Page 62 of Timelessly Ours

I laugh. “Okay, umm…Oh, I’ve got one. So, tonight, before my friends came by, I was missing being at the bar, hanging out with all of you guys, celebrating—or cheering you up after a loss. I was worried when my friends showed up at your house uninvited, but I was really happy to see them. Even if they were here to check on you.” I roll my eyes.

His grin is never-ending as he plucks a sugar-dusted ball from the box and looks at my mouth. Without hesitation, he brings the piece of chocolate to my lips, and I part for him.

His fingers barely graze my bottom lip before dropping the ball on my tongue. My eyes are glued to his as I suck on what might be the best thing I ever tasted.

“Good.” He turns to the fire and hums as if he’s thinking about what to ‘admit’ to next.

“Can I help you out with a topic?”

He turns a suspicious glare at me and I bite back a smile. “Claire.”

He inhales through his nose. “Angel’s mother doesn’t stress me out. She’s a pain in my ass, but she doesn’t bother me.”

I nod and pluck a piece from the box and turn to him. He watches me coyly and I bring my fingers to his lips.

And holy shit.

They’re fire under my skin. My fingers tingle and I almost drop the delicacy. Thankfully, he opens and I release it into his mouth and pull away.

He groans when he tastes the bitterness. “I was afraid of that.” But he doesn’t seem at all disappointed. He’s watching me like I’d just stripped naked for him. Like he can’t look away. His eyes dip to my fingers. “Can I go again?”

I nod.

“Clare is not a topic I want to discuss with anyone because she doesn't deserve it. I don’t hate her. I tolerate her for Angel’s sake. The stories you hear about us staying good friends or that we’re secretly still in love are lies beyond measure. Ones that she fabricated.”

I bite my lip. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s alright. It just means I get to give you a topic.”

I brace myself for the worst. How I started drinking. If some of the rumors about me are true. I can’t help the anxiety. I’m used to men making me uncomfortable.

“Rory,” he says flatly.

I frown. That’s not at all what I was expecting.

“Rory? That’s it? If you want to know one truth from me, you’re going to make it about your daughter?”

He smiles brilliantly. “She’s my favorite topic.”

I breathe a sigh of relief and then smile when I picture her. “I adore her. She’s forward and unafraid. She chooses when to be wild and when to be tamed. She’s freaking beautiful and…” I look up at him. “She’s yours.”

Without tearing his eyes off me, he lifts his fingers to my mouth again, this time, letting his fingers linger as he drops it in, then swipes along my bottom lip as I taste the sweet treat.

His eyes settle longingly on my mouth but there’s almost a hint of regret in them and I’m almost afraid to ask. “What is it?”

17

Christ.

I’ve never been so envious of a piece of chocolate before. Watching her suck it so deliciously, I just had to fucking feel it. Am I crossing the line when it comes to her?

Knowing her past, how much is too much with this woman?

“I um…I like that you share my taste in sweets.”

She watches me and I know she sees right through me. The way only Nicole always seems to. “I haven’t tasted the bitter one yet,” she whispers.

I smirk playfully and lift one. “You know the rules. You need to feed me some bullshit first.”

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