Page 67 of Make You Mine

She looked at me like she was memorizing every detail of my face. “Tonight then,” she said with a small smile. “Dinner, just you and me.”

“And Smog, and Nimbus, and soon, Cody too.”

“Yeah. God, that sounds like perfection—it sounds like a dream.”

“It’s coming true, sweetheart. And I wouldn’t miss it for the world,” I added, feeling a surge of emotion.

We lay there for a few minutes, wrapped up in each other, before reluctantly pulling apart. I dressed quickly, stealing glances at her as she moved about the room, her presence filling the space with a lightness I never wanted to lose.

“See you tonight,” I said, leaning in for one last kiss before I left for work.

“Yeah.” She breathed. “Tonight.”

Chapter20

Piper

Ren and I were practically inseparable now. Of course, he’d go to Lyla’s Place and his office in Sweetbriar for the day to work, while I spent my remaining days off before Something Sweet opened, trying to figure out how to handle working with Dana until she hopefully agreed to let me buy her out. Jake was still working on the bakery buyout and the Cody custody/ownership situation, so even though I wasn’t taking any action myself, I felt like progress was being made. He told me to stay away from her and Richard and let him handle everything, so that’s what I was doing.

Ren and I had dinner together every night, sometimes at my place and sometimes at his. He'd stay the night if it were my place, but I always went home when it was his because of Nimbus and Smog. I couldn’t help but feel that one day, he’d come for dinner at my place and never leave. More and more, I felt like Ren and I ending up together was inevitable.

Last night was dinner night at my place, so he stayed with me, but he’d gone home to get ready for the day, and now I was here in my bathtub—just me and my wandering thoughts—yuck. I was a doer, not a thinker. If I couldn’t distract myself with work, or a book, or whatever my latest hobby was, then I got restless.

Something Sweet was finally opening today, and I was losing my mind with anticipation. I also had no idea what I would be walking into since I’d let Dana be in charge of everything.

I heaved a sigh, using my toe to turn the hot water back to a steady trickle. I was in a tub full of bubbles, trying to relax, and it was not working. Smog and Nimbus were staring at me from the counter, heads tilted to the side as I heaved a sigh and tried to settle my thoughts.

I was off every routine I’d ever had. Wonderfully loving sex, coffee mornings, and make-out evenings on my porch with an angel of a man telling me he would do anything to make me happy were not how I usually lived my life, and I was thrown off by the too-good-to-be-true vibes filling my head with wonderous possibilities. The fact that I was imagining the future rather than dwelling in doubt was a sure sign of progress.

I don’t know how long I had been soaking in the bath, but I suddenly heard the front door creak open and close softly. My heart skipped a beat as I realized Ren must have come back. I listened intently, recognizing the familiar sound of his footsteps as he walked up the stairs. My breath hitched in anticipation as each step brought him closer.

The door to the bathroom opened slightly, and Ren’s face appeared through the crack. His eyes smoldered, expression darkening as he took in the scene of me submerged in bubbles, my toes still resting on the faucet.

“Hey,” he said with a smile that could melt all my worries away.

“Hey, yourself,” I replied, feeling a wave of warmth wash over me that had nothing to do with the bathwater.

He stepped into the room, closing the door behind him, and walked over to me. I watched him, my heart swelling with affection, blatant lust, and the desire to pull him into the tub with me. Ren had that magical ability to make everything better just by being there.

“Are you ready for today?" he asked, kneeling beside the tub and brushing a bit of damp hair away from my face, before swirling his hand in the warm water. Oh, how I wished he’d move that hand a little to the right and higher. Damn.

“Not really. But you coming with me will make it all better.” I sighed, leaning into his touch.

“Do you want me to tell you you’re running late? Or do you want to be late? I’m fine either way.”

“I love it that you ask.” I heaved a massive sigh, not wanting to move. “I’ll get out now.”

Ren chuckled softly and stood up, retrieving a large, plush towel from the rack. He held it up for me, his eyes never leaving mine, filled with a tenderness that made my heart ache in the best way. As I rose from the bath, the bubbles cascading off my skin, the cats scrambled out of the room, startled by the movement, and splashing water.

“You’re too good to me,” I murmured, my voice barely more than a whisper.

I watched his throat move as he swallowed, biting his lip as his eyes roamed over my body, dark with desire.

He bent low, starting at my feet, working his way higher to dry every inch of my skin before holding the towel wide to wrap me up in it.

He brushed a strand of wet hair away from my face. “You deserve it, Piper. You deserve all of it.”

Ren leaned in, and as he did, everything else seemed to fade away. His lips met mine softly at first, gentle and exploring.

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