Page 101 of The Puck Stops Here

‘I don’t know. You seem to spark a lot of opinions in me.’

She surprised him with a laugh. ‘And what’s that supposed to mean?’

‘Damned if I know. It’s a new one on me too.’

And it wasn’t something he wanted to ponder too deeply. It ran along the same lines of caring too deeply and he wasn’t about to go there. He pushed himself to standing and tore his gaze away. ‘I’ll get that pudding.’

‘I’ll help you clear up first.’

Not neanderthals remember,came his brother’s voice in his head.

‘No, you won’t, I’ll take care of it later. You take your drink into the living area, and I’ll bring them through.’

* * *

Astrid knew she was in trouble. The kind of trouble Delia would probably relish in the fictional world, but this wasn’t fiction. This was real.

Real feelings. Real desires. Real hurt.

Blake’s. Sissi’s. Hers. Even Aiden’s.

She should have insisted on leaving with the latter… shoulda, woulda, coulda!

Too late now, Beverley Knight!

And she was pretty convinced that Aiden wasn’t into her. Or maybe it was that Blake was so very obviously interested that it made his brother appear apathetic by comparison. Not to mention her body’s own preference on the matter.

She tried to ease back into the sofa, but it was too cosy. The fire flickering in the seamless opening that ran along one wall cast a warm, golden glow over the deeply masculine room. The soft ambient music filtering through the surround sound system, building on the intimate vibe.

‘Here we go, one Carter special.’

Awareness rippled through her as a chocolate-filled ramekin appeared over her shoulder.

‘Thank you,’ she murmured, taking it from him.

‘You’re welcome.’

He walked around to slide in beside her and her mouth watered, salivating over his proximity and not the rich-looking chocolate she was determined to stare at.

He gave a low chuckle. ‘You look ravenous again.’

‘Ha!’ It burst from her chest, the heat in her cheeks as serious as the burn in the rest of her body as she avoided his eyeandhis lips which were sure to taste even better than the pudding. ‘What can I say, I’m a chocolate addict.’

She scooped some up and shoved it in.

Her eyes slammed closed as her tastebuds exploded, her blissful murmur impossible to contain.

What kind of lethal combination was this?

‘That good, hey?’

‘Seriouslygood!’ She scooped up another, eager to fill her mouth with more of the tasty goodness. The safe tasty goodness. Though her eyes wouldn’t be told, they were drawn to him on repeat. The way he was lounging back, his big strong thighs spread, biceps flexing as he spooned the pudding into his equally tasty mouth. The glimpse of tongue as he opened up, the way his lips shifted around it, the way his throat bobbed as he…fuck.

‘What was that?’

Her eyes snapped to his. ‘What?’

‘Did you just squeak?’

---