Once Upon A Half-Time 1(37)
I loved this kid, but I wasn’t above force-feeding him. “You’re done?”
“Yep.”
Only a quarter of his spaghetti was gone. “You’re gonna be hungry later.”
“Will not. Can I play Minecraft?”
My stomach rumbled. I grabbed his plate and waved him to my X-Box. At least I’d tried. It was close enough to his bedtime that he probably wouldn’t get hungry again. I’d make him breakfast in the morning before taking him to kindergarten. God willing, he still ate eggs without complaint.
Elle fixed her own plate. She sat across from me, nibbling on a noodle, and nodded her approval.
What was sexier? A woman dressed up in a cock-maddening dress that hugged her dark curves, or a sexy woman wearing my jersey lounging in my kitchen?
I could get used to both sides of her.
“This wasn’t the fun-filled, magical dinner I’d planned.” I opened a bottle of wine and offered her a glass. “This dinner was supposed to be…amazing. Totally suspended in the air on a crane. Just blowing in the breeze. Full-service bar and grill chef.”
“I don’t mind spaghetti.”
“I hope not. You’re wearing it.”
“Soaked through my dress.” Elle hummed over a sip of her wine. “Had to rinse my panties too.”
There was my punishment. A rock hard cock and no way to swipe the dishes off the counter and fuck the ever-loving hell out of her.
“I think spaghetti is my new favorite food,” I said.
“I think I’m just glad we’re eating it at sea-level.”
“Sea-level is boring.”
“Even with me as your dinner date?”
Sassy little thing. “You get my blood pumping in an entirely different way, Red.”
“I don’t understand you. Why are you always looking for that next adrenaline rush?”
I shrugged. “I only need two things. A football in my hand and my wife in my bed.”
“Don’t deny it,” she said. “You’re a total adrenaline junkie.”
“I don’t deny anything. Might have to plead the fifth if Piper asks you questions about any dates which could violate my contract.”
She spun the spaghetti around her fork, but she stared at me instead. “So what makes a man want to eat dinner suspended over the city by a crane instead of enjoying a quiet meal in a bistro?”
“The crane is more exciting.”
“What about the other adventures? Bungee jumping off the Stratosphere in Vegas? Getting married on a whim?”
I inhaled the rest of my food and scraped up the sauce with a piece of bread. “My life is one constant adrenaline rush. I spend my days staring down linebackers for a living. Running routes across the middle where a corner could clock me and I’d be out for the season.”
“And you…like it?”
“I love it. The fear. It’s fun, intoxicating.” I lowered my voice. “It’s sexy. Like a seduction.”
She hummed. “And I suppose you like sex to be wild too?”
“You should know.”
“What we did in Vegas defied human strength and endurance. I don’t think we could do it again.”
“Wanna try?”
“One adventure at a time, Charming.”
“That’s what I like to hear.”
“Is it?” Her eyebrow arched. “You’re not a man used to hearing no.”
“And that’s what makes seduction so damn fun.” I lowered my voice. “Even the strongest can’t resist me.”
“Or maybe you haven’t met your match?”
“I think I have.”
“Believe me, Lachlan. You’re no challenge to me.”
“Then I surrender, Red. You can take me now.”
“And what if I get off on the thrill of the chase?”
“Who wouldn’t?” I offered her another glass of wine, filling it to the brim even as she protested. “That thrill is what proves we’re alive. I love that heart-pounding, muscle-rending tension.”
“Why?”
“Easy. The suspense. The fear. The uncertainty.” I leaned closer to her. “It’s all about the intensity. Doesn’t matter if you’re jumping off a bridge, lining up across from a linebacker, or carrying a beautiful woman to your bed. No one knows what will happen. But you pant. You sweat. And you take that leap.”
“And what happens?”
“You get your release. You land on your feet. Score the touchdown. Come inside an orgasming woman. But, for me, it’s not about that moment of relief—I’m after the split-second just before it happens. When only pure instinct surges through your body, your mind, your reflexes. That’s when you find out what kind of person you are.”