by Sabrina Sol
For the next fifteen minutes, he described how he moved back to town permanently a few months after his father died. His mom and sister had tried to run the business on their own, but couldn’t find someone to replace their dad as the in-house chocolatier. Sales suffered and when his mom told him that she’d been approached by a competitor to sell the business, he’d quit his job and came home for good.
When he finished talking, she couldn’t help but allow a smirk to pull at her lips. He noticed. “What?”
“Nothing. Please go on.”
“Nope. You clearly want to say something so say it.”
It was her turn to shrug. “It’s just typical Luke behavior, that’s all. You don’t want something until you see someone else wanting it.”
He didn’t respond, so she continued. “You told everyone who would listen that you were never going to take over the business. In fact, you were adamant that once you made it to New York that you would never, ever move back to San Diego. I still remember you and your dad having it out about your determination to get away from this town and everyone in it.”
Including her. But she didn’t say that part.
“Fair enough. It’s true. I was young and stupid back then. I did a lot of things I regret now. But things changed when my dad died. I guess I changed. I realized that there are things in this life that are more important than how much money I make or the car I drive.”
“Things like chocolate?”
He laughed and nodded. “But not just any chocolate. Award-winning gourmet chocolate.” His eyes glistened with excitement. She’d never seen him so proud. It was nice.
Hell, who was she kidding? It was damn sexy.
She shifted in her seat. Warmth flooded between her legs and she crossed them under the table.
“Anderssen’s has always been known as a local favorite for good chocolates, but it could be so much more,” he said. “This past year, we’ve been competing in local festivals and contests and have racked up some cool ribbons. More importantly, we’re getting orders from all over the country.”
“Wow, that’s pretty impressive. Good for you, Luke.” She meant every word.
“Wanna have a taste?”
Rather than swallowing the tea she had just sipped, she inhaled it—causing her to choke and sputter. “Excuse me?” she said.
“I asked if you wanted to taste some of my chocolate.”
“I bet you say that to all the girls,” she retorted.
“You’re funnier than I remembered.” He wasn’t laughing, at least it seemed he was trying really hard not to. “Actually, what I should’ve asked was if you wanted to come over to the shop right now and, you know, pick out some chocolates to take home for you and your daughter.”
The mention of Zoey quickly sobered her up from whatever flirty or comfortable high she was starting to feel after listening to him talk so passionately about his work. She thought about it for a few seconds and decided she was cool-headed enough now to spend fifteen more minutes alone with him at the shop. Plus, she knew Zoey would love the chocolate-covered strawberries that Anderssen’s was famous for.
Yep, she could totally handle being alone with Luke.
Chapter Three
She so couldn’t handle being alone with him.
They’d spent a few minutes picking out strawberries for Zoey from the front counter case. Then he’d convinced her to go in the back kitchen to taste test some of his newer creations. But the more he talked about “simmering” and “hardening” and “creaming,” the more turned on she became. As Luke showed her a selection of salted caramel truffles, she drifted between wanting to lick the candies to wanting to lick him. All of him.
“We use French fleur-de-sel sea salt,” he said, while handing her one of the small rounded chocolates.
Celina bit into it and closed her eyes. The stunning mix of sweet and salty, combined with the smooth, milky caramel … well, it was nothing short of glorious.
“Oh. My. God.” She groaned. “That’s… Oh my God.” She finished the piece off with one more bite and a few more groans. “You made these? Damn, Luke. I think you just gave me my first T. B. O. You know? Taste Bud Orgasm.”
He only nodded in response. At first, she thought she’d embarrassed him. Then she saw it. The way his jaw hardened. The way his lip curled into a hint of a smile. The way his nostrils flared.
She recognized that darkening swirl in his eyes. A penetrating gaze that emanated raw lust and had been known to burn right through her shields of reason and sanity. It was a devastating look. Simply devastating. And now it was slowly zeroing in on her mouth.
He took a step toward her and although her instincts told her to take a step backward, she couldn’t move.
Her body tingled with panic, or was it desire? Maybe it was a combination of both. Either way, she was flushed and lightheaded. And when he raised his hand and touched the corner of her mouth with his thumb¸ a longing she hadn’t felt in years raged in her soul.
“You have some salt flakes here,” he said in a thick, low voice. But he didn’t brush them away. Still staring intently at her mouth, he instead moved the pad of his thumb slowly over her bottom lip. Finally, he met her eyes with an unspoken question.
She gave him the smallest of nods, yet she unleashed a tidal wave.
He surged toward her and grabbed her head with both of his hands. Their lips crashed together, roughly and furiously. And when he slid his tongue inside to claim hers, she welcomed the invasion with a moan. He tasted like coffee and chocolate—two of her vices wrapped into one sinfully sexy body.
Like a dream she didn’t want to wake from, she pushed every other complicated thought aside. All she wanted to think about—all she wanted to feel—was this moment with Luke. Old, familiar sensations and new, thrilling ones surged within her all at the same time.
And she couldn’t get enough.
He moved his hands down and cupped her ass through the thin fabric of her short dress, grinding her against the growing hardness in his jeans. She swung one arm around his neck, while the other twisted the back of his shirt.
