AllFreeNovel
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She’s baking, yet again, this time a birthday cake for the neighbor’s little boy. The only thing stopping me from sneakinga bite of the delicious-looking chocolate cake is knowing it’s for a five-year-old’s party, and I’m not that mean. Plus, it would upset Talia, and that is unacceptable.
She starts to sculpt a red race car out of fondant, her small hands making quick work of rolling and shaping colored icing, and I sidle closer to her.
“No wonder this is your job, cupcake,” I say, making her startle a little as my voice breaks her concentration. “You’re amazing.”
Talia’s cheeks go pink, and she glances up at me. “Oh, no. This isn’t like a job,” she stutters out, shrugging. “It’s just a hobby. That’s all.”
“A hobby?” I scoff, shaking my head at her. “Talia, most people aren’t even this talented at their actual job, never mind a hobby.”
Talia’s cheeks are nearly as red as the fondant in her hands now, and fuck if that isn’t the cutest thing I’ve ever seen. Jesus, this girl is like my kryptonite. Everything about her affects me.
Talia sighs, using the back of her hand to push her hair out of her face. I help her out so she doesn’t get icing in her hair, tucking the strands behind her ear, my fingers caressing her skin as I do. She shivers a little at the touch, trying and failing to hide it. My dick is already half-hard just from being around her.
“I’d love to do this full-time,” Talia admits quietly. “It’s fun, and I like making people happy. But…I’m in college, and it’s too risky to take the leap to baking and decorating like this.”
“You’re studying?” I ask, frowning. She hasn’t mentioned college once.
Talia pulls a face. “Yeah, marketing,” she says with a soft laugh. “It’s not exactly a passion, but it’s a steady option, you know?”
“Why don’t you drop out if you don’t even want to go into that field?”
Talia grabs a modeling tool and starts adding details to the body of the race car. “My mom and Dav—well, your dad—” she corrects, blushing at the reminder that we’re stepsiblings. I grin, stepping closer, and crowding her space a little more. “Um, well. They helped me out a lot with tuition. I started later than my high school friends since it took me so long to figure out what I wanted to do. I’m twenty-five, and I’ve still got a year to go before I graduate, and I … I don’t want to keep wasting time or disappoint my mom after everything she’s done to help me out.”
I cup her cheek, needing to touch her. She drops the cake tool, leaning into my touch a little. She’s so caring, so generous, so kind, and while I love that about her, she deserves to be kind and caring to herself too.
“Your happiness is worth more than anything,” I tell her gently, stroking my thumb along her jaw. I feel her pulse jump, and her lips part in surprise at my words. “You can put yourself first, Talia. Nobody is going to be upset with you for it. Hell, my dad certainly won’t. He’s always been a big supporter of following your heart, and I imagine your mom is similar since she married him and all.”
Talia laughs a little, her skin hot beneath my touch with that persistent blush. Goddamn, she’s beautiful. There’s a speck of icing sugar on her lip and my mouth waters with the urge to lick it off.
“I don’t want all their support and help to go to waste,” she says softly.
I shake my head. “Supporting someone you love is never a waste.”
Her breath hitches, her eyes meeting mine. The deep green is captivating, even when her pupils are so wide that it threatens to engulf the color.
“What do you want, Talia? Regardless of what you think you’re supposed to want.”
Talia takes a deep breath, bracing her sugar-covered hands on the counter as though steadying herself. “I want … I want to bake,” she admits, her voice a little shaky but strong nonetheless. “I don’t want a marketing degree I’ll never use. I want to make cakes and cookies and treats that make people smile. I want to do what I love, and I want…” Talia pushes away from the counter and turns to me fully. She swallows before finishing, “I want you.”
Her words light me on fire. I’m so fucking proud of her for vocalizing what she actually wants, but also now very uncomfortable because of the way my cock is pressing against my zipper from her final declaration.
“You can have anything you want,” I vow to her. “Whatever you want, cupcake. I’ll make sure of it. I’ll take care of you and protect you and make sure your world is as sweet as you are.”
Talia leans into me, her eyes holding mine. She’s the entire world, and I’m the lucky bastard that gets to be in her orbit.
“Will you…will you teach me how to protect myself, too? With everything that happened with Daniel…” she trails off, and it’s clear that fear is adding to the fears she already has about her choices.
“You’ll never need to protect yourself. I’m never leaving your side, and I will never let anything hurt you again.”
“Please?”
There’s no way in hell I could ever deny her anything when she’s looking at me like that. If I can make any of that easier for her, there’s no question I’ll do it.
“Okay, cupcake, whatever you need.” I take her hand in mine to lead her out to the back garden.
There’s more space out here, and the grass provides a nicer landing than the wooden floors inside. It’ll still hurt if she goes down too hard, though, but I won’t let that happen.
“Alright, let’s go through some simple evasive maneuvers you can use to get away,” I say, rolling up my sleeves. “The goal isn’t to fight back, cupcake. The goal is to get the fuck away. So the second they release you, like how I’m gonna teach you now, you run and you don’t look back. Understood?”
