Page 96 of A Legal Affair

“You could,” Caleb agreed, straight-faced.

Daniela laughed, picking up her spoon. “Don’t get carried away.” She sampled her tiramisu, then closed her eyes with a dreamy moan as several exquisite flavors exploded on her tongue—mocha-flavored whipped cream, espresso and a tantalizing hint of liqueur. “Oh my God. This issoogood.”

She opened her eyes to find Caleb gazing at her in a way that made her feel slightly self-conscious. “What?”

“I love to watch you eat,” he said simply. “I’ve never known another woman who enjoys the simple pleasures of food the way you do.”

She grinned. “Which is your polite way of telling me what a pig I am.”

“Not at all.” His dark eyes glittered at her. “In fact, I think it’s incredibly arousing.”

Her belly flip-flopped. “Arousing?”

“Mmm-hmm,” he murmured. “But as I’ve already told you, everything you do turns me on.”

“Everything?”

“Everything.” He chuckled low in his throat. “Now stop repeating after me and eat your tiramisu.”

“With pleasure,” she said, spooning up more of the delectable dessert. “So, when did you learn French?”

Caleb took a sip of merlot. “In college. I already knew Spanish fairly well, so French seemed like the next obvious choice.”

“Naturally. What better language to impress pretty girls with than the language of love?”

“Of course.” He smiled lazily at her. “What about you? When did you take French?”

“In high school. Guess that means I got the jump on you, huh?”

“Not quite,” he drawled, picking up his spoon. “By the time you entered high school, I was already on my way out of college.”

“Oh, yeah, I’d almost forgotten what an old man you are,” Daniela teased.

He laughed. “Who’re you calling an old man?”

“Poor baby. Your hearing’s already failing you? I’ve heard that’s one of the first things to— Hey!” she protested as, without warning, Caleb flicked a spoonful of tiramisu at her, hitting her squarely in the chest.

She gaped at him as if he’d lost his mind. “What the hell’d you do that for? You’re wasting a perfectly good dessert!”

Caleb’s expression was one of exaggerated innocence. “What’s that you said?” he asked, cupping a hand to his ear and leaning toward her. “I’m having troublehearingyou.”

“Yeah? Well, maybe this will help.” Before he could react, Daniela spooned up a chunk of tiramisu, reached over and smashed it against his ear.

With a startled exclamation, Caleb jumped up from the table, staring at her in incredulous disbelief as he dug cake out of his ear. “Yo, I can’t believe you just did that.”

Daniela howled with laughter. “You started it!”

“You’re right,” he said calmly—too calmly. Grinning, he scooped up a handful of tiramisu from his plate. “And I always finish what I start.”

Sobering at once, Daniela leaped up out of her chair. He advanced on her, slowly and purposefully, dark eyes twinkling with mischief.

She eyed him warily, backing away step by step. “Don’t eventhinkabout it. I’m warning you?—”

He lunged, and with a startled squeal Daniela took off in the opposite direction. She didn’t get very far before he tackled her around the waist with one arm, whirling her around and pinning her to the wall with his much larger body.

She could do nothing but laugh at how easily he’d captured her. “Caleb?—”

“Too late for begging now,” he said with the fiendish glee of a predator that’s successfully cornered its prey. Grinning as she squirmed in his arms, Caleb pinned her wrists above her head with one hand. With the other, he brought the handful of smashed tiramisu toward her face, a downright devilish gleam in his eyes.