Hunting Ember (Pride of Alphas #1) - Milly Taiden Page 0,29

the forkful going up to her mouth and disappearing between those lips he loved so much. Her moan of appreciation went straight to his dick.

“This is so good. Dill, lemon—” She took another bite. “Do I detect a hint of lime as well?”

His chest puffed up with pride for the second time this evening. “Yes, I always add lemons and a tiny bit of lime when I cook salmon.”

“It’s delicious. My compliments to the chef.” She raised her wine glass to him.

“Coming from you, I’m taking that as the highest of praises.”

“Oh, don’t. Like I said, my specialty is baking.”

“I don’t know about that. I’m going to be craving those egg bites until the day I die.”

“You don’t have to die for them, Kai. I’ll just make some more for you. Now tell me, grill master, what else do you cook up?”

“I make a mean steak. My family begs for my ribs at least once a month.”

“Boiled and marinated?” she asked.

“Yup. In my own homemade BBQ sauce.”

Her eyes widened, her mouth dropping open. “You make your own BBQ sauce?”

“Yes,” he answered, amused by her reaction.

“I think that’s the hottest thing I have ever heard anyone say.”

He guffawed a laugh, taken entirely by surprise by her candor. “Well then, the next time I make it, I’ll have you over.”

“I would love that. Fair is fair, so I’ll bake a chocolate cheesecake.”

“You’ve got yourself a deal.”

Over the rest of the meal, they fell into easy conversation. It was comfortable and exciting all at once. The more he got to know his mate, the more he wanted to know. She was funny and sweet. Her thoughtfulness knew no bounds.

How someone could want to hurt a woman as kind as her was beyond Kai. Surely, it would take quite an evil person to hate her.

By the time dessert rolled around, Kai was drunk. Not on wine. Alcohol had no effect on his shifter constitution. It was on Ember’s kisses that he was intoxicated. His dick was permanently hard, and thankfully, Ember hadn’t noticed the amounts of times he had rearranged himself to keep the damn appendage from poking her in the hip every time they kissed.

Which was a lot.

Her lips were just as swollen as his felt, but he had no intention of stopping. He would kiss Ember until he died, given the chance. Only taking breaks to breathe and, hopefully, kiss other parts of her.

Chapter Eleven

Ember

As a baker, Ember was definitely aware that food could be erotic and used as a sexy game. She had never actually experienced it for herself. Her knowledge came from her own fantasies, some romance novels, and what she had heard some of her coworkers discuss.

Well, now she could speak from experience.

Dessert had been a bowl full of fresh strawberries and a small vat of smooth, creamy, melted chocolate. It had been stupidly simple, but it had led to some serious making out on the deck of the boat.

When some chocolate had dripped down her chin, Kai had licked at it like he wanted to devour her. It had heightened the sexually charged night air, and they’d abandoned the boat to retreat to her apartment where the kissing could continue in a more private setting.

Hopefully, it would lead to more.

They barely had time to lock the door behind them, and they were kissing again. The car ride over had done nothing to dull the edges of the desire burning inside of Ember.

She was so desperate for release, she was half-terrified she would come, still fully clothed. Kai was just that good of a kisser. It helped that he looked at her like she was the most beautiful woman in the world.

Kai’s strong hand was at the back of Ember’s neck, his fingers softly caressing her hair. He kissed her temple, his lips running along her forehead, where he pressed a gentle kiss. He continued exploring her face with his lips until he reached her mouth. His tongue traced her lower lip before he sucked it gently into his mouth. Ember kissed him back as her senses were flooded by all of the reactions he was expertly pulling out of her.

Her hands roamed down his chest until she reached the hem of his sweater. She tugged at it, and he quickly slipped it off, sending it flying over his shoulder. Ember shivered with need when she saw just what Kai was hiding under his clothes.

His broad shoulders and defined pecs led to a set of abs that were calling