Free Her Secret Thrill by Donna Kauffman Page B

flirt.”
    His grin didn’t deny the charge. “I’m just friendly.”
    Boy, are you ever, Natalie wanted to say.
    â€œBesides, she’s old enough to be my mother.”
    â€œI’m guessing here, but something tells me age is generally not a deterrent to you. Or to the women in question.”
    â€œWell, in general, you would be right.” He glanced at the waitress who was surreptitiously straightening her apron over her matronly girth. Jake nodded when she looked his way, sending a blush clear up to her teased-tight bun. He looked back to Natalie. “It’s not about age, it’s about attitude.”
    Natalie sipped her tea and thought about that. “I suppose you’re right.” She was attracted to goodlooks—who wouldn’t be?—but she’d dated her fair share of average-looking men. Attitude did have a lot to do with attraction.
    â€œWheels are turning up there.”
    She laughed and put her mug down. “You make me think about things in ways I generally don’t.” See, they could talk and it didn’t have to be about sex.
    â€œIf I recall, we both discovered some new things about ourselves the last time we saw each other.”
    Okay. So it was about sex. She was saved from responding by the arrival of their food.
    â€œMy God, Jake, how much did you order?”
    The server, a young man this time, was steadily setting out bowls of various things. There was brown sugar, confectioner’s sugar, raisins, dates, various nuts, fresh strawberries, shredded coconut, granola, blueberries, chocolate chips and…she lost track at that point. Their waitress followed with two flat bowls full of steaming, thick, creamy porridge.
    â€œEnjoy,” she said.
    Natalie had to admit, it looked wonderful. “Thank you, I’m sure we will.” Of course, the waitress wasn’t looking at Natalie, but she nodded and sent an absent smile her way as she took one last longing look at Jake.
    When they were alone, Natalie looked at the bounty before her and said, “I don’t even know where to begin.”
    â€œI know. Amazing, isn’t it.”
    â€œYou know, if our family cook had known such a presentation could be made out of oatmeal, we might have served it, after all.” She quickly clamped her mouthshut, but Jake merely smiled at her and began sorting through dishes with the spoon provided in each one.
    That made her pause. He didn’t push her about her private life. Maybe he had no interest in it. Maybe he was only interested in her for one thing. She should be insulted. But she wasn’t. She was relieved. Hadn’t he said that if they were to continue doing…what they’d done before, that there would be no outside world intrusions? When they were together it would just be about them exploring each other, and themselves…and nothing else?
    She was finding herself entranced with the very idea that she actually could do that. Actually take time away from everything and do this just for herself. No denying it was exciting, enticing even. But could they really sustain it?
    She watched him pop a plump blueberry in his mouth and sigh as he ate it. Yeah, she thought, I might be able to watch him eat for, oh, another ten or twenty years at least.
    Of course, he’d said nothing about his proposition. Maybe he’d changed his mind.
    â€œHere—”
    Her attention was jerked away from the bowl she’d been mindlessly stirring, her thoughts stirring right along with it. When she looked up, she found him offering her a strawberry.
    She went to take it with her fingers, but he shook his head. “Wait.” He rubbed it on his own lips, then dipped it in the confectioner’s sugar. “Now taste it.”
    He held it closer, intending her to take it from his fingers right into her mouth. In the middle of a restaurant.Anyone watching this little interaction would assume they were not having a