choices. Anyway, I chose door number two. The book deal, reconnecting with family, and…”
His unsaid words lingered in the space between them, offering too many possible interpretations for her mind to grasp. Since that amazing day they spent together at his brother’s engagement party, each of their brief visits brought them closer together, but he’d always been off-limits, which kept him very clearly in the fantasy-only realm. Knowing he was here for three months was giving her heart palpitations.
“Mira?” He ran an assessing gaze over her face. “You okay?”
“You kind of just blew my thoughts out of my head.”
He laughed, a low, sexy laugh that vibrated between them.
“Let’s see if I can reel them back in. I’ve never been so thankful for a broken shower before in my life, and I can’t think of anyone I’d rather spend an evening with than you.”
That was supposed to reel her thoughts back in?
“There is something else I’ve had on my bucket list.” He pulled her to her feet, tucked an arm around her waist, and gathered her against him. “Dancing in the moonlight with a gorgeous woman who negates all thoughts of anything except the here and now.”
Oh boy did he feel good. His body moved with grace and strength. Every brush of his hips was pure seduction, definitely not befitting of a respectable professor dancing with a responsible single mother. For the next three months you’re not a professor. But I’ll always be a mother.
She’d dreamed of being in Matt’s arms for months, and this was so much better than her fantasies. She had never questioned her decision to have Hagen, and she didn’t begrudge it now, but she had important responsibilities, like keeping her job. She couldn’t afford to get as carried away as she’d like to. But as he held her against his hard body, his strong arms buffering her from the rest of the world, she closed her eyes and wondered if, just for tonight, she could allow herself to be something more than a responsible mother.