Page 77 of Stolen Kisses

"We never finished it."

"We did as far as I'm concerned."

"What do you usually do for lunch?" I asked her.

"I like testing out all the break rooms. My favorite is the one that has the balcony on the back of the building."

"I think I know the one," I said.

"Pity we don't have one on the roof."

"You like rooftops?"

"Yes. They’re super relaxing. When I looked for an apartment in the city, I hoped for one with a rooftop, or at least a balcony. I love to barbecue. It’s my favorite way to cook food. But I didn’t find anything that fit my requirements."

That gave me an idea. My apartment had a rooftop and a grill.

We arrived at the bakery, which was actually a truck. There were tall bar tables scattered around, and everyone was eating on their feet. This wasn't exactly the long, lazy lunch I had in mind. Eating a hurried lunch on our feet wasn’t going to cut it, but we didn't have any time to do something else right then.

We got the pancakes quick enough.

"Mmmmmmm," she murmured after the first bite. She’d spread peanut butter and caramel sauce on it. I’d opted for strawberry jam and syrup. "This is good but nowhere near as delicious as Fanny's.”

"I agree," I said.

Watching Hannah eat was a damn delight. She seemed to savor every bite. She closed her eyes, dropping her head back just a tad. Then she opened her eyes, and I winced when she saw me looking at her.

"Something wrong?" she asked.

"No, why?"

"You're looking at me."

"I like watching you. You're so damn perfect."

She parted her lips, lowering her eyes to the plate. "No, I'm not."

I put an arm around her shoulders, bringing my mouth to her ear. "Want me to prove it to you?"

"Part of me wants to say yes, just because I'm curious as to how you’d prove that."

"I could start showing you, but then we'd never make it back to the office."

"Ah, now I see where this is going." She looked up at me. "You want to get in my pants again."

I looked down at her, putting my fingers under her chin. "That too, but it's more than that."

She put her hand up over her forehead, and I realized the sun was shining directly in her eyes. I glanced around, eyeing a table under an umbrella. It was the last free one in the shade.

I nodded toward it. "Let's go there."

The second I took the plates from the table, I realized someone else was eyeing it too, but they were farther away than us.

We got there first.

"That was quick," Hannah said, glancing at the other couple. "You looked like you were about to fight them if they made it first."

"Don't put it past me,” I assured her. “I don't want you to get sunburned."

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