Page 71 of The Cupcake Standard

“So?” he asked when he’d disposed of the condom. “Did it work?”

I frowned as I sat up and reached for my panties. “Did what work?”

He chuckled. “I guess that’s a pretty good indicator.” He slid on his pants, then his shirt before he laughed again at my frustrated stare. “You’re not worried anymore.”

The light bulb clicked on in my mind as I remembered my challenge, and I laughed. “No, I’m not. You definitely succeeded.” I yanked on my nightgown and took the hand he offered to haul me to my feet.

He pulled me to him, my chest grazing his. His fingers slipped under my chin and his thumb grazed my bottom lip. “Avery,” he whispered, “what am I going to do with you?”

The intensity was too much. If I let myself, I could drown in it. The walls I’d built were crumbling quickly, and I needed to be cautious. Though the thought didn’t terrify me as much as it did before, I was careful to hold back a piece of myself, making sure some part of me would stay intact. For now, I dug for my humor. I glanced at the blanket with a grin. “You can do that anytime you want.”

Another chuckle rumbled through him before he touched his lips to mine. “One of these days we’ll be able to take our time.” His hands slid down to grip my waist through the thin fabric of my nightgown. “I want to memorize every inch of you.”

I longed for that as well, but it wasn’t happening tonight. “Maybe once we don’t have an apartment full of people.”

One corner of his mouth tipped up. “I’m free tomorrow afternoon. Say, after the escape room?”

My smile wouldn’t dim. “No after-party?” He shook his head and I let out a relieved sigh. “It’s a date.”

Chapter Fourteen

I woke up on my makeshift couch cushion bed to the alarm blaring on my phone. Bleary-eyed with a dull headache, I trudged to the dresser, grabbed clothes and stumbled to the shower. The hot water revived me. The other girls were stirring when I returned, and they took their turns in the shower.

The smell of fresh coffee greeted me when I walked out of my room. My stomach did a funny little flip when I saw Derek in the kitchen, damp-haired and barefoot. Clips of last night flashed through my mind as a soft smile spread over my lips.

I hurried to kiss his cheek. “Good morning.”

His dark blue eyes darkened before he turned his head to claim my lips. “Now that’s the proper way to say good morning.”

Liam emerged, groaning as he saw us. “Guys, it’s too early for that shit.”

Gina elbowed him in the gut as she walked by. “I disagree. Josh, where’s my good morning kiss?” And she got a decent greeting from her boyfriend.

Carla, on the other hand, crossed her arms, refusing to listen when Liam tried to explain that he meant me and Derek, not them.

“Maybe we could go out for breakfast? Then head over to the escape room?” I murmured to Derek, nibbling on his ear.

“Keep doing that, and we can do anything you want,” he growled.

I realized we were the center of attention again, and I ducked my head against his chest, my cheeks hot. Gina stared at me, seeing too much, while the others probably just thought it was par for the course for us.

Derek cleared his throat. “Who wants to go for breakfast?”

Everyone agreed. There was a decent restaurant a few blocks away, so we tumbled out of the door. The crisp walk helped wake everyone up. We found a table big enough for six, though Derek and I somehow got the short end of the stick, ending up across from each other. How is it possible to physically miss someone when they’re a table’s length away? At least our feet are touching. Derek’s eyes stayed on me while I ordered, no waffles this morning since they didn’t have ice cream and were out of maple syrup. I settled for a scramble—eggs, ham, veggies and potatoes all in one dish. And coffee, of course.

Conversation picked up even more as the caffeine entered our veins, clearing out the fog from our late night. Though Liam seemed extra grumpy.

Derek called him on it. “Looking even bluer than usual there, Liam.”

He snorted, gaze flitting to me. “Yeah, it sucks, don’t it?” He took a sip of coffee, waiting for Derek to commiserate with him. Eyes narrowing, he looked closely at both of us. “Wait a minute, you guys—?”

My boyfriend’s smirk said it all.

“When?” Liam held up a hand. “Never mind. Don’t want to know.”

Gina grinned, leaning over the table toward Liam. “Looks like you owe me.”

He grumbled even more but dug out his wallet and forked over a twenty. She winked at me, mouthing a thanks. Carla’s frown deepened. I had a bad feeling about her and Liam.

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