Page 54 of Crushes and Confections

A shiver went down my spine as he stepped even closer.

“How much do you want?” I countered.

“Wrong question, mon chou. You offer me that and I’ll take everything.”

I’m pretty sure if I wasn’t holding onto the table, my knees would have quaked. There seemed something so relaxing about letting him take control, about not having to worry about the little things. For so long, it had been just me.

I thought about my discussion with Riley this morning and my thoughts about our living situation. With courting, the intent to form a pack was already there, but it allowed the opportunity to see what life would be like without the permanence of bites and bonds.

I wanted to see what it felt like to fully be their omega. To see that side of Vance and Adrien.

“I don’t want you to hold back with me,” I told him finally, taking that last step and crossing the distance between us. “I want to know what it means to be yours.”

A low rumble echoed from the alpha’s chest as he slanted his lips over mine. Even as he was gripping shamelessly for control, he was gentle, easing into the kiss before amping up the heat.

My lips parted as his fingers tangled in my hair, tugging gently to guide my head to the side so he could deepen the kiss. His tongue swept into my mouth, tasting and teasing me in ways that had slick pooling between my thighs and my knees wanting to buckle.

Adrien’s hands were the only thing holding me upright at this point. Someone cleared their throat behind us, and I pulled away from the alpha to see Corey walking in.

“Hey, my doctor’s appointment ended early, so I swung back by. Do you want me to finish my normal shift?” he asked with a flaming red face.

“Actually, could you take over in here for me? Apparently eating lunch is not optional,” I teased, giving the alpha a mischievous grin as he pursed his lips in disapproval. Teasing Adrien had quickly become one of my favorite things.

“Really?” Corey said. Adrien bit back a laugh as he backed away, letting me handle my employee. I had just thought today how I needed to delegate more, I guess the universe heard me and served the perfect opportunity.

“I know, I know. I’m a kitchen hog. But I really do need to step out, and I know I can trust you to do a good job. I’ve got only one more thing to do, and I think it’s perfect for you to test out,” I said quickly, giving the eager guy a rundown of how to finish the second wave of goodies.

He didn’t hesitate to wash up and dive in as I hung my apron and went after my alpha. Adrien was leaning back against the counter, watching us, a small proud smile on his face.

“You’re a natural leader, Claire. You put just as much love into that as you do your baking. It’s refreshing,” he mused as he held out my sweater for me, helping me into it and ensuring I was ready before taking my hand and leading me out the side door.

“Do you have anyone working for you?” I asked, realizing I’d only ever seen him in the store. Even Vance had never been there when I stopped in.

“No,” he admitted. There was a bit of sheepishness in his voice, and I grinned.

“Alright, Captain Perfection, it’s because you don’t want to let anyone touch your creations, isn’t it?”

He couldn’t even argue, instead laughing as he opened the car door for me, and I slid inside.

“You know me too well already, mon chou,” he agreed. “It’s hard for me to let others in, and I didn’t trust anyone yet. I may have to think about it.”

“They can always wash the dishes,” I deadpanned.

Before he could comment back, his phone was ringing. A frown pulled down at his smile, and he answered quickly.

“Hello?” He listened for a moment before putting it on speaker. I don’t know if it was him not wanting to be rude or simply letting me in, but I chose to think it was the latter.

“I’m so sorry, Adrien. My delivery guy just got in an accident. He’s alright, but the shipment… well, your high end chocolate is now on the pavement, I’m afraid.”

“No,” Adrien said with real sadness. “The imported chocolate? Damien, no.”

“Don’t worry, we have insurance that covers this kind of thing, but I can’t get you a replacement until next week. I apologize, and we’ll make sure you get a refund and a discount,” he promised as he apologized profusely.

“I’m glad he’s alright. I will look forward to next week’s shipment,” Adrien said. It was an attempt at reassuring the man on the phone, but I could see the panic welling up in my alpha.

They said a quick goodbye, and he ended the call, staring down at the now dark screen with a sense of defeat.

“Okay, so here’s what we’re going to do,” I said easily. “There’s a shop I go to anytime this happens. It’s about a forty minute drive, but they never let me down. Imports? I don’t know. But they have decent quality products, and it might save your plans for this week.”

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