in various colors, gold-dusted truffles, chocolate rocks painted to look marbled, and gold and silver bars. The white- and milk-chocolate beaded necklaces she’d made spilled over the sides of the chest, and she’d scattered silver and gold coins along the tray on which the treasure chest sat, which was covered with a mix of ground almonds and brown sugar to look like sand.
“Carls, you made this?”
“Just for you!” she said as he set the box on the hood of the truck.
“This is phenomenal.” He opened the sides of the box and pressed them flat, admiring his gift from all angles. “Gold bars, jewels, pearl necklaces…This is a fucking masterpiece, babe. I always knew you were good with your hands, but I had no idea you were so talented with chocolate. Is the sand edible, too?”
“Yes. It’s made from almonds and brown sugar,” she said, but he was already dabbing his finger in it and licking the mixture off.
“Mm. Baby, this is the coolest thing I’ve ever been given. Thank you.” He leaned in for another kiss, and she soaked in his praise.
“I’m so glad you like it. Birdie took a million pictures. We’re going to offer a smaller version as a specialty item.” She told him about how much fun she’d had making it for him, and about Quinn stealing the beads.
“Someone is as passionate in the kitchen as she is in the bedroom.” He drew her into his arms and kissed her jaw. “You’re an artist.” His eyes heated, and he said, “I want to create body art with those chocolates and eat them off you.”
Her body hummed to life as he lowered his lips to hers in another lust-inducing kiss. “Zevy,” she whispered. “We can’t do this.”
“Nobody’s here to stop us,” he said, kissing her neck.
His whiskers tickled oh so good. She’d joked with the girls about doing sexy things with chocolate, but she’d never actually done it. She wanted to give in, to run inside and strip off her clothes for him to ravage her as he wished. But she knew they’d never leave the inn if she did. As he kissed a seriously toe-curling and convincing path up her neck, she forced herself to lean back and said, “Hold that thought.”
“I want to hold much more than a thought,” he said gruffly, pulling her closer.
His eyes were dark as night, the wicked look in them almost too enticing to deny. “This is how we got distracted last night. We both know if we go inside with that on our minds, we’re not going to leave until morning. And I’m curious about where you want to take me.”
“Sexy girl, I want to take you on the table, the stairs, the counters, and everyplace in between, and then I want you to ride me like I’m your stallion, because, baby, I am.”
Her ability to speak got lost in a sea of desire, and a needy sound fell from her lips. She held on to him, feeling light-headed as visions of Zev taking her in all those places took hold.
He brushed his scruff over her cheek, sending white-hot sparks rippling down the length of her, and said, “But I’m excited to show you your surprise, too, so we’ll just have to rein in our desires until after we meet your friends tonight.” He pressed a kiss beside her ear and said, “You’d better stay out here while I put that in the fridge, because I definitely cannot be trusted to keep my hands off you.”
Holy moly…
The next few minutes were a blur as Zev took his gift inside and Carly tried to push away the dirty thoughts burning through her mind.
When Zev came back outside, he slapped her butt, jerking her back into reality, and said, “Let’s go, hot stuff. Your surprise awaits you.” He opened the passenger door and leaned in close, whispering, “Unless you need to change your panties first?”
“Zev!” She swatted him, making him laugh as he scooted out of reach.
He was still chuckling as he went around to the driver’s side and opened the door. Bandit bounded onto the seat between them, and Zev climbed in after him.
The drive down the windy mountain roads was a pretty one, filled with gorgeous trees, lush bushes, and wildflowers. As they drove through town, Carly asked where they were going, but Zev just shrugged and sang along to the radio. She gazed out the window lost in her thoughts until the song “Shallow” came on and Zev belted