She cut me off, “Making love, right Harley?”

I walked around my desk and smiled at her, and licked my lips as I picked up some papers on my desk. “Making love, uh huh.”

xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Aerin

“This is a nice way to end our day, huh?” I asked Harley as she handed her menu to the waiter who’d taken our orders.

“Very nice way, thanks, Aerin,” she nodded, and took another sip of the French cabernet we’d ordered a half-bottle of.

She reached a slim, elegant hand over the table, palm open. I took it automatically.

In candle-light, her hazel eyes were weaving a spell on me and I thought I should move closer. I swallowed the wine I’d just sipped, and then said hoarsely, “I think I ought to scoot over to you, just so that we don’t accidentally knock this bottle over, and … um…”

She laughed lightly, and pulled on my hand none-too-gently to coax me to sit next to her.

I shifted over, to sit closer to her in our corner table, which was a semi-circle booth that was removed from much of the main sitting area of this elegant French restaurant.

We clinked our glasses together and giggled at nothing in particular, and drank while looking into each other’s eyes.

She leaned her forehead on mine after she swallowed and murmured, “I feel like we’re on a date … are we on a date, Aerin? Have you just taken me on a date without my realizing it?”

I fumbled for a response, and felt my gaze get stuck on those red lips as they parted in a teasing smile.

I so wanted to kiss those lips again.

As if reading my mind, she drew back languidly and then absentmindedly ran the backs of her fingers against my bare arm. I noticed it was a casual gesture that she did without realizing how often she tended to do it. I hoped it was something she’d done with me alone. It was both affectionate and strangely seductive at the same time.

I looked at her hand, and then at her eyes, and smiled. “Yes, this is a date, Harley,” I said softly.

She paused from rubbing me with the back of her fingertips, and I saw that a slight blush began to creep over her cheeks.