even realized I had placed there…kind of. His face softened and he cupped my cheek. “You look a little tired.”
I scooted forward a bit to make up for the unwrapping. I wanted to be as close as possible. “You know how much I love it when you compliment me on how good I look. Tell me more.”
He pulled back and gave me a pointed look that pretty much said he wasn’t having it.
I hauled him back. “I’m fine. I promise I sit down before I get dizzy, and I’m sitting right now too. I haven’t baked a thing either. Would you like to know what else good husbands do?”
“Good husbands,” he mumbled, his hands moving up and down on my back. I did my best not to squirm.
“They kiss their wives when they see them.”
“They do?”
“Yeah. I’m told it’s a tradition.”
He licked his lips, and because I was trying to fuse myself to him, his tongue touched my lips too. Letting go of his jacket before I could wrinkle it too much, I wrapped my arms around his neck, already having trouble remembering how to breathe like a normal person.
“Good thing I’m not your real husband then,” Jack said.
My mouth dropped open and I let go of him, feigning shock. “Jack Hawthorne, did you just make a joke?”
“Smartass,” he muttered with a smile, his eyes dancing. It seemed I was making him happy. Every time he smiled it loosened something in me.
“You may kiss me now,” I whispered, ready for it, desperate and impatient for it, and then he finally did so. I quickly wrapped my arms back around him again and gladly returned his kiss. Unfortunately, he put a stop to it in no time.
“Hello, my beautiful wife,” he whispered, and I felt a little better since he was out of breath too. It wasn’t just me who was affected.
I heard the bell chime and more chatter trickled into our private little bubble. We weren’t alone, though I kept forgetting that when he was around.
“That’s slightly better,” I commented, my hands on his shoulders.
“Are you ready?” he asked.
“I’m buying new tables,” I announced instead of responding to his question.
He frowned. “What?”
“New tables—we need them. We’re always full and we have the space too, so I’m buying new tables.” I smiled widely. “Yay!”
“That’s good, baby, but—”
That word, that baby—hearing it for the first time from his lips caused a full body shiver. It was something about his voice that just added to the endearment. I’d never even considered that I would love to be called baby, but this…this specific one coming from this specific guy, it stopped me in my tracks. I could’ve spent the rest of my life just being called baby by Jack Hawthorne.
“Hmmm,” I moaned in the hopes of distracting him. I leaned in and nuzzled his nose with my own, whispering against his lips, “Should I even let you know how much I love your voice? Or the way my name sounds when it comes from your lips?” I gently kissed his top lip then his lower lip, and then I went in for a deeper kiss, searching for his tongue. “That baby just about killed me, Jack.”
“You’re trying to distract me,” he muttered, and I smiled because it was exactly what I was doing and it was working perfectly. I tilted my head to the side and took a big breath before going in again.
No one had ever kissed me like Jack Hawthorne did, and I didn’t think I ever wanted to find out if there was anyone else out there who could.
“Why would I do that?” I whispered, my lips still touching his. I bit my lip. “Don’t get angry, I’m not saying we should act on it, but I really want you, Jack. Just so you know.”
I felt his smile against my mouth and then his warm chuckle. The sound made my heart sigh in happiness.
“Really? I had no idea. You only say and text it every day, a couple times a day.”
“And you never say it, or text it, or do it.”
“Because I can control myself.”
I kissed him again, taking it slow, coaxing him. “You’re very good at that.”
He smiled into our kiss, nipping at my lips.
I leaned forward until my lips were right next to his ear. “But I want to hear you say you want me. Tell me you want me, Jack. At least give me that much.”
I drew back and looked into his eyes. I could see the sparkle