I woke up the next morning alone and cold. The pillow Max had been sleeping on was cool, telling me he’d been gone a while. Even though he’d said he would have to go, I couldn’t help the crushing feeling.
Shaking off my melancholy, I showered, dressed, and headed down to start my day. I let myself sleep in a little since I had so much left from the day before while we were at the hospital. Still, I couldn’t go an entire day without baking. I would get restless and anxious.
Downstairs I started the coffee pot and listened to the whir of the mixers as I made my first batch of muffins. When the snowplow passed by my front window I forced myself not to turn on the lights, or to wait for him to knock. Max had gotten what he wanted. Chances were I’d never see him again.
By the time I was ready to open I’d worked myself into a bit of an attitude. Mostly, I was pissed at myself for sleeping with him. Add that on top of the emotions of the day, between Mandy going into labor at Bite Me! and then naming the baby after me, mixed in with Max being so unbelievable all day, had me reeling by the time we got back to my apartment. I think I would have slept with anyone at that point.
No, I knew that wasn’t true. It was more than just my emotions. It was Max. Every day he’d come in to Bite Me! he’d spent time talking to me. He was a nice guy. A guy I enjoyed sitting down with. A guy I never thought would run off in the middle of the night without even telling me.
Yeah, he said he was going to have to leave. But did he have to leave in the middle of the night and not even wake me to say he was going? The only thing he didn’t do was leave some cash on the nightstand.
I slammed my “I can do all things through sarcasm and profanity” mug down on the counter and coffee sloshed over the edge. The dark brown liquid spread across my white countertops, annoying me even as I watched it happen.
I couldn’t do this. I wasn’t the type of woman to lose her shit over some guy. Max was just a guy. We had sex. Amazing, mind-blowing, life-changing sex, but it was still just sex. I could have that again, with someone else. He wasn’t the only man who would ever make me feel that good.
Just because I’d never had it happen before didn’t mean it was special. That he was.
Nope, Max was just a guy.
My early customers were in their normal hurry, grabbing their muffins and coffee to go and heading off to work. It was nine-thirty before I knew it and Mr. and Mrs. O’Neill were pushing through the door coming out of the cold.
“Charlie, I’m so glad you’re back. How’s your friend?”
I pulled out my phone and flipped to the pictures I’d taken of Mandy and Elise. I handed it over to Mrs. O’Neill and she cooed at the baby and asked a dozen questions. When I told her they named the baby after me tears pricked the corners of her eyes and mine dampened again as well.
“What a precious gift, Charlie. She’s a beautiful girl. Your friend’s husband made it?”
“Yeah, Xander got there just after we did. Mandy took a bit longer than we expected, but she did well. We were all there waiting when Elise finally arrived. It was… amazing.”
Mrs. O’Neill handed the phone back to me and looked up at me with a knowing gleam in her eyes. I dreaded whatever was going to come out of her mouth next. “How was the young man who was here yesterday? Was he a good helper?”
I couldn’t stop my smile at her hopeful expression. Mrs. O’Neill had been trying to set me up with her single grandsons for years. Of course in the time I’d known her all of them had gotten married, but she was more interested in my love life than I was most of the time.
Not that I could tell her Max had spent the night with me. Nor could I admit how hurt I was that he left. It was worse having to act like nothing happened, like Max was just our ride to the hospital and not the man who’d made me believe, for a few hours, like I could be the one someone looks for first when he walks in a room. Like I could come first in someone’s life.
“Max was very kind.”
“Did he take care of you, sweetheart?”
“Yes, Mrs. O’Neill,” I answered honestly, smirking at the thought of just how well Max took care of me last night.
“I sure hope he calls you, Charlie. He was a cute one.” She winked at me and waggled her eyebrows, making me laugh and scaring me just a little bit.
I rang up their muffins and cupcakes and shook my head at them as they took their seats near the window. I watched the two of them sit in the corner, holding hands, and talking quietly to each other. A sense of longing coursed through me, one I’d been fighting for years.
Wanting things that I couldn’t have when I wanted was hard for me. For as long as I could remember the only thing I’d ever wanted was to open my own bakery. When I let go of that dream after Grams died I knew I was giving up a piece of myself. After I met Lexi and got that dream back, it was all I thought about.
