AllFreeNovel
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He stands beside me, settling back on his boots to watch as I scrape the frosting out of the bowl and into piping bags.
I hand one over. “You squeeze the bag and I’ll pipe.”
“Fuck,” he whispers as one big hand slips, squeezing a ridiculous amount of frosting onto the cupcake.
I laugh. It’s funny watching this stoic, strong man do soft things like frost a cupcake. But I like it.
“It’s okay. Slower,” I instruct. My fingers curl around his. Familiar, steady comfort. Then, with deft strokes, I show him how to pipe a floret.
“Got it.” Davis leans in, and his scent fire and spice, the nearness of him towering over me, has my stomach warming.
“You’re a natural.”
He chuckles. His big hands dwarf the cupcake. “I don’t know about that.”
We lapse into silence, the soft dabs of the frosting and the turn of the plate the only sounds between us. Our movements are easy and sure. When we’ve finished piping the silky frosting into dreamy buttercream rosettes, I walk around the island, surveying the cupcake with a sniper’s eye.
“Final touches,” I tell Davis who’s watching me.
The music switches over to AC/DC.
His mouth hitches up in a grin as he stares down at our creation. “What kind is it?”
“It’s the Cowboy Cupcake.” Pursing my lips, I squint, then pluck a pecan from a nearby bag. I add it to the top of the buttercream for a finishing touch. “It’s an ode to the cookies we used to sell at The Corner Store. Loaded to the max with chocolate chips, coconut, and pecans.”
Davis crosses his arms. “You know, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you bake before. I didn’t know your tongue does this little thing…” He sweeps a thumb over my bottom lip, his eyes narrowing on my mouth. “You quirk.”
I arch a brow. “You looking at my lips, Hotshot?”
“Among other things,” he grunts.
I laugh and take a stack of dishes to the sink. “Well, let me tell you. There are many things you don’t know about me,” I tease.
His golden-brown eyes dance in amusement. “Such as?”
“The first time I saw your ass in a pair of Wranglers, I had to take a moment and fan myself.” His gaze turns dark as I lick the spoon and drop it in the sink. “I believe in aliens,” I say and he groans, breaking into a boom of laughter that has me smiling. “And,” I palm his brick-like chest, look up into his eyes. “I made these cupcakes for you.”
The muscles in his throat work. “It’s been a while since I’ve had a cupcake.”
I pick up the platter, lift it with fanfare. “I know you don’t eat sweets, so…if you don’t want them, I can give them to your brothers.”
He puts a hand on mine and stops me before I can set down the platter. “I eat your sweets.” His reply is curt, raspy. His nostrils flare and my heart speeds up. “I don’t share you, Koty. Not with anyone.”
His low, possessive rumble curls my stomach.
Davis picks up a cupcake with a delicate clumsiness. With his eyes locked on me, he eats the whole damn thing. He chews thoughtfully, like he wants me to see what it means to him. When he’s finished, he lets out a moan. “Best damn thing I’ve ever had.”
A happy laugh sputters out of me. “I knew you secretly like my cupcakes.” I poke him in the chest. My hand drifts up to his mouth. “And… you are messy,” I say, wiping a crumb from his lips.
“Dakota.”
His voice is rough as he stares at me, that hard jaw of his working over and over, and then he yanks me into him, his mouth finding mine in a hungry, desperate kiss.
I lose myself in the moment, in this man. Every question about what we are melts out of my mind. His kiss burns like high-proof whiskey, caramel and spice, and my entire body shivers.
“Goddammit, I can’t stay away from you, woman,” he husks, his hands tangling in my hair before they cup my face.
“So don’t,” I breathe, pulling back from him. “I’m here. You’re here. We both like it. Let’s just…befriends.”
