Chapter 18 #5
The realization sent a sudden, thrilling jolt of heat straight down my spine, making the neat corporate walls I usually hid behind feel entirely fragile.
For weeks, I had told myself this was just a clinical crisis management plan—a calculated, tactical rehearsal to outsmart the media and protect our privacy.
But standing there, watching the easy way he moved and feeling the magnetic pull of his presence, the strategy guide felt completely useless.
I didn't want to manage a narrative anymore. I just wanted him.
We moved through the restaurant and into the kitchen area where a long marble counter had been transformed into what could only be described as a chocolate lover's dream. An entire spread stretched before us, beautifully arranged beneath warm lighting that made everything look even more decadent.
Truffles, handcrafted chocolate bars, rich fudge squares, and chocolate-dipped strawberries filled the display cases.
Fresh fruit sat beside bowls of warm melted chocolate, inviting customers to indulge.
The sweet aroma of cocoa, caramel, and sugar drifted through the shop, making my head spin slightly and my mouth water before I'd tasted a single thing.
The chef explained the arrangement of desserts, pointing out a few house specialties and sharing which ones were most popular.
“Taste whatever you like,” the chef said with a polite nod, before slipping quietly through the double doors toward the front of the restaurant, leaving the kitchen completely to us.
“I can't believe you did all this,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper as I slowly looked over the massive dessert spread again before shaking my head.
The marble counter was practically a work of art, covered in delicate tarts, glossy chocolates, and pastries that smelled incredible.
“Who told you the way to my heart was food?”
A smug, familiar smile tugged at the corner of his mouth as he stepped closer, his broad shoulders easily blocking out the rest of the kitchen.
“I can just sense these things, Mars.”
“Mmhmm,” I said, laughing softly as I crossed my arms.
He tried and failed to look innocent, but I already knew my brother had his fingerprints all over this.
Cal was the only person alive who knew exactly what kind of sugar fix it took to break through my corporate armor.
But looking up into Jalen's light brown eyes, seeing the quiet pride he took in surprising me, I decided to let him have his moment.
I glanced back toward the immaculate marble counter, my eyes landing on a rich bowl of dark chocolate sauce.
My pure, undisguised excitement must have shown on my face, because Jalen chuckled, a low rumble that vibrated right through the quiet space.
“Shall we get started?” he asked, tilting his head with a challenging smirk.
“Oh, yeah.”
The answer came out much faster and with a hell of a lot more enthusiasm than I ever intended.
Jalen's deep, rich laugh filled the room, the sound warm and entirely victorious.
He reached over, his hand brushing against mine as he picked up a small silver spoon, and I realized the carefully rehearsed boundaries of our little PR stunt were about to melt away completely.
I reached for a small square of cheesecake and dipped it into the rich pool of dark chocolate beside it. I took a bite, and my eyes widened immediately.
"Oh my goodness."
The words came out as a breathless mumble. The pastry chef was a genius. Without thinking, completely swept up in the sweet, melting perfection of the flavor, I held the remaining piece toward Jalen's mouth.
He didn't hesitate. He leaned in closer, closing the small physical distance between us until the heat radiating from his chest wrapped entirely around me.
His light brown eyes never once left mine as he took a bite from the exact spot my lips had just been.My heart gave a traitorous, violent little jump against my ribs.
A sudden, electric heat climbed slowly up my neck and flooded into my cheeks. He chewed slowly, his gaze still intensely locked on me, his thumb lifting to catch a tiny speck of chocolate at the very corner of his lower lip.
For a brief moment, I found myself wondering what it would feel like if his mouth was on mine insteadHe chewed slowly.
Then his eyebrows lifted.
“Damn.”
I laughed, the sound loose and easy in the quiet room.
“Right?”
“Okay, that's the best cheesecake I've ever had,” he said, shaking his head in disbelief.
“Same!”
We spent the next several minutes working our way through the display, completely abandoning any lingering rules of corporate restraint.
There was a slice of dulce de leche vanilla cake that practically melted the second it touched my tongue, leaving a rich, sugary warmth behind.
Next came mini fruit tartlets filled with velvety vanilla bean custard and topped with perfectly glossy berries, followed by dark chocolate-covered cherries that burst with sweetness the moment you bit into them.
