Page 15 of Baking Spirits Bright

It sounds absurd, but it's part of what I deal with every single time I question why they give him everything he wants. They never ask how he's going to pay them back, they never expect him to. "I think so, because he's never had to pay them what he's borrowed. They've never asked for it. Meanwhile, I have to sign promissory notes with them to make sure I'm on a paymentplan. They have to know exactly when I'm going to pay them back, and if I ever fall behind, they come to collect."

"Really? That's insane to me. They didn't want to help you?" She reaches out, grasping my fingers with hers. "You've been one of the most successful people I've ever met in my life."

Hearing her say it out loud hurts. I've wanted my parents to say those words to me. "Thank you. No one has ever told me that before. It's everything I've wanted to hear. I'm not doing this for anyone else besides myself." I motion to the room, indicating the bakery itself. "I wanted this for me, because I wanted to support myself, no matter what happened. Sometimes I'd like for the people I care about to tell me how proud they are."

"That's what we all want." She pulls me down so that I'm sitting next to her. "I wanted it too, but no one even told me they were sorry my bakery closed except for Kayla. She's the only one who knew how hard I fought for it, how much it tore me apart not to make it work."

"I'm sorry. I wasn't there for you. Regardless of what happened between the two of us the night you left, I should've been there for you." I reach out, running a hand down her cheek. I've never allowed myself to touch her like this before. I thought about it, but I couldn't let myself go there.

She shakes her head. "Maybe we should've been there for each other, Lincoln. I have a feeling the two of us could help each other out. We could be the missing piece we've been looking for."

That sounds good. Like something I've been searching for, for most of my life. "Do you think that could work out?" We're alone in the bakery. No one is going to interrupt whatever may happen between us. We're both vulnerable, and there's never going to be a better time than the present.

"I think it's a possibility." She swallows. "And now that I know you're interested in exploring whatever this is between us." She gestures to me, then back at her. "I'm down for it too."

Well, if that isn't an invitation to take the kiss I've always wanted from her, I don't know what is. Reaching out, I cup my palm to her check, and then slowly lean forward. I give her plenty of time to put a stop to this, or to tell me it's not what she wants. When she doesn't, I take the leap and lock our lips together.

not what she wants. When she doesn't, I take the leap and lock our lips together.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Lyla

The kiss is enough to knock me off my feet. It's the kind that's in movies where the two main characters declare their love for each other. The moment where the background music comes to a crescendo, and everyone watching knows they're going to be together forever.

Never in my life did I imagine I would have that with Lincoln, but here we are. He's holding my face as his tongue owns my mouth. And this kiss? It's one I've thought about thousands of times, but never with him. My fingers tangle in the shirt he's wearing, holding on for dear life as he sweeps me away.

The kiss deepens as I hook my arms around his neck, pulling him in to me. Leaning back, I settle in against the covers on the bed, digging my head into the pillow. ONe of his hands skims down my body, cupping my hip as he spreads my thighs, bringing it around his waist. My foot hooks around his ass, and then he wrenches his mouth from mine, smearing his lips down my neck. He pulls at the pulse point of my throat. "Oh my God, Lincoln, what the fuck is happening here?"

He pushes himself up on his elbows over me, gazing down. "Maybe this is what we've wanted all along? Instead of giving into this, we've argued, or assumed the other was wrong."

"So this entire time, everything we did was like foreplay?" I smirk. So many people had said that when they'd seen how we interacted.

"I mean, it was for me. Every single time we'd argue, I'd get hard."

"Linc," she giggles, bringing her hand up to her face, covering her eyes. "How did I not notice?

"I took great pains in order for you not to. Now that I don't have to? Expect to get these clothes off quickly."

He's not wrong. I'm not sure how we get naked so fast, but we do, and then I'm underneath his warm body. My legs are wrapped around his waist, his mouth is covering mine. Running his hand down my side, he cups my thigh, pulling it so that my legs are spread for him. "Do you have protection?" I whisper, hoping that he's going to answer the affirmative.

"I do. Over there." He tilts his head to the side, toward the table at the head of the cot. "Can you reach behind you and get it? It's on the left-hand side."

Using his direction, I grasp the foil packet and bring it between us. "Here ya go."

He rips it with his teeth, and then sits on his knees, putting the latex over his hard length. "Before we go through with this, I have to ask, you've done this before?"

"Lincoln, I'm not a virgin. I know what's about to happen between us. I want what's about to happen." Reaching up, I circle my arms around his neck and pull him down for a kiss. Instead of waiting for him, I trail my fingers down my stomach and toward my core. While he puts the condom on, I slip my fingers between the lips of my pussy, playing with my nub. "See, I know how to get the job done."

He grunts as he strokes his length after slipping the condom on. "I see." His eyes are dark and locked onto where my finger isworking back and forth. Holding the base of his cock, he slowly slides into me.

"Oh my God, Linc," I moan as he seats himself completely inside of me.

He groans in response, and then we're thrusting against one another. His knees slide against the sheet, as he grasps my hips, my legs where they meet my body, holding my thighs apart. "This feels so good, Lyla. I've imagined what this would be like for almost as long as we've been working together."

"Me too," I admit, digging my fingers through his hair. "You're being careful though, Lincoln. I want you to take me harder. Like the Bossman I know you can be."

Our eyes meet, and his darken. "You sure?"

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