The attention to detail was amazing. By lowering the floral arrangements and removing the heavy candelabras, the result was intimate and homey. Conversation flowed easily, and everyone seemed totally at ease.
“Are you happy, sunshine girl?”
She met Arnie’s warm gaze and smiled. “Never happier,” she answered.
Her hand moved under the table, hidden from view beneath the tablecloth. She found his knee and squeezed before slowly moving her fingers up his thigh.
He sat back and dared her to continue with his twinkling blue eyes.
“So I did good?” He chortled.
She rolled her eyes, much to his grinning delight. “I’m going to have to let you off the hook now,” she murmured. “Was that your intent?”
He mimicked a hook in his mouth pulling him closer to her and chuckled. “Nah, I like the hook.”
Everyone else was busy talking, and some were still eating while lively conversations took place. No one was interested in them at the moment. Even Ari was napping nearby with Mrs. Estrada hovering close.
Leaning forward, she casually rested her free arm on the table and fiddled with an earring as she gave Arnie her undivided attention.
Beneath the tablecloth, she danced her fingers on his inner thigh, and at times, feathered them briefly in the area of an impressive bulge.
Lowering her voice, she murmured flirtatiously. “I’ve been giving a bit of thought to your suggestion.”
His grin doubled before he too, sat forward, boxing her in with his overwhelming physicality. “Which of my brilliant suggestions are you referring to?”
Good god, he was too cheeky for words and hot as hell to boot.
“Oh, you know,” she purred.
Wetting her lips and then briefly tugging her bottom lip with her teeth, Summer delivered what she hoped was a scenario he wouldn’t be able to get out of his head.
“The daddy thing.” She boldly played her fingers on his erection and felt a thrill when he inhaled sharply.
“Are you saying what I think you’re saying?”
She giggled and lowered her eyes the way a proper baby girl should. The flirty maneuver worked. The heat level between them rose quickly.
“I googled it,” she quipped.
He chortled and stared at her boobs. “Daddies can be very demanding.” His words were spoken softly, but they had the same effect on her libido as a shot of erotically supercharged sex fuel.
Either he noted her reaction from the look in her eyes or he sensed it with his supernatural voodoo skills.
They needed to come up with an expression to describe an alpha male, a cocky, supremely arrogant, well-hung alpha and the primitive growl-smirk that went along with his overconfident swagger. The second she saw it on his face, she was a goner.
“Do I sense a quivering pussy?” he breathed into her ear.
She didn’t answer. Couldn’t—not when her body reacted with carnal interest. The sort of interest she mustn’t act on—not when people were around.
He chuckled at her obvious discomfiture and sat back. The rest of the dinner went by without much notice from her. She was too deep inside a particularly filthy fantasy starring a demanding daddy. Spooning ice cream into her mouth, she imagined him teasing her by withholding his cock until she put on an award-winning pout performance. Her body reacted to the sexy daydream. She could feel him stroking in and out. Pressing her knees together to stop the pulsing ache didn’t help.
After dinner, they all went onto the terrace for brandy and coffee.
She loved the terrace. So did Pops. He had several different clusters of seating, an outdoor fireplace, and several classy outdoor heaters to ward off the January chill.
There was also an ice bucket holding a ginormous bottle. On a table nearby was a tray of champagne flutes.
Oh, my god. Was this what she thought it was?
With Arnie’s family and her brother watching, her Adonis sank to his knee and waved her closer. The expression on his face brought happy tears to her eyes.
“Wait,” she said with her hand up. He appeared startled, and his brows bumped together in confusion.
“Is this what I think it is?” she asked.
“Uh, probably?” he answered with an amused question.
Snapping her fingers and clapping her hands, she issued orders to their stunned witnesses.
“Reed. Get Arianne. She needs to see this too.”
Dottie laughed. She waved her cell phone. “Do you want me to play photographer?”
“Yes! And do you have a mirror?”
“Oh, for god’s sake,” Arnie muttered. He spread his arms wide, and squawked, “I’m on my knees here, woman, and you want a mirror?”
“Oh, hush.” She laughed. “After what you put me through, I suggest