Page 26 of Don't Leave Me

He stares down at me with his hands planted softly on my waist. I quickly wipe my thumb on his black shirt, making him chuckle.

“I think you also have flour in your hair. You really aren’t a baker, huh?”

“Not even a little bit.” He shakes his head. “I want to kiss you so badly,” he murmurs. “But I know the second I do, they’ll be walking into the room. I don’t really want to deal with that fallout.”

“Then I guess we’ll have to go on another date soon.” I place my hand over his heart, loving how firm his broad chest is. His heart is beating strongly beneath my palm.

“Definitely. In fact, I think we should decorate these cookies so I can put the kids to bed and kiss my new girlfriend.”

“Was that the plan all along?” I arch a brow.

“It wasn’t, but it is at this moment. Now that you’re my girlfriend, I have a feeling it’s going to be difficult to keep my hands to myself.”

“Hmm, I like the sound of that.” I step even closer to him, making my body flush against his.

Pecker leans down and right before his lips touch mine, little footsteps race towards us. Pecker stands to his full height and spins me so my back is against his chest. He slips his arm around my waist and holds me close. I swear I’ve never felt more cherished.

“It’s cookie time. I swear if I get cockblocked again, I might scream,” he murmurs against the shell of my ear.

“Is it really considered cockblocking when you’re only trying to kiss me?” I stare up at him with a grin playing on my lips.

“First off, I think my sister would kill me if I tried to do more while babysitting her kids. Second, you only agreed to date me twenty minutes ago. I'm not rushing this, Soph. I want to take my time with you.”

And just like that, I know Pecker is going to ruin me for all other men.

“Some of these are too big for these cookies.” Pecker tosses a bag of gum drops towards the end of the table.

“Yeah, I know. But I really want to make a gingerbread house. We’ve made one every year since I was little. This is the first Christmas I won't be home. I know it’s stupid, but I hate knowing my brothers and sister will be going home this week and making one.”

“How about we make one next week? Is after Christmas too late?” Peck peeks up at me as he outlines another cookie.

“You’ll make it with me?” I blink at him in surprise.

“Um, yes. I’ll feel left out if you don’t let me help. Duh.” He rolls his eyes as a smirk tugs on the corner of his lips. “Plus, they take a long time to make, so that means I get to spend more time with you.”

“Ok. You’ll have to tell me what days you work so I can make sure the gingerbread is made in advance.”

He tugs his phone out of his pocket and his fingers dance across his screen. A few moments later, my phone lights up with a notification. I find an invite to Pecker’s calendar staring back at me.

“You didn’t need to share your calendar.”

“My girlfriend should know my schedule.” He lifts his shoulders in a shrug, then turns his attention back to his cookie.

I have to say, Pecker has some real talent when it comes to decorating cookies. He’s able to outline the cookie with icing and flood it correctly. He doesn’t overdo it and he’s really detailed. He’s almost as good as I am.

Even Danny and Bree are better than I expected. They work quietly and have a steady hand. I'm really impressed. I expected the kitchen to be a mess by the time we finished, but it isn't bad at all.

I grab one of the ornament cookies I already flooded in dark blue. It has a nice crust on the icing so I can add some details now without the colors mixing together. I make the top of the ornament silver to look like the metal hanger, then grab white and begin piping a deer onto the center of the cookie. I leave just a tiny bit of space below the feet blue, then I fill in the snowy ground. Last, I add a few light blue snowflakes to give it a little extra color.

“That’s gorgeous, Soph.” Pecker stares in awe at my cookie.

The front door opens and shuts. A few moments later, a beautiful woman with a dark brown pixie cut steps into the room. Her smile is bright and cheery.

“Hey, guys. