Page 9 of Peaches & Cream
Shelby
Iwouldn’t mind if you took up my entire life.The words ring in my ears as I follow him inside. And they make me feel nervous while he turns out the sponge and cuts it into cubes. And I don’t even respond when he covers the sponge and slides it into the freezer.
“Are you all right?” he asks once he’s gathered what we need to make the icing.
I blink a few times before I swallow and clear my throat. “What did you mean by that?”
He places the bag of powdered sugar on the counter and frowns. “By freezing them, or the runny icing?”
“No.” I adjust myself on my feet, fidgeting nervously. “By the entire life comment.” I press my lips together so I don’t let any more words out.
His tongue snakes out and wets his lips as a smirk overtakes his mouth. “It means…” He closes the space between us, caging me against the counter. I hold my breath and stare into his blue eyes, and I get that same jolt I got when I first saw him.How does a person make you feel spellbound by a look?Must be some kind of Australian voodoo. It’s the only way to explain it.
“What does it mean?” I whisper, my eyes betraying me and straying to his lips. My god, I want this man to kiss me. Never before have I felt this kind of pull. It’s like all my wants and desires stop and end with this man in front of me.
“It means I like you, Shelby. A whole damn lot,” he whispers, just before he kisses me.Holy shit!
At first, I don’t know how to respond. I’ve never kissed a man before. But once I get over the shock of it, I mimic his movement and part my lips when his tongue pushes in. The sensation causes a jolt of need to course through my body, swelling my breast, and tightening my core.
It doesn’t escape me that getting involved with this man is a terrible idea. He’s my competitor, and after the wager we made yesterday, he should also be my sworn enemy, but I just can’t bring myself to give a damn. His mouth on mine just feels too good.
As his hands shift from the counter to the back of my head and my lower back, I brace my palms against his firm chest, my fingers curling into the fabric of his shirt while little moans escape my throat.This is my first kiss!
It’s insane that at twenty-nine, I still haven’t had any firsts. But after the drama in high school, I spent years working and taking care of my ailing mother. And that pretty much brings me to here…
“Wow,” I breathe as he pulls away and gives me a lazy and seductive grin.
“Definitely wow,” he says, moving in again. I’m about to get my second kiss. But then the backdoor opens, and a burst of accented noise waddles in.
“I see you two have settled your differences,” a heavily pregnant blonde says, looking rather unimpressed as she eyes Ben.
“Thank fuck for that,” the guy behind her adds as they both breeze through the room.
“What was that about?” I ask, watching the way Ben’s demeanor immediately changes.
He sighs. “Nothing. Just my sister and her husband. We’ve got a lot riding on this, so there’s stress.”
“I get it,” I say, taking a deep breath. “We should probably get to work then.”