Finally, we split a pair of salted caramel truffles that somehow managed to be incredibly rich without being overwhelming.
“This is getting out of control,” I said, laughing as I leaned on the edge of the marble counter.
At some point, I'd kicked off my heels, letting them drop carelessly to the floor, and abandoned any attempt at acting composed.
The structured, hyper-vigilant version of Mars Sinclair who always needed a strategic plan had vanished.
In her place was someone who felt entirely safe, completely seen, and lighter than she had in years.
I rested my palms against the cool marble, looking up at him through my reading glasses with a soft smile.
Jalen was watching me, his gaze tracking the way I leaned back, his expression darkening with that intense, focused gravity that always made my breath catch.
The playful banter faded into the background, and the space between us suddenly felt charged with a completely different kind of hunger.
Jalen had rolled the sleeves of his shirt up, and reached for one of the strawberries nearest to him and slowly dipped it into the bowl of warm chocolate. He turned it carefully, coating every inch before lifting it out and letting the excess drip back into the bowl.
I watched some of the chocolate drip down his thumb and I bit my bottom lip as I tried to keep my composure.
He held the strawberry toward me and my eyes followed the movement before I could stop them.
Unfortunately, so did my thoughts.
The corner of his mouth twitched.
He knew.
He took a step toward me, then another, until the space between us disappeared entirely.
At six-foot-five, he seemed even taller standing this close, his broad shoulders and solid frame suddenly dominating my field of vision.
The air felt different with him there, warmer somehow, and I found myself tilting my head back to meet his eyes.
His eyes locked onto mine.
I stared at him for a second longer than necessary.
Chocolate glistened beneath the warm kitchen lights.
A small amount remained on the pad of his thumb.
My mouth parted before I could stop it.
I leaned forward and bit into it, the chocolate still warm as it melted against the fruit.
He watched me chew as I savored the sweet and tart combination.
The look in his eyes made my stomach flutter.
At some point, the desserts had stopped being the most distracting thing in the room.
It was him.
The way he looked at me.
The way he kept finding reasons to stand a little closer.
A warmth spread through me that had nothing to do with the chocolate.
For so long, I had convinced myself that keeping people at arm's length was safer.
But standing there with Jalen, I found myself getting tired of overthinking every moment.
Tired of analyzing every glance.
Every conversation.
Every reason why this might not work.
Maybe for once I didn't want to be the cautious one.
Maybe I didn't want to spend the entire night protecting myself from something that felt good.
A smile tugged at my lips.
I grabbed a strawberry and held it up to him.
“Your turn.”
He leaned forward and took a bite from my fingers, his tongue brushing my skin softly.
The warmth of the chocolate, the closeness between us, and the way he looked at me all at once sent a rush of heat through my body.
"You knew exactly what you were doing when you arranged this part of the date," I said breathy as I watched his mouth back away from my fingers. His soft lips glistening with the juices from the strawberry.
A very dangerous thought crossed my mind.
You could end this date right now and go back to his place.
The image flashed through my head quickly enough to make me look away.
Relax, I told myself.
Be good.
Then a mischievous thought crossed my mind.
I gently took his wrist.
“What are you doing?” he asked, amused.
Instead of answering, I dipped the tip of his finger into the bowl of melted chocolate.
A small drop clung there, glossy and dark.
His eyebrows lifted slightly.
I held his gaze as I leaned forward.
Slowly, deliberately, I licked the chocolate from his fingertip.
The room seemed to go quiet for a second.
Jalen didn’t move.
His eyes darkened just slightly as he watched me.
“Well,” he said softlyI smiled faintly, wiping the corner of my mouth with my thumb.
Before I could even attempt to step back, his hands found my waist.
In one effortless motion, he lifted me entirely onto the marble counter.
The cool stone beneath me contrasted sharply with the searing warmth of his hands as he stepped closer, his tall frame casting a shadow around me, trapping me in his immediate space.
My breath caught slightly.
He leaned in, brushing his mouth against mine first, slow and incredibly gentle, like he was giving me a chance to change my mind, to put the walls back up, to quote the PR strategy guide.
I didn’t.
The kiss deepened naturally, our mouths finding each other again as the warmth between us built into a sudden, electric fever.