Page 141 of Taming the CEO

I pressed my mouth to his and felt him smile just as his hands slid down my ass just a bit. Oh yeah, hint absolutely taken.

I loved him to the moon and back. And no matter how many times I kissed him, I always felt a flutter in my belly and a tingling all over my body.

"You've got an appetite today, gorgeous," he murmured as we pulled back.

"Mm," I said, taking a sip of coffee, "I do. I wonder why. But don't read too much into it. I just wanted a good start to the day."

Maddox started to laugh. "Whatever my lady wants, my lady gets."

"All right," I said, slowly sliding into business mode after another sip. "I'm going in the back to check on the pies."

"Sure. I'll stay here in case anyone decides to come early."

Truth was, most people didn't come very early on weekends, but you never knew.

I absolutely loved my life. My business was doing much better than I'd imagined. And the escape-room concept was a big hit. I changed the theme regularly, so people came back to try it each time.

The billiard and darts sections were also very popular in the cold season. I arranged the front as a bookstore and coffee shop, though I wasn't actually selling books. It was really a library of sorts, which I'd started by accident.

From the very beginning, people loved to come by for coffee and my baked goods. Some of them brought books with them. Ms. Hendricks was the first one who asked if she could leave her book here so she didn't have to carry it back and forth. I'd assured her it was more than fine. She insisted that she wouldn't mind some other people reading it while the book was here, and word spread in Essex, as it always did. Before I knew it, I had to buy bookshelves. They'd filled up quickly.

I’d decorated everything in shades of cream and orange with wooden accents. If I had to describe Cami’s Corner in one word, it would be cozy.

There was a small kitchen in the back. I'd intentionally designed it that way because I didn't want it to take up too much space. And let's face it, I felt more at ease in a small kitchen anyway. I'd brought my mom's recipe books here, and they had their own shelf between the oven and the sink. Even though I still made my banana bread daily—it was a staple with customers—I made it a point to bake something new out of Mom's books every other day. It filled me with pure joy and made me feel closer to her.

I’d baked the pies yesterday evening at home because I didn’t want to wake up at the crack of dawn today, so I only needed to heat them up just a bit. I took them out of the oven, letting them cool on the counter. I was certain that by the time people filtered in, they'd be ready to be devoured.

I couldn’t help but glance at my ring. The style fit me perfectly. Every time I thought back to the proposal, I swooned. It had been the perfect spot and the perfect moment.

With nothing else to do, I returned to the front, stopping just a few feet behind Maddox and drinking him in.

Oh yeah. This was my man. I was going to spend the rest of my life next to him, and I was beyond happy about that. I walked stealthily, but of course he looked over his shoulder.

"Damn it, I wanted to surprise you," I said, then put my hands on his shoulders. "These are a tiny bit tense."

I pressed my fingers into them, and Maddox dropped his head back, groaning. I loved taking care of him.

"You can always help me relax."

"That’s my duty—" I rose on my tiptoes, bringing my mouth to his ear “—and my pleasure. Don't you want to go to the hotel?" I asked him. "It's more than fine if you do."

"We’ll be there soon enough anyway. Besides, everything's ready. If I go there, I’ll just drive my team crazy."

I tried not to laugh but failed.

"What was that?" he said, immediately turning around.

"Nothing."

"That's a smile. That's not nothing."

"I think your team is happy to have you off their hands. You might have been a bit sharp with them lately."

"Who complained about that?" His tone was belligerent.

I grimaced. Ah, I shouldn't have said that. "Never mind."

"Cami?"

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