With Bite Me! doing well, my mind had started to drift.
It couldn’t drift. I couldn’t afford it. If my mind drifted to include other things in my dreams I would only end up disappointed. I didn’t have time for a man. I had too much going on. Even once I found a new place for Bite Me! I was going to be building the business back up again. It was likely that I wouldn’t be back to normal and earning enough to feel comfortable for a year or longer.
Before I got myself worked up even more I headed to the back to start a new batch of cupcakes for the afternoon. Mrs. O’Neill called goodbye as they left and I waved to them from the kitchen door then went back to finish the batter. Just as I got the cupcakes in the oven I heard the bell above the front door chime, letting me know someone was there.
I brushed my hands on my apron and smoothed my hair away from my face before pushing through the door.
And froze.
Max was leaning against the counter looking as though he both belonged and didn’t have a care in the world. His jacket was open again, revealing a black t-shirt that made me want to drag him back upstairs for round two. His eyes met mine and he smiled at me as though I held all the secrets of the world and he was prepared to go to great lengths to get them from me. I knew his smile wasn’t empty though. I could see the glimmer in his eyes, the spark that told me his smile was real, honest, and just for me.
And that I hadn’t mistaken what we’d shared just hours before.
When his gaze drifted from mine to run down my body I nearly stopped breathing. Within seconds his eyes captured mine and I saw the desire in them, sending my body temperature into the stratosphere as my control spiraled away.
“Hi,” I breathed as I forced myself from the doorway to stand on the opposite side of the counter from him. I attempted to reflect his casual pose, but nothing about how I felt was casual.
“Good morning, again.” Max grinned, his dimple peeking out. “Although you probably don’t remember the first time I said good morning since you were snoring.”
“I do not snore,” I protested.
Max leaned forward as though he had a secret to share. He kissed me softly behind my ear, sending tingles throughout my body, then whispered, “Yes, you do. You also hog the covers. I woke up with my ass bare and freezing and when I tried to pull some covers back you tugged so hard I almost ended up on top of you. Not that I would have minded a replay.”
My cheeks heated instantly and I ducked my head to hide it from him, but he saw anyway. One finger slid under my jaw and lifted my face to his. “Leaving you this morning was painful.”
“Well, you’re back now. Do you want your usual?” I pushed off the counter, ready to get his breakfast. I had no idea how to handle him. Us. Was there an us? Why was he back?
“Will you join me?” he asked, his eyes hopeful and pleading. I thought of my cupcakes in the oven and peered back into his chocolate eyes and knew I’d do anything he asked.
“Of course,” I said, drawing another grin from his lips and a wink from his dimple. With his cupcakes and muffins packed up I handed them across then went to the back for his coffee. He was standing at the cash register when I got back out.
I breathed a quick sigh of relief. I never knew if I should charge someone when we were involved. Then again, I didn’t know if Max and I were involved. So, did his intention to pay mean he still only saw me as someone who gave him cupcakes or was he just respectful of my business?
Shit. It was confusing.
I rang up his order and swiped his card then followed from my side of the counter to the end where he sat on one of the stools. I stood against the counter, feeling the bite of the corner against my hip. I shifted until it was mostly comfortable then looked at Max.
Just as he closed his eyes and mouth around a muffin. My mouth watered at the sight and I realized I hadn’t eaten anything yet. I grabbed a from the case and joined him for breakfast.
“It’s been a long time since I shared breakfast with a woman,” Max mumbled. His eyes drifted off and I wondered who he was thinking about, a little jealous of whoever put that forlorn expression on his face. “I’ve missed having someone to eat with.”
“I thought you said your sister was living with you.” I avoided the discussion of Max and a girlfriend. I didn’t really want to hear about any exes. I knew it was crazy because Max and I wouldn’t be any more than a great memory, but I still didn’t want to imagine him with another woman.
“Yeah, she is, but with our schedules we rarely see each other. Plus, her muffins aren’t anywhere near as good as yours, but don’t tell her that.”
I smiled at his compliment and was thankful he didn’t drag our conversation back to whatever woman he was thinking of sharing breakfast with. I’d gotten to know a bit about Max in the last week, but he’d never said anything about a girlfriend. I guess before we fell into bed together I should have asked.
