She shook her head and laughed. “We really need to work on your cultural awareness. It’s a Dutchie thing—a sweet-and-sour mix of pickled vegetables. Except I used a prototype sweet peach cider instead of the usual sugar and vinegar. It went over well.”
“If it’s even half as good as this, I can see why.”
Doc was already familiar with her peach jam, tarts, and whoopie pies—thanks to Sandy—so she decided to leave those for him to enjoy later.
“Are you ready for the pièce de résistance?” she asked when he finished the last of his chicken.
“There’s no way you can top this,” he insisted, shaking his head.
Oh, she planned on topping it all right. She pulled her latest creation from the oven—baked peaches stuffed with a cookie-cashew filling, topped with a whipped zabaglione.
“I got the idea for this one from Rico Buschetti,” Tina explained as she scooped some onto a clean plate and added a generous dollop of her peach-based zabaglione. “He runs the Italian restaurant in town and does this flaming dessert with strawberries that is simply outstanding.”
Instead of sitting across from him, she cut a spoonful and held it to his lips. His eyes didn’t leave hers as he took the first bite.
“Well?”
“I need another taste to be sure.”
Tina held her breath as Doc coaxed her down onto his lap. Then, he dipped his finger into the serving dish and spread the filling and whipped topping over her lips.
She gave herself over to it, quickly deciding that being devoured by Doc was her new favorite thing. He nibbled, he licked, he savored, and she loved every second of it.
“Delicious,” he said softly.
He repeated the process, and it was even better the second time. By the time he reached over for a third helping, her heart was racing, and heat was pooling between her legs. The only thing she wanted more was to feel those talented lips working magic on other parts of her body, too.
His hands gripped her hips, those long fingers flexing as if they wanted to explore. She desperately wished they would. Tina scooted up on his lap in an attempt to get closer, but all that did was situate her more solidly over the hard proof that he was enjoying their kisses, too.
“Tina,” he warned when she began to rock her hips.
She nibbled his lips. “You’re right. This is a much better way to taste-test. But I need more data.”
“What data?” he mumbled.
“Maybe it tastes better on some parts more than others.”
She took a page out of his book and swiped her finger in the dish, spreading the sweet mix onto his skin. She licked along the column of his throat. He growled, a low, supremely masculine sound that made her ache.
“Hold on.”
It was the only warning she had before Doc was on his feet. Her legs tightened around his hips, her arms around his neck. The next thing she knew, she was on the couch, and he was looming over her with a hungry look in his eyes.
There was nothing easygoing about that look. Gold flecks flashed in vibrant green and deep amber. This was a man with things on his mind. Wild, passionate things. Yet he was keeping them under control. She knew that as surely as she knew her nipples had never been quite so hard, nor her panties quite so wet, from simply kissing.
“Yes,” she whispered. Whatever his unspoken question was, the answer was an unequivocal yes.
He grinned, a sexy, predatory grin that thrilled her, and began to raise the hem of her shirt. He smeared the dessert on the exposed skin and then took great time and attention in removing it. When finished, he lifted the material a few more inches and repeated the process.
Before long, her impatience got the best of her, and she yanked the shirt over her head. He chuckled.
Tina loved the way his eyes darkened when he saw the hardened tips clearly through her bra. Even more, she liked the way he wasted no time in slipping the straps over her shoulders to expose her flesh.
The look in his eyes was priceless. An intense mix of hunger and passion and want. In that moment, she felt like the most desirable woman on the planet.
So intent was she on watching him that she didn’t notice him reaching over to the plate, but she certainly noticed when he began to swirl the whipped topping around her nipple. Just the light touch of