“And he wanted to meet you? That’s great.”
“He saw the Twister cake,” she said.
I smirked and wiped my thumb over the chocolate on her cheek. “Was that the cake inspired by me?”
“The one and only.” She grabbed my wrist and pulled my thumb toward her lips. When she sucked and licked her tongue around the digit, my cock began to twitch.
“Shit, Callie,” I murmured.
“He offered me a job.”
“What?” My head was beginning to spin.
“Hector offered me a job. He wants me to go to Amsterdam and help him set up his new restaurant. I would be in charge of developing the dessert menu.”
It took a moment for her words to sink in. She was going away? My heart sank, and it was all I could do not to let it show on my face. It was a great opportunity for her, but where did that leave me?
“I haven’t decided yet,” she said, stepping closer. “I’ve got a lot to consider.”
“It’s a great opportunity,” I said, sounding like a robot.
“I don’t know…” Her arms snaked around my waist, her big emerald eyes meeting mine. “It feels like I’m doing the exact thing I was accusing you of.”
I tilted my head to the side. “What’s that?”
“Using the fire as a stepping-stone.”
“They came to you,” I retorted. “You didn’t manipulate the situation to your benefit.”
“Maybe…” Her cheeks flushed pink. “It still feels rotten. I almost died, and you risked your life. Getting a big break off the back of that seems…slimy.”
“Don’t feel like that,” I murmured, smoothing her hair back with my good hand. “It’s a good opportunity. It could really help your business. No one would think badly of you if you took it.”
Fuck, why was I convincing her? Supporting her was the right thing to do, but it felt like shit. This job would take her away from me, and I would be back at square one, only this time, I knew what I was missing.
“I haven’t made any decisions yet,” she murmured, looking forlorn.
Was she regretting being with me? We hadn’t talked about exclusivity or any of that shit. We’d known each other for like a month. That was nothing in the grand scheme of things even though it had been an eventful could of weeks. If she wanted to cut me loose, now would be the time to do it. I didn’t like it. At all. She was forcing me to confront feelings even I didn’t understand yet.
“Mark…” Her fingers hooked under the waistband of my jeans.
Was this how Lori felt when I told her I was leaving for America? If it was, then I hated myself even more than I already did. Was there a word stronger than that? I was such a bastard.
“Mark, please say something,” Callie whispered, starting to panic.
“Amsterdam is a really long way from here.”
Her fingers buried into my hair, and she pulled me close. “I haven’t said yes, you know.”
“It’s not my place to tell you what you should do,” I replied.
“Fuck…” she whispered before placing her lips on mine.
She kissed me softly at first, then as I wrapped my arms around her, she demanded a more specific kind of attention. Opening to me, I deepened our embrace, my breathing picked up as I tasted chocolate on her tongue. We hadn’t slept together since our second date, and my body was humming with a pent-up energy I wanted to pour inside her.
“Callie,” I muttered against her lips. My cock was thickening in my trousers at the thought of having her right here, right now.
“I’m wearing a skirt,” she said breathlessly.