“It’ll be our secret,” I whispered conspiratorially.
He grinned at me and leaned in. “I want to kiss you again. So bad.”
My breath rushed out in one fluid movement. The muffin that was halfway to my lips froze in midair. My body, that I’d finally gotten under control, raged back to inferno status. My lips tingled in anticipation, hoping for the kiss he was desperate to take.
Max crooked his finger at me and I moved closer, the distance between us slowly disappearing. When we were less than an inch apart Max smiled and whispered, “So sweet.”
His lips came down on mine in a flash, gentle despite the crash of our mouths together. He teased me with small kisses over the surface of my lips before tracing the seam with his tongue. My body lit up, ready and willing to repeat the previous night’s performance.
The counter bit into my belly as I tried to get closer to Max, but I didn’t care. His hand tangled in my hair and pulled me toward him. I was cursing the counter separating us until Max growled, breaking our kiss. He sat on the edge and swung his feet over to my side, then pulled me back to him. One hand cupped my ass and directed me between his legs where his erection rubbed against my stomach.
A moan slipped from his throat and travelled straight through me and settled between my legs. Heat and need pooled as we kissed. Hands roamed, tongues danced, and my brain slid somewhere far away. I didn’t care where we were or what time it was. I was desperate for Max.
The tinkling sound of the bell above the front door sounded in the back of my mind but didn’t register. It wasn’t until I heard a throat clear that I started to drag myself away from the Max-induced-fog I was happily engulfed in.
Max seemed as reluctant to get back to reality as I was, but when I finally looked up and saw Sam standing on the other side of the counter grinning at me I jumped away from Max like I was caught with my hand in the candy jar.
A few more minutes and I’m pretty sure my hands would have been going for his candy jar.
“Sam!” I practically screamed. “What are you doing here?”
Max kept his back to her and a glance down confirmed the erection he was sporting. I nodded toward the back and said, “Max, why don’t you grab a fresh cup of coffee?”
Max took the hint and vanished without a word to Sam.
“Well, I see things are going well. It’s about time you had a bit of fun.”
“It’s not like that. It’s just…” I trailed off. Hell, I didn’t know what it was like. All I knew was I was having a lot of fun with Max and would likely have been howling his name if Sam hadn’t shown up. I should be thanking her for interrupting. If anyone else had walked in it could have been disastrous for my business. As a professional, I couldn’t behave that way during operating hours in the middle of my store.
After hours was free game though.
“I know exactly what it’s like. Brady and I were like that, too. Of course we usually went into his office for a ‘meeting’ before we started fooling around, but hey, it’s cool if you’re an exhibitionist.”
“I am not!” I protested adamantly.
“Really?” Sam asked with her eyebrows raised. “Then why is your apron twisted and your shirt falling off?”
My face flamed red and I fixed my clothes, completely unaware Max had mangled my outfit so badly. With my apron straight and my shirt buttoned and tucked back in I faced Sam as Max emerged from the back with a cup of coffee. Sans erection.
“What can I do for you Sam?” I asked sweetly, wondering why she was dropping in during the day. Sam always came for girls’ night, but rarely stopped by unless something was going on.
“I just wanted to talk to you about Mandy and Xander. I was, um, thinking about doing something for them and I wanted to get your opinion,” Sam said, glancing toward Max.
Max picked up on Sam’s hesitation and excused himself. He leaned in to kiss my cheek before heading out the door and I couldn’t help but feel frustrated. His counter mauling left me aching for more, but Max didn’t say he would see me soon or call me or anything.
Yep, that’s why I hated dating.
Pushing Max from my mind I nodded toward the end of the counter and grabbed a raspberry lemonade cupcake for Sam. Max’s uneaten cupcake and muffin were still at the end so I swept them into the trash and tossed his coffee before setting the ‘Feeling Frisky?’ cat mug into the sink to wash later.
“What’s going on with Max?” Sam asked.
“Uh, uh, you’re not going to avoid what you’re in here for by calling me on my shit. What’s going on with you?”
Sam took a deep breath and I saw fear in her eyes. Tears welled up and I wondered what in the hell could have happened to make strong, tough, independent Sam cry.
“I really fucked up and I just need someone to talk to,” she whimpered.