Sweet in Love Read Free

want.”
    “But Amandine says you love your job.”
    “I do. But there are things I love more.”
    * * *
     
    Brooke ate the rest of dinner more or less in silence, mulling things over. A daintier woman might have lost her appetite after Pete’s announcement, but she’d learned to be practical from an early age.
    Afterward, Pete started walking with her outside. “Didn’t you drive?” she said. “I can walk myself home.”
    “It’s no trouble.” He put a hand to the small of her back. He was warm and as he fell in beside her he smelled like soap and freshly cut trees.
    He towered over her. But then she was short. That, plus the fact that he had always seemed more mature than his age, was probably why she’d gone insane all those years ago and let him kiss her…and then kissed him back. It’d seemed like such a natural way to kill time in an empty high school gym, while waiting for Amandine to finish talking with her guidance counselor. Thank god for the minor quake that had hit the city. By the time it had jolted sanity back into her, they were panting, their hands busy exploring each other’s bodies. Her sex had been dripping wet, his thick and hard.
    She’d fled back to UCLA immediately without a word to Pete or Amandine. Pete had called a few hours later to ask how she was doing.
    “It never happened. Don’t call me again.” she’d said. Now that she thought back on it, her voice had probably been colder than necessary.
    And he hadn’t. Until today.
    Did he really want to see where things would go between them? All because they were both still single after eight years?
    If Pete had waited another month before making his move, maybe she would’ve been busy dating the cardiologist whose mother owned a laundromat.
    They had a pleasant stroll through the neighborhood, ending up at the entrance to her apartment complex. “Thanks for dinner,” she said.
    “My pleasure.” He had a smile on his face, and shifted until he was crowding her a bit. Yet she didn’t feel trapped. Her heart hammered like a sparrow’s. What would he do next? Kiss her?
    Would his kiss be as amazing as the ones in her memory?
    He dipped his head, his long eyelashes shielding his eyes from her scrutiny. His mouth grazed hers in an inquiry, and after a moment she tilted her head, fitting her lips to his.
    His kiss was familiar, but with a maturity and sureness that made her spine tingle. His tongue gently traced the seam of her mouth, and she opened wider, and used her tongue to steal a quick taste.
    She moaned softly when the flavors of man and tea registered. She couldn’t believe how much she wanted him, wanted to devour him with the greed she’d displayed eight years ago. Her panties grew damp as she pulled his tongue into her mouth and sucked it. She pressed closer, fitting her body against his, and groaned when she felt his thick, hard erection pushing against her.
    Suddenly, he pulled away. She gripped his jacket lapels, trying to draw him back, but a soft throat-clearing behind him caught her attention.
    “Excuse me. I need to get in.”
    Oh crap. It was Mrs. Nesbitt, her neighbor. Brooke pulled her lips in and stepped away from the door.
    The old lady winked as she shuffled past. “You’ve got a handsome one there, dear. Why not invite him in? It’s nicer in your apartment, hmm?”
    Brooke’s face burned as the woman slipped behind the door. Holy shit, what the hell had she been thinking? She was so lost in the kiss that she might have gone all the way right where they were. Like she had been in the empty gym.
    “I should go up,” she said.
    “Brooke—”
    “I know what you want, and I think a kiss is enough for one evening’s work, don’t you?” Her lips still tingled, sensitive and swollen.
    He took a breath. “All right. I’ll see you tomorrow evening.”
    “Tomorrow’s Monday.”
    “So?”
    “Don’t you have to work? Does Gavin actually let you leave before, like, midnight?” Gavin had been the