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Tina
There were many things about Doc that Tina liked, but his easygoing manner and ready willingness to cede control over to her were particularly attractive. It balanced nicely with the protective, dangerous SEAL she’d glimpsed earlier. While she appreciated a strong, capable man, she had no use for overbearing he-man types. At the same time, she couldn’t be with someone who was passive and deferential by nature.
It was a tough ask, but she refused to settle. Now, it didn’t look like she would have to. Doc checked all of her boxes and then some.
Since he was being so agreeable, she decided to press her luck.
“All right then. How about you sit down and let me take care of this?”
For a moment, she thought he was going to refuse, but he surprised her by sliding into the booth seat. “All right.”
“Here. You can open this,” she said, handing him a bottle. “It’s a peach Riesling I’ve been working on with a friend I met on one of my summer internships in college. Her family owns vineyards along the Mosel River in Germany. Phenomenal white grapes. I’d love to start a mini vineyard of my own at some point.”
“Why don’t you?”
“Gunther thinks it’s too risky. It would require a prime south-facing slope and several years to achieve anything viable. Still, I think it would be a good investment. Local wineries are becoming more popular every year.”
“Does your brother make all the decisions for the business?”
“We each get an equal vote, but Kief and Rick rarely vote against Gunther, so he usually gets his way.”
Doc didn’t say anything else on the subject, but the slight downturn of his lips suggested he didn’t like her answer. She didn’t either, but it was what it was.
Under Doc’s watchful eyes, Tina pulled the chicken from the oven but left the stuffed peaches in to stay warm. She located dishes, glasses, and silverware with his direction and prepared plates for them both.
“Zook’s chicken stands on its own,” she told him, “but I made a peach and currant chutney that I think goes well with it.”
He took a bite and closed his eyes in bliss. “This is ... I don’t even have words for this.”
“I know, right? I was thinking of giving a few jars to Eli and Rachael Zook next week, kind of a cross-promotional thing. We did something similar with a hot chow chow last year.”
“Chow chow?”
She shook her head and laughed. “We really need to work on your cultural awareness. It’s a Dutchie thing—a sweet-and-sour mix of pickled vegetables. Except I used a prototype sweet peach cider instead of the usual sugar and vinegar. It went over well.”
“If it’s even half as good as this, I can see why.”
Doc was already familiar with her peach jam, tarts, and whoopie pies—thanks to Sandy—so she decided to leave those for him to enjoy later.
“Are you ready for the pièce de résistance?” she asked when he finished the last of his chicken.
“There’s no way you can top this,” he insisted, shaking his head.
Oh, she planned on topping it all right. She pulled her latest creation from the oven—baked peaches stuffed with a cookie-cashew filling, topped with a whipped zabaglione.
“I got the idea for this one from Rico Buschetti,” Tina explained as she scooped some onto a clean plate and added a generous dollop of her peach-based zabaglione. “He runs the Italian restaurant in town and does this flaming dessert with strawberries that is simply outstanding.”
Instead of sitting across from him, she cut a spoonful and held it to his lips. His eyes didn’t leave hers as he took the first bite.
“Well?”
“I need another taste to be sure.”
Tina held her breath as Doc coaxed her down onto his lap. Then, he dipped his finger into the serving dish and spread the filling and whipped topping over her lips.
She gave herself over to it, quickly deciding that being devoured by Doc was her new favorite thing. He nibbled, he licked, he savored, and she loved every second of it.
“Delicious,” he said softly.
He repeated the process, and it was even better the second time. By the time he reached over for a third helping, her heart was racing, and heat was pooling between her legs. The only thing she wanted more was to feel those talented lips working magic on other parts of her body, too.
His hands gripped her hips, those long fingers flexing as if they wanted to explore. She desperately wished they would. Tina scooted up on his lap in an attempt to get closer, but all that did was situate her more solidly over the hard proof that he was enjoying their kisses, too.
“Tina,” he warned when she began to rock her hips.
She nibbled his lips. “You’re right. This is a much better way to taste-test. But I need more data.”
“What data?” he mumbled.
“Maybe it tastes better on some parts more than others.”
She took a page out of his book and swiped her finger in the dish, spreading the sweet mix onto his skin. She licked along the column of his throat. He growled, a low, supremely masculine sound that made her ache.
“Hold on.”
It was the only warning she had before Doc was on his feet. Her legs tightened around his hips, her arms around his neck. The next thing she knew, she was on the couch, and he was looming over her with a hungry look in his eyes.
There was nothing easygoing about that look. Gold flecks flashed in vibrant green and deep amber. This was a man with things on his mind. Wild, passionate things. Yet he was keeping them under control. She knew that as surely as she knew her nipples had never been quite so hard, nor her panties quite so wet, from simply kissing.
“Yes,” she whispered. Whatever his unspoken question was, the answer was an unequivocal yes.
He grinned, a sexy, predatory grin that thrilled her, and began to raise the hem of her shirt. He smeared the dessert on the exposed skin and then took great time and attention in removing it. When finished, he lifted the material a few more inches and repeated the process.
Before long, her impatience got the best of her, and she yanked the shirt over her head. He chuckled.
Tina loved the way his eyes darkened when he saw the hardened tips clearly through her bra. Even more, she liked the way he wasted no time in slipping the straps over her shoulders to expose her flesh.
The look in his eyes was priceless. An intense mix of hunger and passion and want. In that moment, she felt like the most desirable woman on the planet.
So intent was she on watching him that she didn’t notice him reaching over to the plate, but she certainly noticed when he began to swirl the whipped topping around her nipple. Just the light touch of his finger was enough to send her building lust into overdrive.
That was nothing compared to what it felt like when he began to use his tongue.
And that paled in comparison to when he wrapped his lips around the hardened peak and sucked. Hard.
Her back arched, and a sound she’d never made before rose, unbidden, from deep within, passing over her lips in an unintelligible form of, “Yes, more, please.”
Tangling her fingers in his hair, she writhed beneath him, shamelessly and breathlessly encouraging him. Seeing him take so much pleasure in her body, feeling that pleasure amplified everywhere, hearing her moans of enjoyment harmonizing with his, was incredibly hot.
When his hand slipped down into her panties, she vaguely wondered when he’d unfastened her jeans. When his skilled fingers touched her where she ached most, she thought she’d died and gone to heaven.
She was wet. So wet that he glided easily between her folds as she tilted her hips to get him exactly where she needed him. He obliged, and after several strokes, she felt the glorious penetration of one long, talented finger. He plunged and withdrew, using the palm of his hand in a synchronous kind of waving massage motion that was incredible.
Then, he added another finger.
With his lips sucking and nibbling each of her breasts and his fingers and hands doing absolutely magical things down below, she reached her peak quickly. He was right there with her, reading her body, somehow knowing exactly where to touch, exactly how much pressure to use, and when to stroke and flick to give her what she needed.
He took her to the edge and pushed her over, her body exploding in a spectacular climax, complete with bursts of light behind her eyelids and a momentary loss of hearing.
His passionate kisses became tender as he gently guided her back to earth. Eventually, her heartbeat slowed to normal levels, as did her breathing, but Tina wasn’t sure the rest of her would ever feel the same again.
“Wow,” she said when her ability to speak returned. “That was ...”
He lifted his fingers to his lips, licked, grinned, and said, “Best dessert ever.”
She grinned right back at him. “I don’t know. I think I need to sample a few things, too.”
His eyes went molten, but then he shook his head as if clearing it. “Not today.”
“What? Why not?”
“Because.”
“Because why?”
He fastened her jeans and carefully put her back together. “Because I want you to be sure this is what you want.”
She reached for the snap on his jeans. “Then, we’re good because I’m sure.”
He gently but firmly wrapped his hands around her wrists and stopped her. “Tina. Not today.”
“This hardly seems fair.”
“I know, but humor me, okay?”
It really didn’t seem fair. He did so much for her yet seemed reluctant to allow her to do anything for him, food sampling notwithstanding. It was highly inequitable and, in her opinion, contrary to the friendship-plus plan and not a proper way to go about forging a relationship. She told him as much.
“I didn’t see it that way,” he admitted, “but I can see your point. Doesn’t change my mind though.”
“Can you at least give me a better explanation than because?”
He considered that and then nodded. “Yes, but I’m not sure I should.”
“Why not?”
“Because it might change things, and I like the way things are going.”
She did, too, which was why she wanted them to continue. “Try me.”
He released her hands and took a deep breath. “All right. I really like you.”
So far, so good. “I really like you, too.”
“And I like doing things for you, especially things that help you or make you happy. I can walk away from that, feeling good, you know?” When she nodded, he continued, “But if I let you do things for me, I’m afraid I’m not going to be able to walk away, and I don’t want to put that kind of pressure on you.”
Her heart skipped. She understood exactly what he was saying because each time he did something for her, she lost another tiny piece of herself to him.
“Doc, I’m not going anywhere. And I don’t want to feel like I’m the only one who can’t walk away.”
His eyes darkened. “You can’t?”
She shook her head, willing him to see the truth in her eyes. “No. Nor do I want to. Trust me enough to let me in, the same way I’m trusting you. Okay?”
His response was to pull her against him, wrap his arms around her, and kiss her passionately. From the close bodily contact, she could feel that he was still aroused. She reached between them and stroked him through his jeans, eliciting a groan.
“So, in a show of good faith, how about letting me do something about this?”