I blink at him, unsure whether to laugh or swoon. “Do you say that to all the women you feed pot pie to?”
Jake chuckles low. “I can honestly say I’ve never fed pot pie to any other woman. You heard Milly—you’re special.”
The warmth that pools in my chest isn’t just from the food. It’s something deeper. Warmer.
He brushes a crumb from the corner of my mouth and doesn’t pull his hand away right away. His thumb lingers against my cheek for a second longer than it needs to.
“You’re having fun?” he asks, voice low.
I nod, my heart thudding. “So much fun.”
“Good,” he murmurs. “I’m not done with you yet.”
And just like that, my pulse starts racing again.
Chapter Six
Jake
Damn.
The way she’s looking at me, nervously biting that full lower lip…it takes everything in me not to turn her over and have her right here and now. Instead, I make do with moving over to her side of the booth, sitting next to her with my arm on the back of the booth behind her. I can’t sit so far away from her any longer.
“This okay?” I ask.
She nods, leaning closer to me, her throat arching gracefully like an invitation. I reach out without thinking, tracing the side of her neck with one finger, keeping my touch featherlight.
She freezes, then shudders.
“Ticklish?” I murmur.
She gives me a look that’s anything but amused. It’s wide-eyed and curious and just a little unsure. “That’s…not what I’d call it.”
Oh, we’re playing that game now?
I lean in closer and let my fingers skim higher, just behind her ear. Her skin is so soft, so warm, I can feel her pulse flutter against my knuckle like a trapped butterfly. She exhales slowly, like she’s trying to ground herself. But I’m not making it easy.
“Jake…” she says, her voice a low whisper wrapped in warning and want.
“Yeah?”
“It’s really hard to think when you do that.”
I grin, and my thumb brushes the edge of her cheekbone. “Maybe I don’t want you thinking.”
Her breath catches as I lower my hand and slide it down the inside of her arm. Goose bumps rise like a trail in my wake. It’s subtle. Teasing. But the air between us is positively humming now.
“Ruby,” I murmur, leaning in just enough that her hair brushes my jaw. “You say the word, and I’ll stop. I swear.”
She doesn’t say anything.
She doesn’t move.
She just looks at me with those wide, dark eyes, pupils blown and lips parted like she’s already halfway gone.
“It’s just…I’ve never done anything like this before,” she whispers.
My whole body goes still. What?
