Page 35 of Tasting Sin

“I trust you,” I whispered, closing the miniscule gap between us.

He used his other hand to frame my face, and he leaned closer. “Say it louder.”

“I trust you,” I said more clearly, earning a small smile.

Ronan pressed his lips lightly to mine. “Louder,” he demanded.

“I trust you!” My voice bounced off the bakery walls and rang in my ears.

He grinned. “That’s my girl.” Then, he kissed me, lifting me onto the counter and positioning himself between my legs. When he kissed me, I tasted his words. That’s my girl.

When he pulled back, I put my hands on his chest. “You know what we need?” I asked, sliding off the counter without waiting for his answer. He watched me with a single brow lifted, seemingly more confused when I walked into the walk-in cooler and returned with two unfrosted cupcakes and a large tub of frosting.

“You just came all over my hand, and you’re thinking about cupcakes?” he asked, crossing his arms over his chest and biting back a smile that creased the corners of his eyes anyways.

“I was hungry! Plus, it’s always the right time for cupcakes.” I jumped back onto the counter and scooped frosting onto my finger and put it to his lips, moaning when he sucked it into his mouth. He licked it clean, wiggling his brow at me.

“Mm,” he groaned. “You’re right. It’s always a good time for something sweet.” He winked, and my pussy fluttered.

Ronan took the other cupcake, scooping frosting onto his finger and smearing it over the cake. I laughed, throwing my head back and mirroring him. When he bit into the cupcake, my stomach flipped. Why did I suddenly want to feel his mouth on me so bad, as if he hadn’t spent the last twenty minutes putting his mouth and hands all over me?

“Can I ask you something?” I asked around another bite of cupcake.

He leaned against the counter, looking at me from the corner of his eye while he dipped into the frosting. “Go for it, sugar.”

“Why did you get so mad about the guy in the bakery?” I asked, and Ronan stiffened. “He was just buying cupcakes.”

Ronan sighed loudly. “I can’t tell you, Nellie.” The playfulness in his voice was gone, and even though his breath smelled like vanilla, the tone was serious. He sounded cold, and I shivered.

“Seriously?” My heart started to pound, and the butterflies in my stomach were replaced with annoyed nausea. “You don’t trust me? How about that for irony.” I rolled my eyes, and Ronan grabbed my jaw, forcing my stare to meet his.

“It has nothing to do with trusting you,” he said, putting space between each word to emphasize his point.

“It has everything to do with it!” I put the lid back on the frosting and jumped off the counter, gathering my clothes. “You expect me to trust you, but you don’t even trust me enough to tell me why I’m supposedly in danger. I think you should go.” I ignored the objection that came from between my legs when I pulled my shirt back over my head, grabbing the frosting and moving back toward the walk-in.

Ronan groaned. “Nellie, you’re being unreasonable.”

“No,” I snapped, spinning around and hugging the frosting to me. “Trust goes both ways, Ronan. If you can’t trust me, why should I trust you? Maybe this was a mistake.” I looked at the sink still full of dishes and my pussy clenched, even while frustration swirled in me.

“It wasn’t a mistake,” he said. “I just need you to trust me. I promise I’m doing what’s best for you.” He didn’t press me while I found my jeans and pulled them over my hips, and the closer he got to the back door, the heavier my stomach felt.

I swore, I could still smell him even as the back door latched behind him. This was unreal. I leaned against the wall and sighed. When I heard the door open again, I stood up straight. “I told you this was a mistake—”

“Did I just see Ronan leaving?” Ava asked, turning the corner and interrupting me. I released a sigh of relief, throwing open the walk-in door and putting the frosting back. She looked at me, giving me a slow once over like she was taking inventory of every piece of evidence that told her what she wanted to hear.

“I don’t want to talk about it,” I said. I tried to ignore the images of his arms around me the closer I got to the sink. My best friend’s footsteps taunted me while she followed me, letting me know she wasn’t going to let it go.

“Oh my God! I did!” She skipped ahead, racing me to the sink and leaning against it anxiously. “What was he doing here?”

I shrugged, hoping I looked nonchalant even though I could feel my cheeks warming again. “Checking on me, I guess. Something about not liking that guy who was in here the other day.” I rolled my eyes, frustrated again that he wouldn’t tell me why he hated him so much. The man had seemed perfectly nice. A little odd, maybe, but not dangerous. Why was he overreacting?

“He’s kind of intense,” Ava said, looking around, as if to make sure he wasn’t still there. “What does he do for a living again?”

I scrunched my nose, trying to remember what I had read online. “He owns a chain of fancy pizza shops.” Then, I laughed. I felt ridiculous.

“Are you sure about that?” When I looked at Ava, she wasn’t laughing. She pursed her lips the same way she did when she was trying to solve the crossword puzzles she did in the mornings or on slow afternoons.

I nodded. “Yeah, I think so.” Didn’t he?

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