Wednesday, I head back to the bakery. It’s on the way to Lev’s after bugging Misha’s house and car. When I get there, Aaron’s nowhere to be seen, but that doesn’t mean I can skip out on fake-boyfriend duties. I’d love to get more kisses or spend some time with Abby. It’ll just sell the relationship better when Aaron pokes his nose back in Abby’s business. If I enjoy it, so be it.
Even though I shouldn’t want that, I do. It’s stupid. I feel like an idiot for wanting more time with her. After all, it’s fake and I’m not looking for love or a relationship or anything like that. I don’t want to want to be around her.
When I get to the bakery, Mona sees me, lifts the door, and motions to the back. I head to the kitchen and find Abby making frosting and dancing. I watch for a moment, loving how she dances to nothing at all without music. When she spins, I pick up the dance, continuing to twirl her, then pull her against me.
She giggles. “What are you doing here?”
“Visiting my fake girlfriend, so I get to learn the secrets of her frosting making,” I tease.
She blushes. “We are not doing the frosting thing you mentioned.”
“Of course not, Mona can walk in and that would break a rule,” I tease, kissing her nose before I can stop myself. “Nice to know you’re not as innocent as you look.”
“I told you I’m not a virgin. I’m not some innocent little girl like everyone thinks. I’m powerful,” Abby says while flexing her arms.
I laugh, unable to stop resists. “How dare you tempt me.”
She giggles and turns around, swiping some of the frosting on her finger. She offers it to me. “I’m worried these strawberries are a little too ripe. You don’t like sweet, so you’ll tell me.”
I lick her finger, then suck it, watching her lips part. The frosting is perfect, as I expected, but I hesitate. “I’m not sure. Let me try it again.”
“What? But-”
I dip her thumb into the frosting, then–still holding her wrist–make her put it against her lips. “Suck it off.”
She blushes this time, two shades of pink deeper than the color of the frosting. She sucks her thumb, her eyes on me until I feel my cock stir. Her cheeks hollow. Those gorgeous brown eyes stay on me as she pops off her own thumb. Before she can lick her lips, I steal a kiss.
Frosting tastes better on her. She gasps, but grabs my hips, not just my shirt this time. I press her back against the counter and kiss her deeper, my tongue sliding along hers as she moans and kisses me back.
Every flick of her tongue, the way she changes the angle to get the most of each touch and every renewed kiss, drives me crazy. This is the first girl to ever know who I am and what I’m capable of and still kiss me like I’m not some scary monster.
Groaning, I let my hand slide down to her ass and grip one cheek hard, despite her jeans. She jumps a little, but ends up rubbing herself against me. I nip her tongue. Then she sucks mine. I’m hard, my cock rubbing against her belly until she draws back and looks down. I grip her hair, making her stare at me.
“Is that your gun?” she asks.
I grin. “I think you know the answer to that, don’t you, Cupcake?”
“It’s ... bigger than I ...” her eyes widen and she swats my chest. “Daniel! This is my kitchen, not some kind of ....”
“You’re so damn cute. Feed me more kisses and you’ll feel it get harder,” I promise.
She turns around, but her ass rubs my cock and I grip her sides. “You’re testing my restraint.”
“No sex,” she reminds me in a breathy voice.
“That doesn’t sound like a firm rule,” I murmur before kissing the back of her neck. “Lucky for you, I want you to beg for that. I won’t give you my cock otherwise.”
“Pull it out and I’ll cover it in frosting. That’s all you get,” she grumbles.
I chuckle and kiss her neck again. Something clatters to the table and then her hand is on my hip. “You ...” I keep kissing, noticing the goosebumps on her neck. She tries again. “Danya, please. I have .... I have to focus. I’m the only baker.”
That makes me pause. I draw back and she glances over her shoulder at me. My brow furrows. “You make everything? Every day?”
“Yes. I told you I’m a perfectionist. Do you think I’d let anyone else work in my kitchen?”
“I think you should. You deserve a life outside of the bakery. I mean, you should have a real life. You should go see friends, enjoy the beach, make the most of Miami.”
“You just want me to have a later bedtime,” she argues.
I roll my eyes. “No, you’re missing out on life.”
“Semantics.”
“Bullshit, you mean,” I huff.
She points at me. “You are going to make my kitchen dirty.”
“Is that a request?”
“Boss, there’s some lady here for you. Something about a wedding cake?” Mona says before she sees me. She covers her smirk. “And this doesn’t look very fake to me.”
“Send her in!” Abby answers in a high-pitched voice.
I swat her ass, and she yips, jumping and turning to hide her ass from me. I narrow my eyes at her. “You owe me a kiss. I didn’t tell,” I growl. “You weren’t supposed to tell anyone we were fake.” “If it gets out now, Cupcake, it’s all on you.”
