“I’ll take one scoop of chocolate, one scoop of chocolate chip,” I told the bored guy staring blankly at me from behind the counter.
“And you?” he asked Edge.
“One scoop of vanilla.”
I chuckled, causing the guy to stare at me. “Sorry.”
Edge pulled me against him, kissed the top of my head, then leaned down until his mouth was against my ear. “What’s so funny?”
I pulled back, smiled up at him. “I’d never peg you for a vanilla guy.”
Edge’s blue eyes flashed with heat. “Only when it comes to ice cream, sweetness.”
Unable to speak, I simply grinned. He didn’t know how much I wanted to explore non-vanilla at the moment.
More than I wanted chocolate, as a matter of fact.
CAV
I WAS SITTING ON THE HOTEL BED, flipping through channels when my cell phone chimed with a text. I glanced at the screen and grinned.
Jamie: I thought I’d text to tell you good night.
Without hesitation, I responded.
Me: Home already?
Jamie: I am.
Me: Did you have a good time?
Jamie: A fantastic time.
Me: Tell me about it.
Jamie: He took me bowling, then we had ice cream.
Me: Edge can’t bowl.
Jamie: Tell me about it.
Me: Did he kiss you good-night?
Jamie: On the cheek, so it doesn’t count. But he was really sweet.
Sweet? It wasn’t often someone referred to Edge as sweet.
Me: I’m glad to hear you had a good time. I’m looking forward to seeing you again.
Jamie: Me, too. Good night, Cav.
Me: Good night, cupcake.
I stared at my phone for long seconds, a stupid grin on my face. Jamie Lautner had burrowed under my skin so quickly it confused me. Yet I didn’t feel the need to explain it away.
This afternoon, when she had texted to let me know she was going out with Edge, I had been somewhat surprised. Not disappointed. Not exactly. I was glad Edge was finally making a move. It was about damn time. I was merely surprised he hadn’t mentioned it to me first.
I had no sooner dropped my phone on the bed than it rang. Edge’s name flashed on the screen and I answered immediately.
“Aren’t you supposed to be on a date?”
“What room are you in?” Edge countered without answering my question.
I didn’t know whether that was good or bad. Figuring the only way to find out was to give him the answer, I said, “Seven-oh-three.”
“I’ll be there in three minutes.”
The call disconnected and I stared at the phone again. What the hell?
It was twelve thirty, and he’d spent the better part of the evening with Jamie. What was he stopping by here for? Maybe to give me a play-by-play of how it went? If he was, did I really want to know?
Since the only way to find out was to talk to Edge directly, I went and unlocked the door, then flipped the privacy latch to hold it open. I grabbed the remote, muted the television before dropping into the chair near the window.
My gaze darted to the bed repeatedly, and I wondered if I relocated there, would Edge join me?
“Doubtful,” I muttered to myself. This thing between us had been simmering for so long, I didn’t expect it to go anywhere. Not soon, anyway. Gregory Edge was nothing if not patient. As though he had to map it all out before he could move forward.
It irritated me to no end sometimes. Spontaneity was not a trait of his, that was for sure.
Edge arrived a few minutes later. He walked right in, closed the door behind him. I watched him closely, eyeing him up and down. He was tense, that was apparent.
“So, how’d it go?” I reluctantly asked, unsure as to whether I wanted to know at this point.
Again, I got no answer from Edge. The big man simply stalked across the room. When he was standing directly in front of me, I stared up at him. And when he leaned over, propped his hands on the chair arms, I swallowed my surprise … seconds before he fucking kissed me.
Everything went hot. My skin, my blood. My entire being was immersed in that kiss, taken completely off guard as Edge’s tongue thrust into my mouth. Unable to resist, I reached for his head, holding him still as we devoured one another. It wasn’t gentle, but not entirely out of control, either. Somewhere in the middle.
It wasn’t until both of us were panting that Edge pulled back, my hands falling to my lap. I glared up at him. “What the fuck was that for?”
Edge gave one of those wicked smirks. “Because I fucking wanted to.”
“Since when?” I prompted.
“Since … for-fucking-ever,” he said firmly.
I swallowed hard when his eyes drifted to my mouth again.
“I take it the date went well?”
“Better than,” he said on a huff, then walked around to the other side of the room before returning. There was nowhere to go in the small space, but somehow Edge managed to pace, his long legs eating up the ground quickly. He glanced around the room. “How long are you staying here?”
