Several thoughts swirled in his head at once. Thoughts of her in a beautiful dress, smiling and mingling. Then his mind went to places it shouldn’t.
But before he could go too far down the rabbit hole, she continued, “It’s black tie and I don’t know anyone else who might have a tux.” She sucked in a breath and looked at him again. “I mean, I don’t know if you have a tux either, but I figured that maybe you would. If you don’t, though, I would understand. I don’t—”
He placed a finger over her mouth, stopping her mid-sentence. Her warm breath fluttered against his skin, making him think very impure thoughts.
She opened her eyes, gazing up at him. The look in her eyes told him he hadn’t misunderstood what she’d said. Or what she was asking, but he wanted to clarify anyway. “You want me to be your date for the fundraiser?”
Daniel still had his finger over her lips, so she just nodded.
All those impure thoughts he’d been having moments before sprang to the surface again and he felt himself growing hard. He gazed into her eyes, getting sucked in, wanting nothing more than to kiss her.
But instead, he dropped his hand and took a step back. He needed to get his head on straight, now more than ever. “I’d love to escort you, Miss Foster.”
She let out the cutest giggle. “Thank you. I appreciate it. I’ll make it up to you. I promise.”
He chuckled, pushing away thoughts of just how she could make it up to him. “Taking a beautiful woman to an event isn’t exactly a hardship.”
A light shade of pink stained her cheeks, and she returned her attention to the counter. “Do you like nuts in your chocolate chip cookies, or should I leave them out?”
“Nuts. Definitely nuts.” He opened the bag of chocolate chips, took a handful, and popped them into his mouth.
She smiled, the tension in her posture easing. “Nuts it is.”
He excused himself for a few minutes, disappearing into his room to change out of his suit and tie. Luckily, he didn’t have to wear it most days, but when there was a lot of money on the line, he made sure to dress the part.
By the time he returned, Ali had removed the chicken from the oven. “Would you like some help?” he asked.
She rolled the last of the cookie dough between her palms and placed it on the baking sheet. “Can you carve the chicken?”
As he sliced the chicken, Ali placed the cookies into the oven and put the finishing touches on the rest of the meal. She’d roasted a variety of vegetables and used his air fryer to make baked potatoes.
He removed two plates from the cabinet and placed a healthy portion of chicken on each. Ali added a potato and a scoop of vegetables.
They carried their food to the table. Daniel waited until they were a few bites in before he asked more about this fundraiser. “What is the fundraiser for?”
Instead of answering, she hopped out of her chair and walked over to her purse. She removed an envelope and brought it him. “I’m not sure. That’s all my boss gave me.”
He removed the invitation and read over it. However, other than the where and when, it didn’t say much else. “Are you coming back here to change, or would you like me to pick you up at your apartment?”
“I was thinking about that.” She took a drink of her water. “I don’t get off work until five and we have to be there before seven.”
“I’ll pick you up at your apartment then.”
“Are you sure?” she asked. “I mean, I can come back here if that’s easier.”
“Nonsense. We have to drive into the city anyway, and I don’t want you rushing,” he said.
The alarm on Ali’s phone went off and she got up to take the cookies out of the oven. The room was filled with the delicious aroma of sugar and chocolate.
Ali returned to her stool, picked up her fork, and smiled at him. “They should be cool enough by the time we’re finished eating.”
He tried to ignore the way his insides reacted to her beautiful smile. “I hope you made enough.”
“Are you trying to tell me you have a sweet tooth?” she asked.
Daniel chuckled. “I admit nothing.”
She snorted. “I’ll have to make you cookies more often then.”