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“And then we started working together, and I was lucky enough to get to know the kindest, most generous male I’ve ever met.”
He shakes his head, wanting to interrupt in his humble way, but I’m having none of it.
“Who else would have stayed here with me until after midnight last night? No one. Who else would know exactly when to force me to take a break, or to treat me like an uncooperative toddler and forbid me to have even one more sip of coffee?”
His eyebrows flash to the middle of his forehead as his clawed hand slams into his chest in a mock show of innocence.
“You. You, Noble. And it was necessary. You’re a keeper and I love being your partner.” I don’t say it, though the thought is ringing in my head. That I feel like he’s a partner in other, non-bakery-related, ways.
The not-so-subtle tapping on the front door is Colonel Slater’s way of breaking up our little party, but as I start toward the door, Noble gently grips my upper arm, pulls me close, and presses his lips to my ear.
“I love being your partner, Jenna. I would doanythingfor you.”
He’s pulled his hand away, so other than his warm breath wafting across my neck, he isn’t touching me at all. That’s not true. Those few whispered words just touched my heart.
And then I flick open the lock and the hordes press in.
Instead of flying into action and dishing out cupcakes, I have a little speech prepared.
“Welcome, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you all for coming to Sugar and Splice’s Grand Opening. This is the first of what will be many grand openings in our little town. I was terrified of coming here. We weren’t told what to expect. And let’s be honest, that first little mixer we had in the Town Hall, well, that was a doozy.”
I smile, looking around at my new girlfriends and all the males I’ve gotten to know in the past few weeks, splicer and human alike.
“But we’re coming together as a unit, helping each other and working together. I’m so honored to be part of this grand experiment.”
I feel so good. Expansive. Almost a little high with all the endorphins racing through my body.
“Let the feasting begin!”
I barely make it behind the display cases before the crowd pushes forward. By agreement, Noble dishes the human food and I dish the Splicer varieties. I want to get to know these males better and there’s no time like the present to make that happen.
Three hours later, we’ve served our last cupcake and even the biggest of the splicers seems sated. No one has left the area, though. There’s a festive feeling and everyone has spilled out onto the wide dirt main street to keep talking and having fun.
Perhaps it’s because they’re not in the confines of the Town Hall or the living facility, but everyone seems more at ease, even the military guys.
With just Noble and me in the bakery, I step next to him, circle his large, furred body in my embrace, and lay my head on his pec. We haven’t been this close since those moments by the lake.
“You did it, Jenna.” His proud voice rumbles through me. “You pulled it off. I’m so happy for you.”
We’ve tried to keep away from each other, but after being up half the night, all the adrenaline of getting things ready, and the sheer blast of pleasure at serving so many people and seeing the look of delight on their faces when they tasted my confections—either sweet or savory—I just can’t worry about the Colonel’s edict right now.
It’s the most natural thing in the world for me to rise onto tiptoe as Noble dips to my level. Our lips touch for the first time in what feels like a century and this one, almost-chaste brush of lip on lip makes me tingle down to my toes.
“Just what do you two think you’re doing? You know that is not allowed.” It’s Colonel Slater and by his harsh inflection, he’s not happy.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Noble
Colonel Slater’s tone slices through me like a knife. I’ve lived with far too much of the exact attitude his tone imparts. Dismissal, disdain, contempt. It deflates me. I immediately bow my head and step back, my shoulders hunched. I’m reflexively preparing for blows, though the military doesn’t punish us like that.
Jenna doesn’t allow me to get far, though. Her grip on my wrist is so tight I’d have to wrench it away to break free.
“Why, Colonel? Exactlywhyis this not allowed?”
After spluttering, his head jerking back in surprise, he pierces her with a disapproving look.
“We didn’t bring you here tohook upas your generation likes to call it. This isn’t some swipe-right app on your phones. This operation has already cost your government millions of dollars: the renovations, the barracks, the vetting process to get you women here cost a fortune in background checks alone.”
