Page 67 of The Pop-Up Cake Shop

‘My ex used to like going for country walks too, but now he says that if God intended us to walk everywhere, he wouldn’t have invented taxis.’

Caleb raised his eyebrows as he studied me. ‘The heathen. You’re clearly better off without him.’

‘Exactly.’ I paused. ‘Is... Loretta your girlfriend?’ I blushed. ‘Sorry, I don’t mean to be nosy. I just wondered.’

‘Loretta?’ He shrugged. ‘We were once a couple. But then we moved in together and it was clear almost from the start that we were never going to work. But... we like each other. So we decided to stay friends.’

‘That’s very grown up.’

He chuckled. ‘I suppose it is. It’s always seemed odd to me that if you’ve had a good time with someone and got on well with them, you should just never see them again once your romantic relationship is over. You know?’

I nodded. ‘Some people can make friendships like that work. I’m not sure if I could.’

‘Everyone’s different.’

‘So... you don’t think you’ll get back together, you and Loretta?’

He shook his head. ‘Our personalities and tastes are polar opposites. I’m just a simple country boy at heart.’ He grinned at this clichéd description of himself. ‘But Loretta... well, she likes the finer things in life. Going off to Madrid for fashion week and mingling with the creative set... jetting off to Dubai and staying in the best hotels... flying to Paris for the day just to take afternoon tea at the swanky George V hotel. That was a memorable one. She didn’t even eat very much. I was sitting there wishing I’d brought a backpack so I could take all the exotic cakes and pastries home and get my money’s worth!’

I laughed at the idea of this and so did he, and as our eyes met enjoying the joke, I felt the real danger of my attraction to him. My head was swimming with the wine. This was awful. I should never have agreed to stay the night...

‘Even if I could afford it long-term, it’s just not my kind of lifestyle,’ Caleb was saying. ‘Call me boring but home and family are the most important things to me.’

‘Which is why you decided to build the perfect home for yourself?’

He grinned, as if he’d only just realised it. ‘Yes, I suppose you must be right. More wine?’

‘I’ll get it,’ I offered, feeling suddenly flustered by his nearness.

I got up to go to the fridge, but Caleb was already on his feet and the wine made me stumble a little.

‘Hey, steady.’ Grabbing my waist, he smiled into my eyes and I smiled back.

I was telling myself to move away. But his eyes were like magnets, as if he was pulling me into his invisible force field. I couldn’t look away and neither, it seemed, could he. His hands were still resting on my waist.

I swayed a little and he pulled me tighter.

And then we were kissing.

It was achingly gentle at first, like an experiment. But passion quickly flared and he pulled me hard against him and I dug my fingers into his hair to bring him closer to me...

‘Katja,’ he murmured, in between scorching hot kisses. ‘You’re so beautiful.’

‘No, I’m not,’ I whispered.

‘It’s not up for discussion,’ he murmured, brushing his lips over my temple and then nuzzling my neck. ‘Your ex must have told you all the time and if he didn’t, he’s an idiot.’

I chuckled at that. I couldn’t recall Richardevertelling me I was beautiful...

His warm breath against my ear was intensifying my desire for him and the brief thought of Richard vanished completely from my mind. Every cell in my body was yearning for this gorgeous man, who actually thought I was beautiful...

‘Do you want me to stop?’ he murmured, pulling away and gazing at me intently. His eyes seemed darker now, reflecting my own desire right back to me. ‘This wasn’t my intention when I asked you if you wanted to stay over tonight.’

‘I know it wasn’t.’ I swallowed, gazing into the passionate depths of those stormy blue eyes. ‘And no. I don’t want to stop.’

We smiled at each other and my heart seemed to swell with feeling.

‘You haven’t shown me my room yet,’ I whispered.

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