Page 18 of Love at First Slice
“Nope.”
“But you’ve…” I paused, trying to be a gentleman and let her explain without me being crude. Suddenly, she pulled away from my touch.
“I know. I sound like a freak, right?” Embarrassment or self-consciousness tinged her cheeks. “I should probably go see if anyone inside needs—“ She started to pull the blanket off her lap, but I caught her wrist and pulled her back down. “What are you?—“
“You’re not a freak. Not even close,” I rasped, unable to stop my hand from rising to stroke her face.
“I mean, I could be. I just… I don’t know.” She blushed beautifully. A twenty-eight-year-old virgin? How the hell was this possible? “I don’t know,” she huffed, making me realize I’d just said the words out loud. “No one in high school really called my attention, and then… I was just trying to figure out what I wanted to do and…” She shrugged. “It never happened.”
“Hmm,” I mumbled, brushing my nose against hers. This changed nothing and everything all at the same time. I’d be the only one to give her every single first imaginable. I’d spend the rest of my life, to my dying breath, to make her happy and feel pleasure like no one else ever had. She was my new temple of worship.
“Has anyone ever kissed you, little girl?” She gasped, and her hand clutched the blanket on my lap.
“Mark,” she whimpered.
“Have you been kissed? And I don’t mean little kid shit. I mean really kissed? The passionate breathtaking kind of kiss.”
“No,” she answered. Her exhale tickled my mouth.
“Good,” I groaned. My lips skated over hers so fucking close our breaths mingled but not actually close enough to kiss her. “Lucky me,” I whispered.
“You?” She slowly pulled back just enough for our eyes to connect.
“Yeah,” I said with confidence. My hand dropped, and I cleared my throat.
No matter how much I wanted to kiss her right then and there, I knew the moment our lips touched would be explosive. I’d be damned that when it happened, we’d have an audience. Or for it be in someone else’s backyard. I’d never thought of myself as a possessive man, but in the last couple of hours, I’d come to realize a lot about myself. Things Abby had brough to life with one damn look.
“Dessert?” I asked, clearing my throat.
“Yeah, that sounds good.” She smiled politely, blinking the disappointment out of her eyes.I know, baby girl. I want to kiss you, too. Soon.I bent forward and reached for the huge plate that held several slices of pie and had two spoons and brought it between us.
“So… what’s your favorite?” I asked. My dark gaze connected with her more green than brown one, and she blinked before I watched her beautiful face transform into this stunning sight as her smile grew wide and bright. Just the sight of it took the last chunk of my heart.
9.Abby
Love at first slice.
The thought was ludicrous, and if Connie or the girls knew what I was thinking about, I would never hear the end of it. I should have laughed at my stupid thoughts. I wasn’t this boy crazy kind of girl. I wasn’t the one who was in love with the idea of love. I’d never been.
But I knew one thing without a doubt in my mind: This was love at first sight.
I’d heard about it all my life. The wholewhen you know, you knowbut had never really believed it or experienced it. Not even close.
But now? As I watched Mark tell me about theCat in the Hatevent planned at the elementary school the upcoming year, I couldn’t imagine calling it anything else but love.
How could it be?
Did it matter?
I wasn’t the kind of woman to lie to herself. Be dramatic and stubborn? Totally me! But lie to myself? Never. I knew who I was, and it was why I’d never bothered to date someone I wasn’t interested in. Or maybe that had been because I’d never met a man who drew me in the way Mark did. The easy way I could be around him, talk to him, share things I wasn’t sure I’d evershared with my three best friends. All while having soft flutters of excitement in my belly. It wasn’t the overwhelming flapping of butterfly wings but something smaller, smoother.
Sweeter.
Home.He felt like home. I just hoped he felt the same way. It was insane to hope that after just meeting him a couple of hours ago, but I couldn’t get myself to think otherwise.
“I think my favorite has to be apple this year.” I sighed happily. My stomach was full of different bites of the pies and cakes and cookies he’d piled high on a plate for us to share. My sweet tooth was satisfied. For now.
“Really? I don’t know. This pumpkin is pretty good,” Mark said with a grin so wide I could see a dimple I hadn’t noticed before.
