Page 38 of Cookie

“How much more is in that bag?” I asked, and leaned over to look, making him laugh.

“Oh, I might have another surprise.” He handed me one of the pink cookies I knew were his favorite and after a few bites, he set his cookie down and used his fork to slice a small amount of the cake. “You first.”

I leaned in and took the bite of decadent chocolate he offered. “Oh, my god, that is so good,” I groaned.

He took his own bite and the two of us ate our fill of sweets before deciding we’d had enough. “Thanks again. I wish I’d thought of this. It’s been really nice.”

“One more thing,” Ryan said and shoved the whole bag at me.

“What did you do?” I asked. “I can’t imagine we need more to eat.”

“Open it,” he said and bounced in his seat.

I pulled a box out of the bag and at first, I didn’t realize what it was. But then I found the picture on the side. “A whirligig? It’s so perfect!”

“It reminded me of you chopping wood the first time you brought me here,” he said and leaned against me. “I love you.”

“I love you too, baby. How did I get so lucky to find such a sweet cookie for my own?”

“I love when you call me that. It reminds me of the first time you slipped and called me it.”

“You’ll always be my sweet cookie,” I said.

“I think we need to have the same dessert we did that first night,” he whispered before meeting my eyes.

I stood and threw him over my shoulder before he grunted. “Ugh, I think I ate too much,” he complained before giggling as I rushed to the bedroom.

Thirty-Three

Ryan

We made love just before midnight, and when we woke up in the middle of the night we fucked. He pounded me hard, and I loved every second of it. My sweet Charlie was a beast in bed, and I was more than happy to give up control when the urge hit him. “You’re going to kill me,” I groaned and reached for my dick as he pushed my hand away—again.

“Not yet, baby,” he whispered in my ear before biting it. I was on my hands and knees below him and he leaned over me without slowing. “I want to feel you as long as I can. I’ll always want you. Every single moment of every day.” He grunted and I knew he was close but still he kept up the pace, and when he finally gripped my straining dick I fought not to instantly combust. “I love you.”

My body jerked at the sensation as wave after wave of ecstasy washed over me. Charlie slipped his arm around me and gently lowered me to the bed away from where I’d just come. “I love you too,” I managed to pant out.

“Don’t move a muscle,” he said, and I nearly drifted off to sleep before he came back and not only cleaned me up but slipped a new sheet on after pulling the other one off.

“You’re the best,” I said when we once again settled in under the covers. The house was getting colder, but the bed was warm, and I slept through the night in Charlie’s arms.

The weeks flew by after New Year’s Eve as Grace prepared for spring. The weather was improving, and the snow had started to melt but something was bothering me. I wanted to spend every night with Charlie, and I wanted to be more than his boyfriend, but I wasn’t sure he wanted that or if he was ready for it. We were both happy. “Maybe I need to just enjoy what we have,” I mumbled to myself while unpacking an order.

“Everything okay?” Avery asked.

“Yes, just thinking. Avery, I feel like I need to tell you how much I appreciate you working here. I know you’re still in college and working on your degree. This is probably the last place you wanted to end up working. But without you—well I’m not sure I would have made it this far.”

She pulled me in for a hug. “Don’t be silly. I love working here, and I actually wanted to talk to you about that.”

“Please don’t tell me you’re quitting,” I said into her shoulder and held her close before she shoved me away.

“What? No, I was going to ask if I could work a few more hours. I’m not doing summer school, and I’d rather not get another job,” she said, and waited for me to react.

“Are you kidding? I’d love that. We can stay open a while longer and get more done around here,” I said.

“Thank you, Ryan. I wasn’t sure how business was going, and I hoped the holiday sales had helped.”

“It’s doing far better than I expected, and I couldn’t have done it without you and Charlie,” I said and meant every word.

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