“God, you taste good,” he murmured into her mouth. They’d managed to maneuver themselves against the kitchen’s stainless steel island and she braced herself by gripping its rounded edge. The arch of her body gave him full access to her neck and he quickly moved his mouth there while bringing his hands back up to engulf her breasts. Her nipples, desperate for his touch, strained against her bra. As if they’d called to him on their own, he tugged the top of her dress down over one shoulder and freed one breast from its enclosure. He laved one long, delicious lick over the engorged nipple. Her breath caught and her knees buckled.
“Oh, dear,” she said with a gasp.
He stopped devouring her nipple just long enough to whisper into her ear, “Do you want me to make you come, Celina?”
An answer wasn’t needed. Her sighs spoke volumes. Luke exposed her other breast to the cool air, but quickly covered it with his warm lips. As he nipped and sucked, her sex clenched with need. It had been more than a year since she’d had a man inside her and now she ached to be filled by Luke.
She didn’t just want to come. She wanted to explode.
“Yes, please,” she finally whimpered her answer.
Luke slid his hand to the front of her body, tugging at her dress along the way. And when he made contact with the silky material between her legs, they both groaned.
“I’m going to rub that clit of yours until it’s swollen and ready to burst,” he rasped against her skin. “Then just when you think you can’t take much more, I’m going to fuck you with my fingers until you scream my name.”
God, Luke still knew how to dirty talk his way into her panties.
He pulled the flimsy material to the side and found the tight bundle of nerves already firm and pulsing. The rest of her body trembled as he moved his lips up for another openmouthed kiss, sucking and teasing her tongue as he stroked and rubbed below
. Instinctively, she thrust herself against his hand, taking control of the tempo as the pressure inside built higher and higher.
With one swift movement, he sunk two fingers between her folds.
“That’s right, baby,” he said. “Fuck my hand now. God, you’re so hot and wet. Just like always.”
And before she could do anything to stop it, the aching turned into a heavy throbbing that quickened into the first shudders of a full-blown orgasm. He captured her scream with his mouth and held onto her until the tremors subsided.
“Damn, that was even better than I remembered,” he said between soft, slow kisses. “Let’s go back to my place so we can do some more of the things we used to do.”
Still drunk on her arousal, Celina nodded.
When she was sure she could stand on her own feet again, he helped her fix her disheveled bra and dress. As she looked down at her breasts, she noticed reddening splotches all over them—evidence of Luke’s enthusiastic passion.
She quickly sobered into a full-blown panic. What if the marks were still there in the morning? She planned to take Zoey to the beach. Her Tankini swimsuit wouldn’t hide all of them. What if her daughter saw and started asking questions?
“Mommy got lucky” didn’t seem like an appropriate answer.
Celina’s stomach turned. How had she ended up in Luke’s kitchen with her breasts hanging out? This wasn’t her. It couldn’t be. At least, not anymore.
He grabbed her hand to pull her toward the door, but she didn’t move. “I’m sorry, but I just realized that I can’t go with you. It’s late and I have a lot to do tomorrow.”
She braced herself for his angry response. After all, she’d gotten her release and he was still hard as rock, judging by the bulge along his upper thigh. But instead of calling her a tease or worse, he simply nodded.
“I understand. It’s okay.” He brought her hand up to his lips and kissed it. “So when can I see you again?”
She pulled her hand away. “What are you talking about?”
“I’m talking about taking you out. You know, on a real date. Dinner, a movie, dessert?”
Her knees trembled at his emphasis on “dessert” and she held onto the edge of the island again for support.
He spoke again. “What do you say? Will you go out with me?”
Ten years ago she would’ve done anything to hear those words from Luke. Her heart pounded in her ears, but her brain wouldn’t be drowned out this time. It reminded her that the more decadent the dessert, the more it left an aftertaste of regret. And she was done with regret.
Celina shook her head. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.” His smile faltered and she felt the need to explain herself. “I’m leaving tomorrow afternoon for the rest of the book tour. Five more cities in six days and the last stop is in San Francisco. Zoey’s staying with my parents and then they’re flying up when the tour is over. I’m not coming back to San Diego until Christmas.”
“Oh.” He shoved his hands into his pockets. “How about breakfast then, before you leave?”
She shook her head again. “Sorry, but I’m taking my daughter to the beach. This is going to be the longest I’ve ever been away from her and I want to spend as much time as I can with her before my flight.”
“Okay. Then, I’ll meet you for more tea at the airport. I don’t care, I just want to see you again.”
Wow. He was really pushing. Why couldn’t he just leave it alone? It was starting to piss her off. “What is this, Luke? I didn’t have sex with you so now you’re going to try to wine and dine me until I do? Are you hoping for a quickie in the terminal bathroom or something?”
He walked toward her and grabbed her hand. “What? No, of course not. Why is it so hard to believe that I just want to spend time with you and get to know you again?”
“Because.”
“Because why?”