“Mona is allowed to know! She’d never tell Aaron. Don’t you spank me,” she orders.
“Why? Because you liked it?” I ask with a grin. “I bet you’d like it even more without all that denim in the way.
“You’re a butt head.”
“I’ll take that as a yes, Cupcake.”
“Well, don’t you two look cute,” Sienna says, looking between us. Lev gives me a look after taking off his sunglasses. Sienna rubs Lev’s chest. “Abby, this is my husband to be. I’ve been gushing about you nonstop since the party and he’d love to do a tasting. We can do the strawberry chocolate, but also the cookies and cream.”
“Sure! I have cupcakes available in both and I’m working on another round of the strawberry frosting,” she says, ignoring me.
Yup, I don’t like that. And I don’t like that I want her attention either. I need to back up. I need to back off and get my head on straight. Maybe getting laid will fix it? Maybe getting to take out Misha will calm whatever is currently going crazy in me.
Sienna walks out, but Lev lingers. He looks at me, then at Abby. I step between them and switch the conversation to Russian. “What?”
“Thought you didn’t want to end up like Ed, me, and dad,” he answers.
“I’m not. I’m doing Abby a favor thanks to your fiancée,” I respond.
“Doesn’t seem like there’s a threat here. She doesn’t even have anyone else working with her,” he says.
“You don’t know the details. It’s not your business.”
“You’re the brother that keeps pointing out people shouldn’t know who or what we are,” he argues.
“She was there the night the cartel came in. She dropped a man on her own and attacked me with a frying pan. She put all the pieces together and is happy to pretend it’s not real. She’s not like ...” I stop myself when I realize how ridiculous I sound.
“Forget it. I’ll join you two in a second,” I answer.
Lev smirks and switches to English. “No need, little brother. Enjoy your girlfriend.”
I flip him off, but see Abby shaking.
I wrap my arms around her and kiss her neck. Her pulse is thundering, and I know she’s uncomfortable. I rub her sides. “Take a breath, Abby.”
“Another event where .... where things can happen. Things that only belong in nightmares, Daniel,” she whispers.
“It won’t happen like that again. I promise,”
“You can’t promise that. If you could, I wouldn’t know you and I’d be fending off my ex all by myself.” I notice she hesitates when she says it though. Something tells me that at this point, she might have taken him back. He wouldn’t be this determined if she’d kicked him to the curb. I kiss the top of her head. She pushes me away. “Go on. I have to prepare for this.”
“Cupcake-”
“I’m serious, Daniel. I don’t need your services today,” she says, standing her ground.
If she was this fierce with her ex, I’d be impressed, but I don’t appreciate it turned on me. Still, I walk out to the front of the shop and continue to the street. Abby’s right. We’re not in a relationship. I don’t know why I keep letting myself forget that when I’m with her. I should have turned around and walked away when I saw Aaron wasn’t here. There was no reason for me to go in, no reason for me to tease her in the back, to kiss her, to keep teasing myself with having more than a kiss.
Abby handled one night of my reality and I don’t want to end up like my brothers or my father, chained to someone, willing to put them first when that’s not the life. We’re mafia first, foremost, and only. They forgot that. I haven’t.
Even if Abby could be a hell of an asset. I bet she’d poison someone who threatened those she cared about. She’d beat someone else with a frying pan. She’d tell me how to fix wounds. She could be an asset, but I know that I wouldn’t be able to control myself around her and she’d cry anytime someone died.
She’s too soft-hearted. She’s too sweet.
Which is why I have to let her go. I can’t keep holding onto her. I can’t let this continue. I’ll just wait for her to text me when she needs me.
I glance back into the shop and see her serving my brother and Sienna. Her eyes flick to me, then away as she turns pink. I almost groan. I want to go back in and stake my claim on her, but that’s stupid, just like she said when I made her dinner and she kissed me.
Three kisses, six times jerking off to her, and too much time spent on a girl who can’t handle my life or better it. Until I find my very own mafia queen, I will not settle down. Abby isn’t that person and I will not turn her life upside down to make her that person. It’s simple.
That’s what I tell myself as I force myself into my car. Even though I want to go in there and find every excuse to touch her, to make her smile, to claim Abby as mine, I won’t. I know that’s stupid. It’s my damn lust talking and nothing else.
My brothers can live their happily ever after and I’ll throw myself into the ocean to fight a bull shark to avoid being tempted by Abby again.
Taking on a bull shark will end better than allowing myself to be alone with her again. Sweetness is a weakness that we can’t afford. So I’ll figure out how to get through the rest of this week with a lot of talk and no action.
When I look down at my hands on the steering wheel, I realize my fingers are crossed.
“Fucking hell,” I curse softly.