Page 248 of Double Daddies
Avery reached for three more boxes, selecting a dozen of each of the requested treats from the rack and carefully presenting them on a sheet of tissue paper lining as her mind flicked over to the cake.
It was already baked and cooled, ready to assemble and decorate.
Sierra—resident stuffie restorer, wife and Little to Masters Liam and Mack—was celebrating her birthday on Sunday, just two days away, and her husband-Doms were planning a party, unbeknownst to her.
Avery felt honored to be included, especially in such an important manner. Being trusted with the cake meant a lot when she was just getting to know everyone, but then she had a feeling Clay might be responsible for that.
Humming to herself, she stacked the three boxes and cradled them carefully in her arms, leaving her lovely piece of seclusion to wind through the main kitchen where the team were cleaning up after lunch, and then made her way through the dining room to the hallway beyond.
She crossed over to the glass doors leading into the bar, where there were a handful of customers seated at various booths and tables. Two couples, she noted absently, talking to each other as though nothing else existed but them. A lone man nursing what appeared to be a beer at the bar, and another sitting in the back corner, his drink unidentifiable.
Master Liam was busy polishing glasses behind the bar, one eye on the TV screen on the side wall. When he glanced her way, his attention switched fully on to her, then the boxes she carried. “Perfect timing, Avery. I didn’t think you’d bring them so quickly.”
“I had a few minutes to spare.” Carefully, she set her precious cargo on the bar and nudged them toward him. “Choc chip, double choc, hazelnut crème.”
“Just what the Littles ordered.” His grin flashed through his beard. Big, tall, and blond, Liam resembled a Viking warrior. It was easy to imagine him in leather and bare skin, an axe in his hand and a shield strapped to his arm; she’d heard the subs at his last club had dubbed him the Viking Master. “Elias is trialing a new daycare routine for the Littles. They should be leaving the Nursery in about ten minutes, which means it’s snack time, and they do love your cookies.”
“I’m glad.” She was, truly, although a quick spurt of jealousy filled her veins.
Liam leaned closer, flicking his eyes toward the doors briefly, then pinning her in a beautifully earnest gray stare. “Have you started the cake yet?”
For some odd reason, heat prickled the back of her neck. She squirmed slightly, feeling as though eyes were on her from behind. “As soon as I get back to the kitchen, it’s next on my to-do list. The cakes are baked and ready to put together.”
“Raspberry and vanilla?”
“Yes, sir. Just as requested. Raspberry frosting, pink, for the inside.”
“Perfect. Are you sure we haven’t made the rest of it too difficult?”
The rest of itwas covering the whole cake in green marzipan, creating a picnic area, making a teddy bear from Rice Krispies and melted marshmallows, and using whatever edible treats she could find to recreate one of Sierra’s beloved rescue stuffies.
Avery had been baking overtime this week to make sure her supplies for the club were well stocked over the weekend. She was planning on spending tonight, all day tomorrow, andpossibly even Sunday morning in the kitchen, just to work on the cake.
“Just… don’t get your hopes up too high,” she cautioned, her mouth dry with nerves. “I mean, don’t expect it to be worthy of the cover ofAmerican Cake Decorating?—”
Liam frowned and laid his hand over hers where she gripped the edge of the bar with white knuckles. “Avery, relax. Whatever you make will be wonderful, trust me. Left to me and Mack, Sierra’s cake would pretty much be a pile of muffins with a candle stuck on the top. We appreciate, very much, how much time and effort you’ve already put into doing this for us, for her.”
She exhaled softly, releasing some of the panic trapped inside her chest like butterflies. “You really love her, don’t you?”
“She’s our everything.” Giving her hand a pat, he eased back. “Seriously, Avery, don’t worry over the cake. Sierra will love it, I promise.”
“Okay. I’d better get back to the kitchen…”
“Of course. Oh, Avery?” He called after her when she’d taken a few steps away.
“Yes, Master Liam?”
He grinned. “Master Clay extended an invitation to you for Monday’s Little daycare session. He’s on monitor duty so you’ll have a familiar face. Afternoon session starts at one, so be punctual. Dress casual. Have fun.”
“Oh, no, I can’t?—”
“He said if you don’t go, he’ll stop all the other Littles from riding Bramble. I’m guessing you know what that means,” Liam added with a rumbling laugh when her cheeks flared with heat. “I’m only just getting to know the guy, Avery, but he seems like a good one. Don’t know what happened between you two, but he’s got his sights set on you.”
Avery looked away, squirming again as the hairs on her arms and nape stood to attention. She frowned, glancing over hershoulder in case the cowboy in question had snuck up behind her, but there was just the man who’d been seated at the back of the room when she came in, walking toward the bar with an empty shot glass in his hand.
Tall, prowling, gorgeous. A golden-maned lion on the hunt.
His hair was burnt gold, a strange blend of brown and blond, cropped short. Odd, blue-gray eyes, heavy on the gray, were locked on her face as though he knew all her secrets and wanted to expose more. He looked young, carefree, maybe early thirties at a guess.
