Page 57 of Perfect Pairing
As corny as it sounded, all the best food was made with love, and this scone was no exception.
“You’re never getting rid of me now,” I said around a mouthful. “I’m coming to visit every day just for one of these.”
A broad grin spread across her lips, and she met my eyes head on, allowing me to witness the flush creeping up her neck and over her face, showing me how deeply my comment pleased her.
“I never wanted to get rid of you anyway,” she said.
Time slowed in that moment, like a movie scene where the whole world around the main characters ceased to exist. World War III could’ve been happening outside, and I wouldn’t have noticed. It was the kind of moment the old me would’ve takenadvantage of—that version of me who hadn’t had his heart ripped out by the woman who vowed to love him, who hadn’t spent the last year and a half raising his son alone.
The man who hadn’t already been pushed away bythiswoman.
All sense returned with that reminder, and I blinked, swallowing hard and awkwardly clearing my throat. I set the remainder of the scone to the side and said, “What’s next?”
Brie gave her head a little shake and turned her back on me, heading to the opposite counter, where the rest of her confections were laid out. She carried the tray back and set it in front of me.
Slowly, I worked through each one, offering my honest opinions. Unsurprisingly, I had nothing but rave reviews to give. This woman knew her way around a pastry, and I knew without a doubt that the bakery would be a resounding success when she finally opened the doors.
Brie was all business after thealmostmoment, though, and kept things between us strictly professional. I knew it was for the best, but it didn’t ease the vise squeezing my chest.
I was at war with myself, wanting to stay close but also needing to get away so I could breathe a lungful of air that wasn’t laced with the scents of butter and sugar—that wasn’t laced withher.
When I’d consumed every last morsel of her menu, I moved to the sink and washed my hands while Brie tidied the kitchen behind me. I turned to face her again, but neither of us moved. We just…looked at each other.
I let my eyes rake over her face, along the weave of the dark braid she had perpetually draped over hershoulder. Down the sage-colored apron, the sleeves of her white shirt that ended at her biceps and along the slender lengths of her arms. Down her legs to the tips of her toes, stuffed in sensible tennis shoes.
Slowly, I dragged my gaze back up. Brie’s chest rose and fell more rapidly than before, and she wrung her hands in front of her, clearly anxious.
That made two of us. I was walking a fine line between the desire to run for the hills or run into her arms.
“Well, thank you for coming down,” Brie said at last, ending our staring contest by averting her gaze. “I really appreciate your help.”
“You’re amazing,” I breathed. “You didn’t need it.”
She looked at me again, eyes wide with something I couldn’t name. It wasn’tsurprise, exactly. It was something deeper—something like…longing?
“Maybe I didn’t need it,” she said. “But I’ll always want it.”
I heard what she wasn’t saying.
I’ll always wantyou.
I sucked in a breath; to say what, I didn’t know, but it seemed my body made up my mind for me, the switch between fight or flight finally flipped in a single direction.
When I exhaled, the only words that left me were, “Fuck it,” before I closed the distance between us and crashed my mouth down on hers.
Being kissed by Ezraagain was like inhaling a deep lungful of air after being underwater a bit too long. My entire body relaxed the second his lips touched mine, only to tighten again as desire coursed through my veins. Everything between my thighs went hot and wet in the span of a heartbeat.
He paused to ask against my lips, “Is this okay?”
“More than,” I assured him. It was everything.Hewas everything.
“Fuck, I missed you,” he breathed, pulling away from my mouth to nip at my jaw, trailing kisses toward my ear. He nibbled on the lobe, and a whimper escaped me, goosebumps rising across my skin. “I’ve thought about having you in my arms again every day, Brie.”
“That makes two of us,” I assured him, lacing my fingers through his silky, dark locks and moving him where I wanted him—with his mouth on mine, our tongues tangling in a way that reminded me exactly what he’d done to my clit all those months ago.
I fisted his shirt but pulled back, giving us room to breathe while I stared into his eyes. The skin between them pinched slightly, and his shoulders tensed, as though preparing for me toshoot him down, to remind him why we couldn’t do this—to once again pump the brakes on our out-of-control attraction.
But I was done fighting it, done pretending I didn’t want him, hadn’t missed him, wasn’t ready to cross every line and break every rule with him.