“Because that’s not you! That’s not us!” She hadn’t meant to raise her voice, but she didn’t know how to deal with all the questioning. Old Luke would’ve just shrugged his shoulders and walked away. It didn’t matter what she wanted or why she did what she did. He simply didn’t care. At least that’s what it had felt like back then.
This Luke wanted to talk about feelings? What kind of alternate universe was this?
This Luke squeezed her hand and bared his soul before her eyes. “Well, maybe I want it to be.”
“Well, it can’t be,” she answered and pulled her hand from his. “I’m not a stupid teenager anymore. I don’t have the time or the energy for games or flings that lead nowhere. I decided a long time ago that I was done being with men who can’t put me or my daughter first. And if that means it’s just me and her forever, then so be it.”
“How do you know I can’t be that kind of man?” He moved closer. “Yes, I was a selfish dick back in the day, but I promise you I’m not that guy anymore. I’ve spent the last ten years looking for someone who can call me out on my bullshit one minute, and make me crazy horny the next. Turns out I already had that someone and I let her go.”
“Luke…”
“Give me a chance, Celina. Just one more chance to prove to you that I can be that man for you and your little girl.”
“I’m sorry, but your charms have lost their effect on me. You talk a good game—you always have—but I just don’t believe you.” She added the last part more to convince herself than to convince him.
Either he didn’t hear it or he just didn’t believe it. He wasn’t about to let her off the hook. “What about your book? In it you said that you loved me back then. Maybe you could love me again.”
“It’s just a book, Luke. Words on a page. Besides, I may have based some of Lucas Day on you, but for the most part it’s just make believe. Did you even read the end?”
“I did. He moves away to Chicago after she lies to him and says she doesn’t love him anymore.”
The irony wasn’t lost on her. “It’s still not real.”
“But that’s not the end of their story. You’re writing a sequel, aren’t you?”
She couldn’t help but be impressed that he knew that.
He continued with his argument, “I’m assuming they find each other again in book number two?” She didn’t dare nod yet he smiled as if she had. “Don’t you see? It may have been make believe when you wrote it, but that doesn’t mean it can’t come true.”
“You’re talking crazy. We’re not Lucas and Anna. We’re not even really Luke and Celina. We haven’t seen each other in ten years. We live on opposite sides of the state, for Christ’s sake! How can you say all this stuff about forever when you barely even know me anymore?”
He opened his mouth, but she held up her hand in a stopping motion. “Sure, we had sex a long time ago … and did some heavy making out not so long ago. But that was all it was. And you know why? Because that’s all you can commit to. I’m not the long lost love of your life, Luke. I’m just some random girl in your little black book of hookups and one-night stands.”
Shaking his head, he asked, “Do you know why I showed up that day with Brittany What’s Her Name?”
“Because you didn’t have enough money for a hotel room?” She knew it was harsh, but she was pissed.
“No, because I wanted to make you jealous.”
“Pft! Yeah right.”
“It was the day after that first scene in your book. You know where I made that stupid remark about remembering me when your boyfriend was inside you?”
She nodded. Even her editor couldn’t believe someone had actually said that to her.
“I only said that because I was jealous. I was jealous that I only had two more days with you before you went back to school and, I thought at the time, back to your boyfriend. For not being real, I hated that motherfucker so much. I hated that he got to be with you nine months out of the year and I only got you for a few weeks at a time. So that day I called up Brittany and asked her out, but made sure we stopped by the shop first.”
“Exactly!” she said. “Maybe we didn’t have a traditional relationship, but we were still sleeping together. Bringing that girl over when you knew I’d be working was, well, it wasn’t cool.”
“I know that now. I swear she didn’t mean anything to me. I was desperate. I just wanted to get a reaction out of you to show me that you cared, that maybe you’d fallen in love with me like I’d fallen in with love you.”
Celina winced. She couldn’t have heard right. There was no way she heard him right. Still, she had to ask. “You were in love with me?”
“It kind of blew my mind, too, once I realized it. I’d never felt that way about a girl before. And freaked me the hell out.”
“Why didn’t you say something?”
“Uh, because I thought you had a boyfriend. And because, like we already established, I was a jerk. And a coward. I didn’t want to tell you until I knew you loved me too. So I came up with the stupid plan to make you so jealous that you’d corner me later and tell me to break up with Brittany because you were going to break up with him. But instead of bringing us closer, all I did was make you walk away.”
Run was more like it. After Luke left with Brittany that day, she told Mrs. Anderssen that she’d gotten her registration dates mixed up and that she had to go back to school sooner than she thought. Then later that year, she called her and said she wouldn’t be coming back to the shop—ever. She hadn’t spoken to Luke since.
Until tonight. And now he was saying stuff she couldn’t comprehend. How could she trust anything he said?
He always wants what he can’t have.
Telling him no just made him want her more. That had to be it. It was the only explanation.
“Whatever happened back then happened. We can’t change it. All we can do is move on and get back to living our separate lives. We don’t belong together. We never did.”
She thought the words would sting him, leave a mark. But he persisted.
“Then why haven’t I been able to stop thinking about you these past few years?”
“Bullshit. I bet you didn’t even remember my last name until your sister showed you my book.”