about this.” His brows drew together as he tried to remember Daniel’s exact words. “I think he said this was melt-in-your-mouth chicken?”
Nodding, Harper smiled, clearly pleased by his praise. “That’s the name of the recipe. Actually, Sandy calls it orgasmic-chicken.”
At that, he blinked, feeling a stab of lust. It did not matter if she was referring to their meal, the word ‘orgasmic’ leaving Harper’s lips had him fighting another hard-on. Blowing out a long breath, he gave his head a little shake, determined to make it through the meal like a normal adult and not a horny teenager. “Tell me about your day.”
Taking another sip of wine, she lifted her napkin and wiped her lips. “Well, today I had a fire scene to examine.” He lifted his gaze and cocked his head to the side, and she hurried to say, “There was no arson involved. It was just an accident. A space heater caught on fire.”
“Was anyone hurt?”
Instead of answering, her lips curved into a slow smile before she finally shook her head side to side. Curious about her smile, he asked, “What are you thinking?”
She glanced down at her plate for a few seconds before lifting her gaze back to his. “I’m thinking how sweet it is that the first thing you wanted to know was if anyone was hurt.”
“That’s the first thing I always think of, Harper. Even before my brain starts processing the fire scene, I always wonder if someone’s hurt.”
“The father was injured, but not severely. After I processed the fire scene, I went to the hospital to check on the family. I didn’t see him, but I saw his wife and their baby, chatted with her for a few minutes, and let them know that our company would help take care of them.”
She picked up her fork and began eating again, and Sean was glad she was not looking at him. He wanted to preserve that moment when she had no idea that he was staring at her, his heart pounding in his chest, beating out the rhythm of an emotion that he could not quite name yet.
Finally, dragging his eyes back to his plate, he continued eating the meal. By the time it was finished, he told her once again how delicious it was. She blushed as she accepted his compliment, then hopped up from the table and brought over two slices of chocolate mousse.
“These are store-bought. I like to bake, but I just didn’t have time to do anything special.”
He poured more wine for both of them. “Harper, sweetheart, you don’t have to apologize for anything. The fact that you even fixed a home-cooked meal means more to me than you can imagine.” As he stood to her side pouring the wine in her glass, his hand rested lightly on the back of her neck, the feel of her thick hair sliding over his fingers. His hand gave a little squeeze, and she twisted her head and looked up at him, her eyes bright as she smiled in thanks.
The sexual tension snapped through the air. Am I the only one feeling this? Watching her hand shake slightly as she dipped into the decadent dessert, he knew he was not the only one affected.
They finished quickly, the conversation having slowed between them as though neither knew what to say. She was adept at using her splinted hand, and it took little time to rinse off the dishes and put them in the dishwasher. He watched as she fiddled nervously with the dishtowel, wiping off an imaginary spot on the counter.
Stepping behind her, he placed his hands on her shoulders and turned her around so that she was facing him. Taking the towel from her hands, he tossed it to the counter and watched as she nibbled on her lip.
“Harper,” he called gently, waiting until her eyes moved from a point over his shoulder up to meet his gaze. “I don’t want you to be nervous. If this is all we do tonight… just enjoy a wonderful dinner, then that’s perfect—”
“I’m trying not to jump you.”
Her words, spoken in a rush, caused his own words to halt in his throat as his eyes widened in uncertainty.
She continued to blurt, “I wanted to jump you the moment you walked in, but with the beautiful flowers and bottle of wine, I knew that would seem crass. After all, you needed to eat, and I had promised to feed you. But I mentioned that Sandy called my meal