Eternal Adoration [ON PAUSE]

24. Pizza Hands

ARISTIDE

"Seemed like you were having fun." I clear my throat, trying to sound nonchalant. "On the phone, I mean. With your friends . . ."

"Jaya, Rochelle, and Amara." She smiles, looking up from the dough she's stretching. There's flour on her nose, her forehead, and her cheeks. There has been for a while now, but for some reason, I don't want her to clean it away. Not before I can memorize the way she looks right now.

"Yes, them." I nod, watching her flattened pizza dough. I already know her friends' names. In fact, I know more than that. Just routine background checks to make sure they're the right people for Sera. "You guys talk about anything interesting? You were laughing pretty hard when I got back." Shut the fuck up, man.

She gives me a strange look, as if she wants to tell me to mind my business without saying the words. "Just girls being girls, you know?"

I blink. "No, I don't. Enlighten me."

Using the palms of her hands, she presses down on the dough in a way that would make my grandma roll in her grave. "Just being silly, extra, gossipy." She shrugs, glances at me quickly, almost says something before thinking about it and shutting her mouth.

"What?" I lean forward on the counter, careful not to destroy her pizza. "Tell me."

She shrugs again, staring down while assaulting the poor dough. "Nothing. Am I doing this right, by the way?"

I narrow my eyes, keeping my gaze on her face, wanting her to say what she's holding back before I lose my mind and allow myself to get it out of her.

"Is there a method to this?" she asks, referring to the sauce she's now dumped on the dough.

There's not. Just spread sauce on the dough and leave some free for the crust. But because I'm feeling the withdrawals from not touching her since I've been back home an hour ago, I let myself believe that this is a sign from God that I can now let myself indulge.

"Let me show you." Her gaze tracks my movements as I come around the counter, pulling my shirt sleeve up and then moving behind her.

"Oh," she squeaks when my hand settles on hers so I can show her how to spread the sauce.

From her initial shock, you wouldn't think that two weeks ago, she was driving me insane with her hands. Or that my lips routinely find hers.

"It's pretty easy." She clears her throat, shifting slightly so her ass is not against the growing bulge in my pants. "Just circular motions."

Settling one hand on the counter by her, I close the distance between us once again. At the contact, she lets out a breath that makes me have to strain my ear to hear.

"Aristide-"

Not wanting to hear her find ways to put distance between us, I interrupt her. "Tell me what you were going to say, Seraphina." My question is quiet, murmured by her ear, and I feel her shiver slightly in front of me.

"There's a party," she blurts out after a beat.

An unfamiliar feeling makes me pause, but with great effort, I push it down. "A party?"

"Yes. Tomorrow night." She sighs. "The girls are excited about it. They say it should be fun because it's the first of the semester from the other high school or something."

"Who's hosting it?" I growl, my efforts not to sound as tense as I feel failing spectacularly.

She glances back at me. "Um, some dude from the other high school? I'm not so sure about the details."