Page 37 of Big Girl Panties

Her cheeks went pink. "I'm mortified."

"I'm sticky, but I'm okay."

"I'm so sorry, Matt…"

Matt was shaking with laughter, which set me off, too. Soon, we were both giggling like maniacs while covered in dessert.

"Is she okay?" I asked, nodding toward Lilly.

"She's fine. More embarrassed than hurt. Lilly, go inside and get cleaned up."

Leilani looked at my pie-covered dress with horror. "I could find you something to change into?"

I almost laughed harder. Leilani was six feet of Somoan goddess, and I was more like five-foot-four of compact chaos. "Thanks, but I think I'll survive the pie look."

"We'll take some towels, though," Matt said. "Give us a few minutes to de-pie ourselves."

Matt took my hand, the one that wasn't completely covered in apple goo, and led me through the house to the bathroom.

I stared at my reflection in the mirror. I looked like I'd lost a fight with a bakery. Apple pie covered my face, arms, and dress. My hair had pie chunks in it. This was definitely not how I'd pictured meeting his family going.

Matt stepped behind me, our eyes meeting in the mirror. "You look good enough to eat."

My stomach flipped. The way he looked at me, as if I were the only person in the world, as if I were something precious instead of a disaster covered in dessert, made me feel beautiful. When had anyone ever looked at me like that?

I turned to face him, leaning against the counter. "You're not looking too bad yourself, pie boy."

His hands found my waist, and suddenly the small bathroom felt even smaller. "Let me help you."

Before I could protest, he lifted me onto the counter like I weighed nothing. My hands automatically went to his shoulders for balance, and suddenly we were very, very close.

"Is it always this chaotic around here?" I asked, trying to ignore how his proximity was making my pulse race.

He settled between my legs, and I forgot how to breathe properly. "Nope. This was a special performance just for you. They wanted to make a good impression."

I glanced at the pie on his shirt. "Mission accomplished. I'm definitely impressed."

I grabbed a towel and started dabbing at the mess on his shirt, hyper aware of every place we were touching. When I looked up, he was watching me with an expression that made my heart do cartwheels.

"You have a little..." he paused, his knuckles settling under my chin as his thumb found the corner of my mouth, "apple pie…"

My eyes locked on his as his thumb slowly traced across my bottom lip, wiping away pie filling that I was pretty sure wasn't even there anymore.

"Right here," he finished softly.

I watched, mesmerized, as he brought his thumb to his mouth and sucked it clean. It was possibly the most erotic thing I'd ever seen, and we were in his brother's bathroom, covered in dessert.

"Mmm." He licked his lips. "Tastes better on you."

I laughed breathlessly. "Trust me, that's definitely the pie talking."

He caught my chin between his thumb and finger, tilting my face up. "Only one way to find out for sure."

His mouth hovered over mine, and I forgot we were supposed to be cleaning up. I forgot his family was waiting for us. I forgot everything except the way he was looking at me like I was his next meal.

His hands cupped my face as his lips found mine. The kiss started soft, sweet, but quickly became something more urgent, more desperate. His tongue traced my bottom lip, and I opened for him, my hands fisting in his shirt to pull him closer.

One arm wrapped around my waist, holding me tight against him while his other hand tangled in my hair. I tried to wrap my legs around him, wanting him closer, needing more contact.