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I dream about this every night, feeling more and more desperate to reenact those wonderful moments we shared with that amazing kiss in the kitchen. It seems like years ago.
Instead of sharing a kiss, we move in unison to take bites from our treats.
“Ach!!”
We both grab our discarded wrappers and spit out whatever we haven’t accidentally swallowed. Jenna examines her cupcake, I can practically hear her internal dialogue as she wonders if she mistakenly put some of Nyx’s mouse pâté into her sugared frosting.
“Terrible!” she says as she runs to the sink, then swallows an entire glass of water in one long gulp. I’m not far behind her.
“What was wrong with yours?” she asks.
“Sugary. Sweet. It even smelled like human cupcakes.”
“Jenna!” She scolds herself. “How could you…”
We both stare at the two display cases filled with cupcakes. We filled each of them with a few of all the varieties, taking pains to clearly label them so no one got something designed for another species.
“They took on each others’ tastes from the odors in the case,” poor Jenna moans. “Tainted. Every single one will have to be thrown away.”
“I’ll have our guards comm Colonel Slater. I’m sure he’ll postpone.”
“Not on your life, buddy. I’m the first woman to set up shop here and I’m not going to give us all a bad name. I’ve got dozens of cupcakes in the freezer. While I defrost them and mix up fresh batches of frosting, if you’d be so kind as to dispose of our mistakes and clean the cases? I think we can be done by midnight.”
I want to pull her into my arms so badly. She must feel not just terrible, but overwhelmed. She almost called herself stupid a moment ago, although it seems like a mistake anyone could make.
I want to soothe her, kiss the top of her head, and calm her with my touch. Instead, I use my words as I brush the tip of my tail up and down her calf.
“The other day, I asked if I could be your partner here and I meant it. We’re going to make this happen, Jenna. Just tell me what to do.”
Damn. I wish I could kiss her.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Jenna
Somewhere around midnight last night, I quit kicking my own ass for being stupid, and gave myself credit for all the things I’ve done right. I imagine none of my teachers at the Culinary Institute would have been as creative as I was with savory cupcakes for splicers. How many of them could have pulled a bakery together, created a dozen new recipes, and gotten ready for a grand opening in less than a month?
Other than the little problem of taste bleed-through, I’ve worked a freaking miracle. All while navigating a new environment, being isolated from my family and friends, and falling in love with a lion. Not a lion. A lion-guy. A splicer.
Falling in love? My belly turns to concrete for a minute at that thought. I haven’t allowed myself to even think that thought until now. Luckily, I’m too busy to dwell on it. I’ll just have to examine that when I don’t have a Grand Opening to attend to.
There’s a crowd in the street, waiting for us to open our doors in five minutes.
“I have to tell you, Noble. I couldn’t have done this without you.” Look at him in his Hawaiian shirt and khakis with a crisp, white apron on top. He even manages to look handsome in his hairnet.
I was just going to thank him for his help, but the need to tell him my true feelings is burning a hole in my gut.
“It’s true I couldn’t have done this without you, but that’s not what I want to say.”
I glance ruefully at the four-by-six-foot menu blackboard, hating that on the other side of the wooden wall are our two guards listening to and watching everything we do.
Stepping closer, knowing Barton and Watson couldn’t elbow their way through the thick crowd outside our door if they tried, I throw my arms around Noble’s neck and pull him to my level.
“You’ve been…” Shit. I should have given thought to what I wanted to say, but the clock is ticking, and I absolutely, positively need to blurt out my feelings.
“Noble, you’ve been such a surprise. A wonderful gift. You terrified me that first night. You, more than any of them, because you were staring at me like you wanted to eat me up.”
He chuffs and hangs his head. Now that I know him, I’m certain he didn’t want to eat me up. I think I know exactly how andwherehe wanted to lick me, though.
