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decision about whether or not to continue their date inside Dolly’s house. “Actually, I was thinking of sharing it with you. Are you interested?”
    “With or without coffee?”
    “With, of course.”
    “Deal.”
    He pulled into the driveway and parked to the side of the garage. By the time Julia gathered her purse from the floorboard, he’d opened her door and held out his hand to help her from the car.
    Everything about Stephen screamed gentleman. She couldn’t help wondering why he wasn’t married or involved with anyone. The ladies of Lanville had to be nuts not to go after this guy. Either that, or he had something wrong with him that she hadn’t discovered yet.
    He walked by her side to the porch. She’d left one lamp burning in the living room, so the muted light greeted them when she unlocked the door. “Sit down and I’ll start the coffee.”
    “I’ll help you.”
    Since they’d been so easy with each other all evening, Julia decided to continue to tease him as she led the way to the kitchen. “You’re following me because you’re afraid I’ll eat the pudding before you get any.”
    “You got it.”
    “I can’t believe you don’t trust me.”
    “Not when it comes to sharing your dessert. You could change your mind while making the coffee.”
    “I could.” She motioned toward the round table. “Go ahead and sit down. I promise I won’t change my mind about sharing.”
    Julia started the coffee brewing, then transferred the pudding to a small plate for warming in the microwave. By the time she set the plate on the table, along with two forks and napkins, the scent of fresh coffee filled the air.
    “Black, right?” she asked as she poured the hot brew into two mugs.
    “Right.”
    She carried the mugs to the table and took the chair opposite Stephen. She noticed he hadn’t picked up his fork yet. He could’ve snitched a bite of bread pudding while she poured the coffee, but didn’t.
    Her admiration for him rose another notch.
    She tore off a small bite with her fork, which must have given him permission to do the same. Picking up his fork, he cut into the fluffy treat. “Wow, that’s good,” he said after chewing the bite.
    “Better than the turtle cheesecake?”
    “Different than the turtle cheesecake.” He took another bite, licked the caramel sauce from the fork. Seeing his tongue swirl over the tines sent a jolt directly to her clit. She imagined his tongue licking her feminine folds instead of the fork....
    Giving herself a mental shake, Julia sipped her coffee. She hadn’t loved Cole, but she’d cared deeply for him and still missed him. He’d been an incredible lover and she missed sex a lot. Despite what her body craved, she couldn’t see herself becoming involved with another man so quickly.
    A night in bed didn’t mean a relationship.
    But it did. Sex had always meant caring about the man she chose to share her bed, not simply a way to satisfy her body’s temporary needs.
    “You okay?” Stephen asked after eating the last crumb of bread pudding. “You’re quiet.”
    She gazed into his eyes. Her heart flipped over in her chest. Looking at Stephen gave her a great deal of pleasure because of his handsome face and hunky body, yet the attraction she felt also had a lot to do with Stephen, the man—the charming, courteous, quick-witted man.
    His beard stubble and long mane of hair had given her the impression of him as a bad boy when she first saw him. She wouldn’t call him that now. He held a steady job, worked on the volunteer fire department. Everyone she’d met so far who knew Stephen had nothing but good things to say about him.
    He’d shaved the stubble, letting her see the small cleft in the center of his chin. She couldn’t help but be attracted to him, yet didn’t know whether or not to act on that attraction.
    She smiled to reassure him. “Sorry. I let my mind wander.”
    “Someplace good, I hope.”
    She thought again of his tongue between her