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She made a good point, though. Blackbear Bluff was ripe for a new bakery. It was a great business idea, even if the baker had to do the work out of their own house to start.
But I had no interest in starting a business right now. Besides, I knew nothing about baking, let alone running a food establishment.
Addison now stared dreamily out the window. “I used to dream of opening my own bakery someday. But I ended up going into business.”
“Running a bakeryisa business,” I said. “A pretty profitable one, considering the price of these suckers.”
I had no idea what that meant. I’d never even been to the bakery in Boone, and I certainly hadn’t priced wedding cakes. I just assumed a cake the size of what I’d seen downstairs would cost a pretty penny.
With a shortage of bakeries in the area, someone could get some serious business here. But how many weddings were there every year? Especially in a town this size?
“It’s too late,” Addison said. “I make good money. I couldn’t justify making a complete career pivot at this point.”
At this point? She was what, twenty-three? Twenty-four? Could it even be called a career pivot when she’d probably just started?
But there was one thing about this conversation that struck me, and that was the most important thing of all. A move back to Blackbear Bluff wasn’t off the table. Maybe there could be more to this than a one-night stand.
But first, I had to get to the one-night stand part of things.
5
ADDISON
This had to be the biggest case of sensory overload in human history. First, there was the cake, which wasn’t the best, but this particular bite had plenty of icing in it, making up for its unpleasant texture. It tasted so much better now, but I had a feeling that had to do with my other senses.
It was all because of the man seated next to me. The way he seemed to overstuff that suit, which clearly was not his normal everyday attire. He probably walked around in flannels and jeans with hiking boots, maybe carrying an axe. Then there was the smell of him—musky, woodsy.
But all that was nothing compared to what was going on with my body. I couldn’t stop thinking of what I’d seen below by the pool. But instead of that couple, whose faces I didn’t even see, I was picturing Brody on top of me. Brody naked, muscles bulging as he held himself up. Brody’s hips moving as he slid in and out of my warm, wet, tight?—
“You okay over there?”
I jumped as Brody’s question made me aware I was just sitting, staring out the window, fork poised above my cake. “Yeah, I just?—”
What? Want you more than I’ve ever wanted anyone in my life?
I didn’twantpeople, though. I was a virgin. I was saving myself for marriage.
But why? All of a sudden, it made no sense. I’d put marriage and family on hold until I was established in my career. My plans were to wait to marry until I was at least thirty, maybe later. I wanted kids, and I was well aware that my thirties might be too late, but people did it all the time.
Waiting until my thirties to have sex was a completely different matter, though. If I was a take-charge woman, why was I so worried about saving my body? It was still mine, even if I had sex with this guy.
But even if having sex with Brody meant I’d spend the rest of my life with him, that wouldn’t be bad at all. In fact, I kind of liked that idea.
Brody tilted his head. “So how would you describe me?”
I blinked, surprised. Had I missed part of the conversation? It was very possible.
“Sorry.” He smiled. “You look like you want to take a bite out of me. I was just wondering how you’d describe me if you did.”
He added a wince to the end of that, probably questioning his words. It did sound a bit cannibalistic, but I got exactly what he meant.
“Why don’t you pull down your pants, and I’ll see?” I asked.
What? Where had that come from? I’d never said anything close to that in my life. It’d always been guys pushing me to do more than I was comfortable with. Trying to sneak a feel over my clothes and slide under my shirt… There were only so many ways you could push someone’s hand away without it feeling like a rejection to him.
But my suggestion didn’t put off Brody. The opposite, in fact. He set the cake slice on the floor next to him and pushed himself to his feet.
“I’ll go first,” he said.
