A Little Holiday Temptation by Janice Sims Read Free Book Online Page B

through his soft denim shirt. Erik grasped her hand, pulled her against him, their pelvises touching. He gently reached up to smooth her brow with the pad of his thumb, and then he kissed her upturned mouth. His scent, the warmth of his mouth, the hard muscles beneath his hot skin all became temptations that Ana could not resist. She gave herself over to his kiss, completely abandoning any thoughts of decorum and what impression she might be making. She was hungry for him and enjoyed every erotic thrust of his tongue as he slowly tasted her. She relished the feel of his firm lips as he turned this way and that, maximizing her pleasure.
    She gazed dreamily at him when they parted. Momentarily weak with desire, she smiled up at him. “You can’t imagine how much I’ve missed you since this afternoon.”
    Erik laughed softly. “Yes, I think I can.”
    Ana grinned from ear to ear when she felt his erection on her thigh. “I think you do.”
    There was definitely something to the term lovesick, Erik thought. Only hours since he’d seen Ana and he could hardly wait to see her again, touch her again, feel her lips on his. Love was a kind of madness you never wanted to be cured of.
    He grabbed her hand. “Ready?”
    * * *
    Over dinner Erik told her about Drusilla’s accident and that she was just fine, no need to worry. Then he told her he’d mentioned to his dad that they were dating.
    “How did he react?” she asked cautiously. She knew his family liked her and she liked them, but still she wanted their blessing.
    Erik’s golden-brown eyes held amusement in their depths. “Dad thought we were already secret lovers and Drusilla is just happy we’ve finally made it official.”
    “Your dad thought we were sleeping together?” Ana said, laughing nervously. “That surprises me.”
    “Me, too,” Erik told her, “but I shouldn’t have been. He’s my father. He knew how I felt about you and he was maintaining a positive attitude about our relationship. Hoping we were more than friends even when we weren’t.”
    “When you put it that way, it was sweet of him to think we were lovers,” Ana said.
    “It’s a sign of how much he likes you,” Erik said, his tone gentle. “They all do.”
    “I love them,” Ana said simply.
    Erik grasped her hand across the tiny table for two. Mario’s, an elegant family-owned restaurant, had been a mainstay in its Queens neighborhood for more than fifty years. Sunday night was popular for couples and the restaurant was fully booked.
    Each time Erik brought Ana here he thought it would be the ideal place to propose. The idea ran through his mind tonight, too, but he stamped it down, way down. It was much too soon for that. But he enjoyed entertaining the idea.
    Mario’s menu consisted of dishes from southern Italy, rich red sauces, handmade pastas, crisp vegetables, all cooked with slow deliberation.
    He watched as Ana ate a forkful of pasta dripping in tomato sauce. She took a sip of red wine afterward and mopped up the remaining sauce on her plate with a piece of crusty bread. Bringing the bread to her lips she ate it with something akin to ecstasy in her expression. Erik smiled. “Enjoying your pasta?”
    Ana looked down at her clean plate, “Enjoyed it.”
    They ordered two desserts and shared them. Erik fed her some of his lemon tart. She plied him with tiramisu. They took a walk after leaving the restaurant. The night was quiet on this street. Other couples were out, too, holding hands, sitting on benches or frequenting the open shops. Erik and Ana stopped to check out the display in a bookstore window.
    “They’ve got the new Walter Mosley,” said Erik. “I know you’d love to get your hands on that. Too bad they’re closed.”
    Ana peered at the book a pout forming, “It’s a Leonid McGill mystery, too. I love that character.”
    Erik took her hand as they resumed their walk they put their arms about each other’s waists and Ana put her head on his