Page 50 of Then Came Love
They sipped their champagne, and he said, “The day is not over, my friend. There is cake to be eaten and karaoke to be crooned.”
“Crooned? Really?” They both laughed, and she opened the flavor menu, leaning closer so he could see it, too. “Look, there’s café latte cake. Layers of chocolate cake and roasted almond cake, brushed with Kahlúa and filled with chocolate espresso buttercream and dark ganache.”
The joy in her eyes hit him square in the center of his chest.
She set down the flavor menu. “I’m definitely going to be in a sugar coma by the end of the night.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll revive you.”
“Who are you kidding? You’ll be in one, too.” Her gaze swept over the slices of cake. “I don’t know where to start.”
“That’s easy. We’ll start with the one closest to us.” He stabbed a slice of carrot cake and held it up for her.
“You’re not going to feed me.” She picked up her fork and took a bite, closing her eyes and moaning with pleasure.
Listening to her moan was torture. “Now, that’s a rave review.”
She giggled.
He shook his head as he took a bite. “You weren’t kidding. That’s good cake.”
“The frosting is perfect.” She reached for another plate. “Let’s try the red velvet.”
They each took a bite, and she sank back in the chair, placing her hand over her heart. “I want to drown in a vat of that cake.”
Wouldn’t that be the perfect dessert?He picked up his glass. “Here’s to the image of you in a vat of cake.”
She futilely tried to hide her smile as she touched her glass to his, then finished her champagne. “I need more.”
She reached for more cake as he refilled their glasses, and they continued their tasting journey, toasting, laughing, and having a wonderful time. They shared white cake with chocolate fondant, triple chocolate cake sprinkled with rose-infused syrup, layered with rose-petal buttercream, and chocolate-raspberry cake with buttercream filling, each more scrumptious than the last. Jordan raved about each one, and Jax loved that she went back for seconds and thirds. She sipped champagne, adorably chatty and a bit flirty, which he loved. He was getting glimpses of a carefree woman he had a feeling she rarely set free and hoped he’d see even more of her.
“What’d you think of those places we saw today?” She finished another glass of champagne and held it up for him to fill. Her cheeks were a little flushed, and man, that was a great look on her.
“I thought they were all gorgeous. Which did you like best?”
She shrugged. “They were all nice, but I didn’t feel a connection to any of them. The Davenport was too fancy, the hotel felt impersonal, and the one in town was just…”
“Not for you?”
“Yeah, but I did connect with one place we saw.”
“The café where you stole half my fries?”
She giggled. “Yes, that was yummy, but also your gardens. They were so beautiful.”
“You’re killing me. I’m a nice guy, but not nice enough to let you marry another man in my sacred garden.”
“I wasn’t asking—”
“I know you weren’t, and the thing that’s really effed up is that if you did want to get married there, I’d probably let you.”
“I’d never do that to you. But why would you let me?”
“Because I can’t be a dick to you. I want you to be happy.”
She sighed. “You’re too good to be true. I’ll pick one of the places I saw. Todd won’t care which one.”
He wanted to wave a red flag, but he fought the urge to point out the obvious. “Which of the three did you like best?”
Her brow wrinkled in concentration as she took a bite of the chocolate mousse cake. Pleasure rose in her eyes. “This dark chocolate ganache is so good. Sorry, but chocolate trumps venues any day.”
“Chocolate is deliciously versatile.” He winked.
“You are such a flirt, but a gentleman flirt, which is nice.” She pointed her fork at him. “You’re a good egg, Charlie Brown.”
He laughed. “So are you, beautiful.”
“No, I’m really not. I mean I am, but that’s because I play it safe. But in here…” She tapped her head, whispering, “I don’t always play it safe. I have secret fantasies.”
“Secret fantasies are my specialty. I could help you set them free.”
