AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Not caring that I would be playing stupid by doing so, I pinned my eyes on Carson and replied, “What are what?”
He shot me an incredulous look as my other brother, Dylan, crossed his arms over his chest and let out a laugh. That’s when Carson retorted, “The cookies.”
The cookies.
Those treats had been one of the best things that had happened to me in years. I could see that clearly now—two days after I’d received them—but that didn’t mean I hadn’t struggled initially with getting them.
I hadn’t expected the cookies at all, and once Dakota brought them over and held them out to me, I didn’t want to take them from her.
But I couldn’t send her away with them, either. I wasn’t sure I’d ever get the look that washed over her face when she thought I was allergic to what she’d baked out of my mind. She was horrified, and I didn’t like seeing the distress it caused her.
Once she left and I brought them inside, I merely set them on the counter, hoping I’d be able to figure out what to do.
I didn’t want to eat them.
I didn’t want to eat them, but eventually I could no longer resist them. They sat on the counter, perfectly stacked and taunting me. There was no other choice but to succumb.
I hadn’t had a woman cook or bake me anything in years, and that was precisely the reason why I’d been so stunned the moment Dakota walked up carrying that tray. It was also the reason I both wanted to eat them and didn’t want to eat them.
But when I finally gave in and sunk my teeth into Dakota’s cookies, I knew there would be no turning back for me. I needed whatever this was that was happening between us to continue.
Granted, I was fully aware of the fact that it wasn’t anything romantic, and I realized that perhaps that was a good thing. I wasn’t even sure that was something I was prepared for, but I knew I liked having her around.
I especially knew that I liked her cookies.
“They’re apple cinnamon oatmeal cookies,” I finally answered Carson.
Dylan cocked an eyebrow as Carson declared, “Yeah, okay, you know I wasn’t referring to their flavor. Though, now that I know that, don’t mind if I help myself to one.”
Without waiting for me to respond, he moved toward the tray on the counter and lifted one from it. I battled every urge inside me to not walk over and slap it out of his hand.
Those were my cookies.
Dakota had baked them just for me.
Carson took a bite, let out a moan of delight, and shifted his attention to Dylan. “They’re really good. You should try one.”
“I’m not sure that’s such a wise idea,” Dylan noted.
Good.
At least one of them had some sense.
“Why is that?” Carson asked.
Now, it was Dylan’s turn to look disbelieving. “Jack looked about ready to murder you for touching the one that you did. I’m not convinced I want that rage aimed at me.”
Carson looked back at me, his brows pulling together. “Is that true? Does it bother you that I had one?”
Maybe I wasn’t the only one playing stupid. Carson’s words might have indicated that he didn’t think I would be upset by him having one, but the tone of his voice revealed that he knew precisely what he had done to me.
Keeping up appearances and unwilling to let anything on, I shrugged my shoulders and pretended to be indifferent. “Why would I care? It’s not like you haven’t come here and eaten my food before.”
My brother didn’t miss a beat.
He moved back to the tray, picked up two cookies, and held one out to Dylan. “Exactly. What would maketheseany different?”
My hands balled into fists. Carson knew precisely what he was doing, and Dylan was unwittingly along for the ride. That was three of Dakota’s cookies gone forever now. Three that I wouldn’t be able to get back. If I had any hope of making sure that number didn’t increase, I was going to need to do something.
