Page 119 of Perfect Pairing
“Ahh, so akinkysurprise,” my sister said knowingly, and I was grateful she couldn’t see my blush.
“Yes, a kinky surprise,” I said, surprised by the evenness of my tone.
My sisters and I didn’t shy away from discussing our sex lives, but I’d never really had much to contribute before. After New Year’s Eve, they’d hounded me until we had a movie night, whenI told them everything. It felt good to get it all off my chest, to have my sisters squeal and fan themselves over my stories instead of being the one gassing them up for their own escapades.
Ezra didn’t know I told them all about the stuff we got up to behind closed doors, but what he didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him. My sisters were my best friends, and we didn’t keep secrets.
“In that case, be my guest,” my sister said, chuckling at her pun. Technically, the title to the Villa was jointly held by the seven of us, but the company managed bookings and advertising. “It’s not like anyone else is using it right now anyway.”
I was suddenly very grateful for the snow and lack of winter tourists that precipitated closing the winery—and its connected businesses—for the first three months of every year.
“Thanks, sissy,” I said, gearing up to end the call.
Before I could, she said, “Wait! Question.”
“What’s up?”
“Any idea why I’ve got a meeting with him on the schedule for next week? We don’t typically start menu planning for the spring until March. But maybe because I’ll be off on leave, he wants to get a head start…”
She trailed off, waiting for me to fill in the blanks, but I wasn’t about to ruin this for Ezra. Since New Year’s Eve, he’d been busy doing research and making plans for the community garden he wanted to open. I was wildly excited for him—and for the project itself. It was a passion of both of ours, to give back to the community in any way we could and teach people the merits of growing their own produce whenever possible.
“That’s not my secret to tell,” I said. “But I think you’ll like the idea.”
My sister growled, a sound that legitimately sounded like a bear or some other feral creature on the other end of the line.
“I’m too pregnant for this shit,” she said then unceremoniously hung up.
I couldn’t help but laugh. The deeper she got into her pregnancy, the stronger her mood swings. Where Chloe had basically been sunshine and rainbows, Amara wasn’t having as easy of an experience. Her morning sickness had lasted deep into her second trimester, and once she’d gotten that under control, she was diagnosed with gestational diabetes. For Chloe, pregnancy had been smooth sailing. Unfortunately, Amara had a much bumpier road.
Idly, I wondered which category I’d fall into when I got pregnant—or if I’d land somewhere in between.
All I knew was I couldn’t wait to find out.
After an all-too-brief phone call with Ezra the day before to tell him I’d be MIA and to meet me at the Villa tonight, I’d been running around like a mad woman, both in prep for bakery hours and getting all the supplies I needed to execute my plan.
It had been a long time since I’d attempted to mold my own chocolate, but I was more than a little pleased with the final product—and I hoped Ezra would be too.
When I finally finished and stowed the chocolates in the fridge to make sure they wouldn’t melt before I had time to get set up, I dashed upstairs and rushed through an everything shower. I lathered my body in coconut-scented edible body butter, left myhair to air dry in long, soft waves, and wrapped myself in a red silk robe before heading back downstairs.
The plan was simple: lay out on the dining room table and decorate my naked flesh in the chocolate I’d painstakingly made for Ezra…then let him consume it off me before he consumed me.
I’d briefly considered asking one of my sisters to come help me, but even though we were close, we weren’t close enough to be all up in each other’s privates. This was an intimate thing for only me and Ezra. He’d be the only person—ever—who got me like that.
After putting the confections I’d need on a small paper plate, I moved into the dining room, dropped my robe, and climbed onto the table. The surface was frigid beneath my overheatedflesh, but it helped soothe some of my nerves.
Sitting up and bending in half, I first placed a trail of chocolate-covered cherries on my ankles, knees, and thighs. Then I reclined to add a square of dark chocolate over my smooth pubic bone, drizzling a little of the liquid chocolate over it for good measure before adding some to my belly button. I removed the remaining treats from the plate and unceremoniously tossed it across the room, making a mental note to pick it up tomorrow.
Next, I laid flat and put heart-shaped chocolates filled with caramel over my nipples, taking shallow breaths to ensure the rise and fall of my chest didn’t send them falling to the table.
The final touch was a chocolate-covered strawberry I held between my lips.
I couldn’t move, meaning I couldn’t check the time, so I had no idea how long I waited until I heard the keypad on the front door beep, Ezra’s “hello?” proceeding him inside.
I hadn’t really thought this through, hadn’t considered he wouldn’t know where to find me. Since I’d been here most of the day and it was the middle of winter, I’d turned just about every light in the house on to combat the early onset darkness that blanketed our state this time of year.
He continued to call for me, and my body hummed with anticipation as he moved closer until finally, from the corner of my eye, I saw him appear at the threshold to the dining room.
“Well, well,” he said, his grin obvious in his voice, “what do we have here?”
