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“It means—”

“Perfect,” she finished.

Now it was Jacob’s turn to be surprised as his thick brows dipped. A sudden heat crawled over his skin at her understanding of the foreign language.

“You speak the dialect,” he said, more of a recognition than a question.

“I’m a teacher, Mr. Rose. My studies include language arts and a portion of that deals with teaching foreign linguistic studies at the high school.”

“Ms. Carla Jones,” his deep voice drawled, “You are becoming more fascinating by the second.”

Carla laughed, the melody of her mirth making his heart somersault.

“I’d like to take you out on a date. There’s a restaurant on Thirty-Eight and Magnolia that I think you would enjoy.”

Her heart beat faster. “How would you know what I would enjoy?”

Jacob’s tongue traced his lips, and Carla couldn’t help but follow the slip of his wet muscle. She shivered in response. He sucked off his bottom lip with the press of his tongue and teeth.

“We seem to have a connection, yes?”

“Sì.”

His grin broadened. “Then humor me and know that I have an inkling of your tastes in mind.”

The magnetic pull of his gaze caught a tactful sparkle in her eye.

“Just say when.”

Jacob held his arm out, and Carla wrapped her arms around it. He pulled her close, giving her a whiff of his Clive Christian cologne.

Assaulted by his masculinity, Carla’s body hummed with delight as her soft frame grooved against the rough ridges of his formidable physique.

Dressed in Armani like the rest of the groomsmen, Jacob’s entire persona was cloaked in dark chocolate skin. The red necktie, matching pocket square, and thebrief glimpseof a black button-down shirt highlighted his melanin tone.

Carla remembered when Eden had referred to him as a Lance Gross look-alike, but Carla had refuted that claim. Not because their images weren’t familiar—more so because, as handsome as the actor was, her memory of him was that of a comedian from specific roles he’d played. Instead, Jacob carried the maturity of his thirty-eight years immaculately, his charisma laced with the luster of a refined gentleman.

“How about tomorrow?”

They strolled arm in arm, the two making their way to the courtyard.

“I’d like that.” She hesitated, then asked, “Dinner?”

They paused, and Jacob eyed her, his gaze simmering as he kept a stronghold on her dark brown orbs.

“I think lunch would be preferable, as dinner would make for a larger appetite.”

Carla shivered, and Jacob felt her quake. “Cold?”

“Not in the least.”

He smirked. “I know you came here with the bridesmaids but save a dance for me,bellissima.”

“Hmm, you think I’m gorgeous?” she questioned his compliment.

He lifted her hand to his mouth for a kiss. “I don’t think. I know. Your spirit complements itself, and of course, your outer beauty is a bonus.”

They proceeded with their stroll,lingering near as they entered the courtyard just in time to catch the end of Jonathon Alexander Rose’s speech.