Page 89 of One Wild Wish

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Ainsley

A four-letter word meaning a horny covering.

I went to type Bull into my crossword app, but that didn’t make sense, horns notwithstanding. Neither did Knob or Flap or Fang .

Beak

Peak

Deck

Wing

No. No. No. No.

Frustrated, I tapped my toe while decadent wafts of melted chocolate curled around me. Another minute and I’d be a floating Minnie Mouse, my nose led by the decadent scents. If heaven had a chocolate shop, it would be Aazam’s Sweet Treats. Towering truffles, smooth peanut butter cups, and mouth-watering bark lined the shelves, nut clusters drenched in chocolate teasing me. Aazam was a genius with the cocoa bean, and all his products were vegan.

A man after my own heart.

The virtuoso held up a finger to tell me my order would be out shortly. I allowed myself a deep sigh. He really was gorgeous. As delicious looking as every morsel in the place. Dark hair and skin, a beard that was sure to tickle, not scratch. Eyes so soulful they practically sang the blues. His lips should be downright illegal, plump and smooth as they were. They had me thinking up other four-letter words for horny things.

Kiss

Suck

Hump

Lick

I nearly wrote Muff into my phone, but erased each letter. My G-rated crossword app might explode. I’d become addicted to the word game recently, a way to pass the time while waiting for the doors to open at a Tiffany’s sale or a secret pop-up store. As I was about to admit defeat on the horny covering—Bark? Bibb? Clip? —Aazam assaulted me with his killer smile.

Wow. Heart, meet belly.

He lifted a brown box tied with bright green ribbons. “Ready for you.”

Not only was he ready for me (God, how I wished), but he slid over a piece of my favorite seventy-percent chocolate with candied violet. High from his smile and the rich smells, I took a bite before thanking him. Double wow.

When I stopped moaning and opened my eyes, I said, “Are you sure you’re gay?”

If I didn’t know better, I’d say my chocolatier was blushing under his dark scruff. “Last I checked.”

“Like, really sure?”

“Yep.”

“Not even bi? I promise I’m great in bed.”

That had him chuckling. I added a bottle of his chocolate-spiked perfume to my order. A couple dabs on my neck always put the sexy in my step.

He ran my credit card, then locked his John Lee Hooker eyes on me. “If I were straight, I’d be all over your offer. Especially with that outfit of yours. Make sure you flaunt it today. Any heterosexual male in a thirty-mile radius will trip over himself to get your number.”

My gingham wrap dress did give me cleavage for days, but the only two men who’d dialed up my lust-o-meter recently had proven poor choices. Emmett, the Adonis at the gym—gay . My heavenly chocolatier, Aazam—sadly, gay . Gwen and Rachel had pegged Emmett’s sexuality right away, my best friends razzing me endlessly. My denial lingered until I’d witnessed him locking lips with a man. Aazam had blatantly turned down my dinner-date offer. He’d sent me home with chocolate, a hug, and a mildly bruised ego.

My gaydar was clearly broken, the instrument fogged up by raging hormones.

I needed to find release.