Free Final Play (Matchplay Series) by Dakota Madison

to eat.
    Ella set a tart in front of me and sat back down with the other one. She watched as lifted my dessert fork. “This looks amazing.”
    “Eat it,” she prodded. “I want to know how it tastes. It’s my first time making them.”
    I put my fork down and looked at her. “You cannot tell me this is your first time making strawberry shortcake tarts and they look like this. This looks like something a professional would make.”
    She laughed. I absolutely loved it when Ella laughed. Her joy was contagious and made me feel younger and more alive than I had in years.
    “Just try it!”
    Since she was waiting for my verdict, I happily obliged. I placed my fork in the dessert and made sure to get a bite with equal amounts of strawberry and whipped cream.
    It was like Heaven on a fork. I don’t think I had ever tasted a dessert that good.
    “Well?” she asked anxiously.
    “It’s okay.”
    She completely deflated.
    “I’m kidding,” I said quickly and a thin smile returned to her face. “There is no greater dessert than this one. I hereby declare it the most delicious dessert on Earth.”
    That made her laugh again. “You’re silly.”
    “Aren’t you going to try it?”
    Ella took the tiniest of slices and placed it in her mouth. She hummed with delight. “You’re right.” She grinned. “It’s okay.”
    We both laughed.
    After the dishes were washed, I pulled Ella close and gave her a quick kiss. “Thank you for a wonderful dinner.” When I gave her another kiss, it was slower and more passionate. Her taste was sweet, with hint of the strawberries we had eaten. “And dessert wasn’t bad either,” I whispered.
    “Stay with me,” she said. I could see her eyes were filled with the same desire I felt. It was almost overwhelming how much I wanted Ella. I could feel myself getting hard as I held her against me.
    “I thought we agreed we were going to take things slowly.”
    She grinned. “We don’t have to fool around. We can just cuddle.” Then her expression turned more serious and she heaved a sigh. “I don’t want to be alone.”
    I could understand her feelings. I didn’t feel like being alone either. But I wasn’t sure how easy it was going to be to just cuddle . I was already overwhelmed with the need to be with her. Once we were in the same bed, I wasn’t sure how easy it would be to keep that desire for her in check.
    Before I could formulate a coherent response, she grabbed my hand. “Come on.”
    I allowed her to pull me into her bedroom. I noticed a faint smell of jasmine as we entered the room.
    “Incense,” she commented as if she were reading my mind. “Do you like it?”
    “I do.” The scent was so delicate yet sensual, it reminded me of Ella.
    Ella picked up her zither and strummed a few chords. The tone was haunting and ethereal. Then she sang a few verses of Asleep by the Smiths while she continued to play the zither. Her voice was angelic. I actually felt a bit of sadness when she stopped.
    “Do you want to sing?” she asked.
    I laughed. “No one wants to hear me sing. Screeching cats sound better than my singing.”
    “Now I have to hear it,” she exclaimed. “What songs do you know?”
    I shook my head. “I don’t normally memorize songs.”
    “Come on,” she prodded. “You must know one song.”
    “Imagine by John Lennon,” I said finally.
    She started playing the opening of the song and when I started to sing the lyrics, I could see she was holding back laughter. When she couldn’t hold it in any longer, she went hysterical. “You’re right,” she managed to say between her wild chuckles. “You can’t sing at all.”
    “I’m glad you find my utter lack of talent amusing,” I teased.
    She tried very hard to compose herself but she was still overcome by the occasional snicker. 
    “So, are you going to tell me about all of the exotic instr uments you’ve collected?” I asked trying to rein her in.
    She placed the zither back in its place on