Page 43 of Make You Mine

“Chocolate. Always. I may or may not be a legit chocoholic.”

“Birds of a feather…”

“You too?”

“Yep.” I moved around the kitchen, gathering ingredients as I spoke. “We’re making my quadruple chocolate cupcakes. Chocolate cake, chocolate ganache filling, chocolate cream cheese frosting, then either curls, mini chips, or sprinkles. I’ll let you choose.

“Chips. Please let me know when I can help. You’re the pro I don’t want to get in your way.”

Ren watched as I measured out the cocoa powder, his gaze warm and intense. I could feel the electricity between us, a subtle but undeniable attraction, as I let him sift the dry ingredients together. We exchanged playful smiles and meaningful glances, the air around us buzzing with an unspoken chemistry. It took everything in me not to shove everything off the counter and have my way with him.

The cupcakes went into the oven, and I moved on to the ganache.

“Here,” I said, handing Ren a spoon coated in rich chocolate. “Taste this.”

He took the spoon from my hand, his fingers brushing against mine, sending a shiver up my spine. He closed his eyes as he tasted the ganache, a soft moan escaping his lips. “Delicious,” he murmured.

Unable to resist, I dipped my finger into the ganache and tasted it myself, savoring the smooth, decadent chocolate. Ren’s eyes met mine, and in that moment, I felt a magnetic pull drawing us closer. I leaned in, my lips brushing against his, tasting the sweetness of chocolate on his breath.

“You’re delicious,” I whispered.

Our kiss deepened, and his hand on my waist pulled me closer, backing me up until my back was against the wall and we didn’t have a single inch between us.

I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t think. All I could feel was him. I lifted onto the balls of my feet and ran my hands into his hair so he couldn’t pull away. His tongue slid against mine in a soft swirl. He made my head spin until I was in a drunken state of anticipation, waiting to see what he’d do. He could do anything, as long as he didn’t stop kissing me.

His mouth dropped to my neck, tongue darting out to taste the hollow of my throat as he cupped my breast with his palm. He traced my nipple with his thumb, slowly, back and forth, then pressing gently.

“Is this okay?” he asked.

“Yes,” I moaned, eyes drifting closed as I leaned into his hand. “More.”

Arms around my waist became hands lifting the hem of my sweater as I raised my arms over my head, and his mouth replaced his fingers as he tugged the cup of my bra down.

“You’re so pretty, sweetheart. So soft.” He flattened his tongue, then grazed the peak of my nipple with his teeth. Waves of desire pooled inside me as he trailed his lips to the other breast and unhooked my bra.

“I want to touch you too.” I untucked his shirt and pulled. Smiling when he reached his hand behind his neck and took it off.

The muscular plane of his chest was irresistible. I ran my hands up and down, the light dusting of hair tickling my palms. “Kiss me again,” I murmured.

He slammed his mouth against mine, stealing my breath and sending shivers down my spine as I rose on my tiptoes again and flung my arms around his neck.

We went out of control, hands touching everywhere we could reach, tongues and teeth clashing. It was like this was our only chance to learn everything we could about each other before we ran out of time.

He pulled away, resting his forehead against mine. I could feel his panting breath against my mouth. “Piper?—”

I met his eyes with mine. His were dark with desire. A muscle ticked in his jaw, and I traced it with a fingertip.

“What’s wrong?” I asked. “Why did you stop?”

“Nothing’s wrong. Everything feels too right. Way too right.” He ran a hand down his face and looked away.

“Okay…” I took a step back, crossing my arms over my chest.

His hands balled into fists at his side as if he were holding himself back. “I don’t want to push you into something you aren’t ready for. We’re supposed to be pretending. Aren’t we?”

I looked away, then bent to pick up my sweater and bra. “That’s fair. I guess.”

“I—trust me when I say I would like nothing more than to bend you over this counter and finish what we just started.”

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