Page 61 of Skins Game

“I’ve been called worse.”

He locked the door and slid her backpack down a chair back to its seat. He fiddled with his phone, and soft music began playing from speakers.

“Neat trick,” she said.

He tossed his phone on the chair by her backpack. “Dessert?”

“Sure.”

Silverware had been folded into white napkins beside their desserts.

The cream-colored couch was a nest of softness she sank into, a velvet-covered hug.

Yeah, the La Quinta paled by comparison at every turn. Nicole wasn’t even staying here, and she was getting spoiled.

Kingston landed beside her on the couch and reached for the two desserts, holding them out to her. “You mentioned the mousses, or you can trade me for the apple pie.”

“You don’t have a preference?” she asked him.

He shrugged. “I like dessert.”

She took the crystal cup of triple chocolate mousses and, following his lead, dug in.

They were smooth, heavenly, and rich, kind of like Kingston.

After his first bite of pie, Kingston raised his eyebrows and seemed pleasantly surprised, and he forked off a bite and held it out to her. “Want to try this one?”

Nicole leaned over and, rather than taking his fork out of his hand or maneuvering her spoon to somehow take the bite off his fork, she wrapped her lips around the bite of apple pie.

Which was kind of familiar for two people just getting to know each other, last Wednesday night notwithstanding.

She looked up and saw the darkness expand in his blue eyes like secret thoughts taking over his mind.

Looked like she hadn’t made a faux pas.

She slid her lips slowly backwards off the fork, taking the apple pie with her, and chewed.

It was a really impressive apple pie—tart, juicy apples in a perfectly crisp and flaky crust.

Again, something about the La Quinta, and she could get used to this.

She scooped up a bite containing some of each of the dark rainbow in her cup and held her spoon out to him, looking him straight in the eyes. “Trade?”

Instead of leaning over to take the bite from her hand like she’d done, he set his pie plate aside and slid her spoon from between her fingers. Closing his eyes, he sipped the mousses off the spoon, his lips precise to not smear the chocolate foam all over himself.

Some guys would have been gross and tongued the spoon like an audition, but not Kingston.

Besides, he didn’t need to audition. She’d already seen his work, and he was totally hired any time he wanted.

He handed the spoon back to her and looked her directly in the eyes. “Spectacular.”

Nicole’s breath quivered in her chest, and she didn’t look away from his intense gaze. “I’m glad you—I’m glad you liked it. Do you want more?”

His word was almost a gasp. “Yes.”

Nicole got the dessert cup out of her lap and onto the coffee table as Kingston launched himself at her.

He scrambled across the couch, grabbing her wrist and pulling her toward him, his mouth crashing down on hers in a deep, insatiable kiss.