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“You really love this, don’t you?” Riley asked.
“I do.”
“You want to weigh anchor or whatever the hell you call it in a few minutes and sample one of my greatest loves?”
“I thought we weren’t going to ‘christen’ the boat today.”
Riley gasped in mock offense. “I was talking about pie.”
“Mmm, of course you were. Then again, with us, pie often leads to—”
Riley shook his head. “Not this time.”
“Later?”
“Maybe. There’s plenty. I’ve made four since I got here.”
Thorne glanced at him and then quickly looked back at the water when the boat jerked to the side. “You must have been as unable to sit still as I was.”
“Probably. At first I couldn’t settle to doing anything other than baking. I tried to watch a movie, but that made me want you here. Then late last night I finally settled into a book.”
“What did you read?”
“Swallows and Amazons.”
“Really?” Thorne sounded shocked.
“I brought your copy with me.”
“I thought I saw it on the coffee table here,” Thorne said.
“I don’t know why I took it. I just…wanted to have something of yours with me.”
Thorne smiled. “I slept on your pillow, holding one of your T-shirts.”
Riley’s heartbeat thrummed in his ears. “I really missed you.”
Thorne nodded. “I missed you too. Did you like it? The book?”
“Yeah. It was hard to follow some of the sailing jargon, but eventually I got used to it, and I loved the characters and their spirit of adventure.”
“I’m glad they could keep you company.”
“What did you do after I left?” Riley asked.
“I worked out, I ran, I paced until I finally threw myself into a new project.”
“A project for work?”
Thorne hesitated. “Not exactly.”
“Don’t tell me you started a house project because—”
Thorne laughed. “I’d probably be better off cooking.”
“Well…yeah.”
“It’s kind of for work.”
Riley could tell there was something Thorne was trying not to say, but he didn’t push. He’d get the details eventually.
Neither of them said anything for the next few minutes. Then Thorne pointed to a jut of land ahead of them.
“Around the other side of that point, there’s a little cove that’s a perfect place to stop for a snack.”
When they reached it, they dropped the boat’s anchor, removed their shoes, and waded through freezing water to the little beach. Thorne was right. The spot was perfect, secluded with a gorgeous view across the lake.
“We’ll have to come back to this spot on a day when we’re not being so…restrained,” Riley said.
“Will we now?”
Riley stretched out on his side, and Thorne’s gaze travelled along his body. “I might have made a mistake in deciding to restrain myself.”
Riley shook his head. “No, you didn’t.”
Thorne sighed as he opened the basket. “Well, if I can’t have you, at least I can have your pie. Tell me about what we have here.”
Riley sat up and lifted various containers out of the basket. “I brought small slices of each of the pies I made.”
“Does this count as lunch?”
“Sure. But I’m making you a real dinner.”
“You could always make a few cakes instead to balance the day.”
Riley grinned. “I think we’ll need something more solid. Maybe tomorrow can be cake day.”
Thorne selected a piece of pie. “What’s in this one?”
“That’s apple-date-walnut.”
Thorne took a taste, and his eyes went wide. “Oh my God! That is incredible. Sweet and tart and an almost smoky flavor. It’s just…wow.”
Riley smiled. “Toasting the walnuts well is essential to get the best flavor. I’m glad you like it. I wanted a good, hearty pie to put on the menu.”
“What’s this?” Thorne asked, eyeing the chocolate pie, Riley’s most decadent offering.
“That one is basically a gooey brownie in a pie crust.”
Thorne took a taste and groaned. He didn’t bother speaking; he just took another taste right away as if unable to stop himself. When he’d eaten about half of the thin slices, he said, “If someone could turn sex into a pie, that is what it would taste like.”
Riley grinned. “Try this one. The crust got too browned, but it’s not bad. I’m curious what you think.”
Thorne eyed it suspiciously. “I don’t know if I can handle any more. I might die of pleasure right here, and you’d have to hope you could get yourself back to shore.”
Riley laughed. “Just taste it. It’s buttermilk custard with a raspberry swirl in a chocolate crust.”
“Mmm. My God, it’s almost as climax-inducing as the brownie one. I’m going to have to send you away more often if this is the result.”
Heat filled Riley’s cheeks at the compliment. “We want to have a good pie selection for our bakery once we get it going.”
“Feel free to keep practicing all you want.” Thorne took a bite of the last pie before Riley had a chance to describe it. His eyes widened as he tasted all the flavors.
“You weren’t expecting that, were you?”
“No, but it’s amazing. I thought it was a regular egg custard.”
