Tying You Down by Cheyenne McCray Read Free Book Online

and he set the table with dishes she got out of the cabinet and silverware from a drawer. He also set out the wine glasses and opened a bottle of Merlot from her wine rack. She kept wine on hand even though she only drank if she had company.
    She was glad he was so easy to talk with and there weren’t any lulls in conversation.
    When dinner was ready and on the table, they slid into their chairs. They sat at the small table in the kitchen rather than the large one in the dining room.
    She served a huge pile of spaghetti in his pasta bowl before serving herself a much smaller amount. She was hungry, but she couldn’t help feeling like she was overdoing it today. She forced herself to shove aside thoughts of the chili dog, and bites of curly fries, and chocolate cake she’d had earlier. Spaghetti and a high-calorie day weren’t going to hurt her. It was something she had to remind herself all the time. Counselors had told her that her fear of eating too much was something she’d probably have to work through for the rest of her life, and she’d found that to be true.
    “I had a great time today.” She smiled at him after she’d eaten some of the pasta and a piece of garlic toast. “I don’t know if I’ve had that much fun in a long time, especially on a date.”
    He returned her smile. “There’s more where that came from.”
    She took a sip of her Merlot then set her glass down. “Angling for another date?”
    “Is it working?” he asked as he twirled the pasta on his fork.
    “Maybe.” She felt a warmth inside her that she hadn’t felt in longer than she could remember. A sense of contentment that probably should have scared her, but right now it didn’t.
    She thought about Tate’s old girlfriend and wondered how much time he’d spent with her at lunch and what he and Daphne had talked about. But that wasn’t any of her business and if she said anything it would sound like she was jealous. She wasn’t, of course. She had nothing to be jealous of and no reason to be.
    As they ate, she took him in from beneath her lashes. He was an alpha male, large and virile, and he drew her to him for so many reasons. She enjoyed being around him and the fact was she was incredibly attracted to him, both mentally and physically.
    If he was everything he seemed to be, he was a good guy, too, like Charlee had said.
    After they put the small amount of leftovers away and loaded the dishes in the dishwasher, they walked out of the kitchen into the living room.
    He looked at her when they came to a halt. “I had a great day, Jo. Thank you for saying yes.”
    She slipped her hands into her back pockets to keep herself from touching him. She wanted nothing more than to feel his chest beneath her palms, his hair sliding through her fingers, his body tight against hers. And the way he was looking at her was enough to make her forget everything…forget every last hesitation she might have.
    He reached up and skimmed her cheek with his fingertips, his green eyes studying her for a long moment. He cupped her face in his palms and slowly began lowering his head toward hers.
    She caught her breath, a tangle of emotions whirling through her. Fear, excitement, even a little bit of shyness.
    And then his lips were pressed against hers and he was kissing her, gently exploring her mouth with his.
    It was perhaps the sweetest kiss she’d ever experienced. She found herself surprised that such a dominant man could be so gentle.
    She slipped her hands out of her pockets and touched him like she’d been dying to do. She ran her palms over his hard biceps to his broad shoulders. Slowly she eased her hands down the firm muscles of his chest before moving back to his shoulders.
    Wanting more and more of him, she clenched her fingers in his T-shirt and pressed her mouth more firmly to his. She became the aggressor, desiring him so much that her entire body ached for him.
    He answered her with a groan and matched the strength of her kiss until