Page 259 of Back in the Saddle

I stood completely still.

“We’re already late, there’s people all over the courtyard. How much later can we be?” he asked.

“I don’t even care if we go now.”

He gave me his wicked sexy smile then said, “After. The mood I’m in, I’ll mess up your hair.”

I’d just spent forty-five minutes on my ’do.

“I do not give two fucks about my hair.”

He came to me, slid a hand from my midriff around my ribs to my back and put his lips to mine, not for a touch or a brush, but to whisper, “After.” He then let me go and walked away, ordering, “Hurry up. I’m hungry. And Raye’s pudding is already half gone.”

Seriously?

“You are such a tease!” I shouted.

I heard him chuckle.

Guh.

Though, if Raye’s pudding was already half gone, I had to hustle.

When I got out of the bathroom, I found Eric in my living room staring at my new PhotoShare frame on the kitchen bar.

He didn’t even look at me when he said, “You’re not supposed to buy yourself presents before Christmas.”

Oh crap.

“Did you buy me one of those?” I asked.

He finally looked at me. “No. But if I’d known you wanted one, I would have.”

I shrugged. “Don’t want to spoil the surprise, but this is a sharing frame. You can send your pictures to it, and I can send mine to the one wrapped and under your tree.”

I saw his lips curl up before he turned back and watched the photos cycle.

“These are all of Henny,” he noted.

“There’s one of us,” I said as the selfie Eric had taken at the bar at Steak 44 cycled through. We’d gone early for our reservation to have a drink before we sat at our table.

It was our first “official” date. Something I told Eric was unnecessary (Steak 44 was hella expensive).

It was the second time Eric insisted.

Again, I didn’t put a lot of effort into fighting him about it.

That had been a great night.

That photo cycled out to another of Henny. Which cycled to another one of Henny. And then to another.

They were all black and white. They were all perfection.

Eric turned to me and raised his brows.

“So I’m a cat lady now. I have no regrets,” I said.

Eric laughed as he hooked an arm around me and pulled me to him, finally giving me a brush on the lips.

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