“Thanks; I wanted to wear something festive, but it’s not quite cool enough for my big, fuzzy holiday sweaters.”
He glanced down at the gift bag in her right hand. “Is that for me?”
“Yes—well, some of it is. I brought cookies for you and your family.”
Smiling, he opened the door wider and stepped back to let her inside. As she passed, he caught a whiff of her perfume, an intoxicating mix of jasmine and citrus that fit her perfectly.
He followed her to the kitchen, where she took out two containers and set them on the counter.
“I didn’t know if anyone in your family had a peanut allergy, so I only put gingerbread and chocolate mint in their tin. Yours has all three.”
“Is that why my tin’s bigger?” Curious, he opened the container, and the sugary aroma filled his senses and made his stomach grumble. If they weren’t about to meet his family for dinner, he would have eaten a few right then and there.
A smile teased the corners of Fiona’s mouth. “No, your tin’s bigger because I like you better. Plus, I’ve seen how many cookies you can put away in one sitting. I’m willing to wager you eat more than all three of them combined.”
Totally unrepentant, he grinned. “It takes a lot of calories to maintain this level of cuteness.”
Fiona shook her head, but he could tell she was trying hard to hold in a laugh.
All kidding aside, his eating abilities paled in comparison to some of his friends and coworkers at Six Points. Like Jackson, who once ate an entire extra-large double-everything stuffed crust pizza and a dozen chicken wings when he returned from a mission in Central America. In one sitting. Sure, the guy was huge and built like a tank, but if Pinto ever ate that much food, he’d probably sleep for a week like a hibernating grizzly.
Unable to resist for even one second longer, Pinto set the tins aside, backed Fiona up against the counter, and kissed the living daylights out of her. He loved the way she softened against him, her breasts pressed against his chest, while her fingers slid into his hair. Her lips parted to give him access, her tongue stroking his in a way that damn near drove him wild. Eyes closed, she let out a soft, throaty moan, and it triggered an ache that he felt in his blood, in his heart…all the way to his soul.
Everything inside him demanded he toss her over his shoulder caveman-style, carry her to his bedroom, and do all sorts of wicked things with her until they were both too tired to move. The urge was almost overwhelming. As it was, half of the blood in his brain had already migrated south of the beltline. But they were meeting his family in about an hour, so he dug deep and summoned enough discipline to end the kiss.
Fiona stared up at him, her face flushed and her eyes a little glassy. “Well, a simple thank-you would have sufficed, but that was much better.”
Smart, beautiful, with a good sense of humor. And she baked a mean batch of cookies. Christ, he was in so much trouble, it wasn’t even funny. If she enjoyed his two favorite things as much as he did, he might marry her on the spot.
“We should probably go,” he said. “I’m getting ideas that will make us late.”
She arched one eyebrow. “What kind of ideas?”
“Ones I shouldn’t be thinking about until we’ve redefined the parameters of our agreement.” Not to mention, they were making his jeans uncomfortable, and the very last thing he wanted to do was sport wood in front of his family.
Fiona’s throat moved when she swallowed. “When do you propose we have that discussion?”
“How does on the way home from dinner sound?”
She smiled. “That works for me.”
“Good.” Giving in to the urge, he dipped his head and stole another kiss. “We better get going. If we’re late, I’ll never hear the end of it.”
They arrived at Smokey Moe’s BBQ with five minutes to spare. As usual, the place was packed, but his family had arrived early and placed their name on the list for a table. While they waited, Sadie told them all about their day at Hollywood Studios, rounding out the recap with a spirited rendition of a song fromFrozenthat was now stuck in Pinto’s head.
“Looks like you guys got a bit of sun today,” he said. They’d also apparently forgotten, or hadn’t bothered, to wear sunscreen, because their skin all had the bright-pink tint that came from too much exposure.
His mother waved a dismissive hand. “A little sun is good for your health. It’ll fade to a tan by morning.”
For their sakes, he hoped she was right. Otherwise, they were in for a long, uncomfortable drive back to New Jersey.
“Don’t worry; I’ve got a big bottle of aloe at the hotel,” Stephanie said. “I’ll make sure everyone slathers themselves as soon as we get back.”
His mother gave Fiona a look. “You could use some sun. You’re awfully pale for someone who lives in the Sunshine State.”
Pinto slanted his mother a warning look. “Ma…”
“It’s okay.” Fiona gave his hand a light squeeze. She smiled, though it seemed a little forced. “My skin’s a lot fairer than yours. I blame my Nordic ancestors. If I’m out in the sun for more than ten minutes, I go from pale to redder than a stop sign.” She looked down at Sadie, made a funny face, and added, “Nobody wants to see that.”
