All's Fair in Love and Chocolate (Marietta Chocolate Wars #1) - Amy Andrews Page 0,17
Apparently his wife will never sleep with him again if he doesn’t show Sage some support today and he’s making me pick it up for him because somehow this is all the fault of my horn dog libido and if he has to suffer then I have to suffer too. Or words to that effect anyway.”
Viv laughed at the long and sorry tale. “Guess it sucks to be you.”
“Apparently.”
He’d reached the counter and looked around, frowning a little. “It seems quiet for opening day?”
“Ya think?” Viv laughed. “Sage on the other hand is going to be able to retire after today’s takings.”
“Ahh.” He nodded. “Marietta hazing you?”
“Something like that.”
“They’ll come around.”
“Yeah.” It seemed to be the mantra for the day. Although from the looks both her and Reuben were getting now through the window, Viv wasn’t so confident.
“In the meantime…” He removed his hat, ruffling his hair as he placed it on the counter then slid his elbows on top, leaning in a little, that smile playing on his mouth as distracting as it had been from that first night together. “What’s good around here?”
Well…there was him, for one.
Viv wondered how he’d feel about being dipped in chocolate and just lying very still—or standing, she wasn’t picky—somewhere and letting her lick it all off?
Gah!
Just the thought of it had her salivating and the last thing she needed to do was drool right now and give away her rather X-rated thoughts when they’d both taken the pledge. She cleared her throat. “What do you like?”
The small smile morphed into something slow and sexy. “Everything I see.”
Of course. Except he was looking at her. At her mouth. Viv swallowed. Had he moved closer? Was he leaning in a bit more? Did she want him to?
Oh hell fucking yes she did.
Grabbing the nearby tasting platter she shoved it between them because she was suddenly more ravenous for Reuben’s mouth than any chocolate she’d ever tasted and that was a big problem because she was always ravenous for chocolate and this was her job.
Not Reuben’s mouth.
“Here’s our basic selection.”
His gaze lingered on her mouth for a moment before he dropped it to the tray. “So I should just try one of each?”
“Definitely.”
Clicking into sales-pitch mode, Viv ran Reuben through the selection on the tray from their basic range, talking about going to Belgium and seeing how the product was made and moving on to their blends and the different flavors and how they were chosen. She even recited the tasting notes she’d implemented with the company over the years after visiting a whisky distillery in Scotland and seeing how they sold their product.
He’d quirked an eyebrow at her when she’d started talking about end notes of smoke and currants but once he started to concentrate she could see him coming around.
“So?” she asked as he very distractingly licked his lips. “What do you think?”
He glanced up and their gazes locked. “I think you’re very good at this.”
“I mean about the chocolate, Reuben.”
He smiled. “I could definitely listen to you talk about chocolate all day.”
“The taste?”
Continuing to ignore her question he asked, “Is it just me who gets aroused by listening to you talk about chocolate?”
His voice was all low and gravelly and Viv’s breath hitched. “Reuben.”
Truth be told, the intense way he’d listened to her, the way he licked his fingers and rolled his mouth as he refrained from chewing and allowed the chocolate to melt against his tongue as she had instructed, had been highly arousing. Her nipples were still tingling.
“So…not normal, then?” he clarified. “I’m just a—”
“Sexual deviant?”
He laughed, which was like a splash of cold water to her libido and Viv straightened moving her body as far from his as possible without actually shifting her feet. “I was going to go for extreme chocolate empath.”
Viv quirked an eyebrow. “Chocolate empath?”
He shrugged but he was grinning. “That could be a thing.”
“Right.” She shook her head. It would be so easy to get sidetracked by him. Both today and for the rest of her time in Marietta. Too easy. “Okay, that’s the end of the tour, folks.” She folded her arms. “This is the point where you buy something.”
“I’ll have one of everything.”
Viv laughed. “You going to single-handedly keep me in business, Officer Price?”
“If I must.” He sighed and put his hand over his heart like he was about to take the oath of allegiance. “The sacrifice won’t be easy but for you…anything.” And then he grinned, looking goofy and so damn sexy