“Yes. Now that I met you.”
9
Miikka hadn’t thought much about the language barrier since he’d met Charli, but tonight he was struggling again. Not because she seemed uncomfortable or unhappy, but because there was so much he wanted to say that he couldn’t articulate in English. Using the translator on his phone was fine for general conversation, but for something personal like this, where they were really getting to know each other, taking the time to type it out would break the intimacy of the moment. He wanted to tell her how much he liked her, how she was the first woman in a long time who made him feel like more than a meal ticket. Even Jaana, towards the end, had been focused on where they would live, what kind of house they would buy, all things related to how much money he made. And that had played a part in their breakup, though he hadn’t admitted that to anyone but his parents.
“I like you too,” she whispered. “I always have so much fun when we’re together, even when we’re just practicing English.”
“Me too.” He got up and went from being across from her in the booth to sliding in beside her. “I want to kiss you,” he whispered, leaning in and pressing his lips to hers. She kissed him back, chastely, again, and he wondered if she was taking her cues from him or if she was a lot more innocent than he was used to.
He had a feeling he would need to take his time with her, because she wasn’t at all like the puck bunnies and random women he’d picked up in bars the last few years. He’d probably had more than his fair share of sex since going pro, but that wasn’t the goal with Charli. His first priority was probably going to be getting her to trust him, so he wouldn’t rush anything sexual.
Cheesecake notwithstanding.
He’d thought of little else since they’d had that conversation and when it arrived at the table after dinner, he was almost afraid to take a bite. Charli had an impish smile on her face, though, wiggling her eyebrows as she held out a fork to him.
“Well, this is it. Are you ready?”
“I was born ready.” He’d heard Logan say this enough times to feel comfortable using the phrase, and he dug his fork into the creamy mixture in front of him. He took a tentative bite and then slowly closed his eyes. Okay, there was no way in hell he was truly comparing any type of food to good sex, but this was pretty incredible. He savored the first bite, letting it melt in his mouth before finally swallowing. When he opened his eyes again, Charli was grinning.
“Was I right?”
“Close,” he said, licking his lips.
Her cheeks turned red but she didn’t look away. “So maybe I’ve been…doing it wrong.”
His cock stiffened behind his jeans at the thought of showing her she hadn’t done anything wrong, that she’d most likely just been with the wrong men. God, he wanted to show her sex that was better than cheesecake, and the look in her eyes told him she was interested too. However, he’d vowed not to rush and he wouldn’t.
He stuck his fork back in the cheesecake and held out a bite to her. “I don’t think you did it wrong,” he said as she opened her mouth. “I think maybe the men were wrong.”
“I’ve only slept with two men,” she admitted softly. “And they were definitely wrong.”
“Only two?”
She nodded and swallowed. “So cheesecake had to become my substitute.”
He smiled. “Well, maybe someday you’ll change your mind, but for now, I will say this cheesecake is almost as good as sex.”
“I’ll take your word for it.” She snatched the fork from his hand and took another bite.
He drove her home after dinner and walked her to the front door.
“Do you want to come in?” she asked. “I feel like after tonight I’m not going to see you much because of your travel schedule.”
“I have to be up early,” he said, reaching out to draw her close. “But I’ll see you after the next game and we’ll talk on the phone when I’m out of town. Okay?”
“Okay.”
He leaned in to kiss her and this time he slid his tongue between her lips. Her mouth opened and he finally kissed her the way he’d been wanting to. Their tongues moved together slowly, exploring the newness of it all. She was so different from