"Mommy! Chef Jean let me put the shrimp into the pot. They were gray when I put them in and now they're pink!" Morgan clapped her hands, her face frozen in a big, ‘O'. "You got your princess dress on! Mommy you're so pretty."
With three sets of eyes watching her intently, Sabrina couldn't help but blush. She smoothed her skirt and stepped into the dining room.
"The table looks beautiful," she said softly.
"Yeah. Beautiful," Teague murmured.
Chef Jean appeared, her eyes alive with approval when she spotted Sabrina. "We eat our spring rolls now?"
"Are there green things in them?" Harry asked with a frown.
"Yes there are green things. And yes you will like them."
"I don't think so," Harry replied.
"I promise," Chef Jean said with a grin. "Sit. I serve and you eat."
She disappeared back into the kitchen and Teague pulled out a chair as the kids scrambled onto theirs. Trying to calm her nerves, Sabrina took the last few steps to the table and slid onto the chair.
Teague's fingers touched her neck, a gentle caress that was gone just as fast. She blew out a breath and reached for her napkin, glancing up at Teague when he settled in the chair across from her.
The smells from the kitchen were amazing. Her kids were smiling. Heck, even the dog looked as if it had mastered the human smile.
Sabrina had no idea how this night was going to end, but right now she wasn't going to think about that. So what if Teague had probably paid a small fortune to fly Chef Jean up from Manhattan to her home to cook dinner?
It was just a meal. Nothing more. Nothing less.
"Wine?" Teague asked, reaching for a bottle of red Merlot. He smiled, that slow lazy smile that was like a punch to the gut.
Who was she kidding?
This was so much more than just a meal. And that's what scared her.
Chapter Twenty-seven
It took Teague exactly three hours and forty-two minutes to get Sabrina alone. The dinner had been a one of a kind treat and Chef Jean went above and beyond. The kids ate enthusiastically and even Harry had been convinced to try the green vegetables. (Bribed with dessert, but still … )
Harry and Morgan insisted that Teague accompany them up to bed and he'd been treated to Morgan's vocal ability as she sang a Taylor Swift song at the top of her lungs. Then he'd waited patiently while Harry showed him every single pair of superhero pajamas that he owned. Every. Single. Pair. Didn't matter that he'd seen all of them in the summer.
Teague smiled at the thought, loosening his tie as he leaned against the counter in the kitchen, watching Sabrina. She'd made a pot of coffee and the rich brew filled the air.
Her house was cute. Not too big, not too small. A century home, it was built in the late 1800's, so the old world charm of rich oak trim, stained glass windows and plank floors, only enhanced the modern updates. It was a good solid house and he could see why she'd bought it.
He accepted a cup of coffee from her, smiling to himself at the way she avoided his touch. He was fine with that. Made the sexual tension all that much hotter.
"Do you want to sit in the living room?" she asked, her eyes so dark they reminded him of wet denim.
"Here's good."
Her eyebrow arched. "Okay." She leaned against the counter, mimicking his stance and they faced each other, separated by a few feet.
"Why are you selling the cottage?" he asked, watching her closely. He could see that she was surprised by his question, and maybe he'd caught her a little off guard. That was a good thing. He needed all the ammo he could get his hands on.
She took a sip of coffee. A long curl tickled her nose, and she tucked it behind her ear. Damn, but he couldn't wait to touch her there. To kiss his way along that perfect jaw and nibble at the base of her throat.
"When I decided to live here in Gravenhurst permanently, I knew the cottage wouldn't do as a year-round home. It's isolated in the winter and, well, I wanted to be in town for the kids." She shrugged. "I can only handle so much and running two homes was becoming harder to do. Besides, we're close to the water here and the kids will still get to enjoy the lake."
"You love that cottage."
She nodded. "Yes. I do. But that's life, I guess. We don't always get what we want."
"Sometimes we've got to work for it," Teague murmured, and they both knew he was talking about something entirely different. The game changed in an instant. Her eyes flew to his and that spark of electricity lit up like a rocket. Suddenly hot, he yanked on his tie harder and set his coffee down on the counter.
Keep your shit together.
She watched him for a few moments, so quiet and still that he was starting to get worried. Had he read everything wrong?
"Why did you go to Paris?" she asked throwing him off balance.
Well played.
"There was a little girl named Amber and she needed my help."
"Oh," she said, slowly. She bit her bottom lip and looked as if she was struggling with something. "Is she okay? I mean, did you help her?"
"Yeah," he said eventually. "It took some time but we were able to get her help and end a nightmare that no child should live through."
Her eyes fell away from his and she played with the handle of her cup of coffee. "Okay," she said, still looking down. "That's good. I mean, I'm glad that you were there for her."
Long moments ticked by. Long moments where Teague couldn't drag his eyes from Sabrina. Long moments where she seemed fascinated with her coffee cup.
"When you said that last night … " She began hesitantly.
Teague pushed off from the counter, but didn't move forward. He needed all of his moves to be the right ones. And no way was he rushing things.
"When you said that you loved me," Sabrina continued, her voice shaking a little. "Have you ever been in love before?" Those big blue eyes of hers were fixed on him and they shimmered beneath the lights overhead.
"No." There was no hesitation. He answered her directly and took a step forward. "Never."
"Not even once," she replied, eyes widening.
"No. Not even once."
"I have." The words were whispered. "How did you know?" she asked.
"How did I know what?" Teague frowned slightly, taking a step closer to Sabrina.
"You've never been in love before. How do you know what you feel for me is real? We had what, four or five weeks together in the summer? And then you left. You just left and … and I know you had reasons. Dallas and that little girl. I get that. But I can't help but wonder how you know that what you feel is love? How do you know it's not something else?"
She wasn't making this easy.
"What else could it be?" he asked, searching for the right thing to say. Where the hell was Tucker when he needed him? The guy had all the right words.
She made a strangled sound. "Teague, this thing you feel could be anything. It could be lust or the thrill of the chase. It could be infatuation. It could be … " Breathless she stood there looking at him, that precious face of hers open and honest and confused as hell.
Teague took those last steps. He moved fast and took her unaware. He sank his hands into that silky hair that he'd been dying to touch all evening, and he swept his mouth across hers. She stilled, held her body stiff. At first his touch was gentle, nothing more than a whisper across her lips. But when he felt her relax, he took command and pressed into her, his tongue seeking and stroking and claiming what was his.
She melted against him and he took advantage, his free hand roamed hungrily across her body and down her back until he cupped her ass and pulled her in so that there was no doubt as to how worked up he was.
Teague kissed her until he felt that thread inside him-the one keeping him together-begin to unravel. When he finally pulled away, they were both breathing heavily. He stared down into her eyes and felt that unmistakable pull inside him. The one that had been gnawing at him for months.
With one more kiss to her forehead, he stepped away. He walked back to where he'd left his coffee mug and poured the remnants into the sink. Then he loaded it into the dishwasher, trying like hell to put out the fire in his gut. Especially the one that had his cock bulging out of his damn pants. He wanted her so badly that it was painful, but he knew that this went way beyond the physical. This was so much more and there was no way in hell he was going to screw it up.
He took a moment and then turned to face her.
Sabrina's hair had come loose and she pushed it away from her face, her eyes shiny and full. He saw the questions there and hoped like hell that he had the right answers.
"What are you doing?" she asked haltingly.
Teague blew out a hot breath and dragged his hands through his hair. "I'm leaving."
Her delicate eyebrow arched. "But … "
"You asked me how I know that what I feel for you is love. Open the envelope I gave you in the summer."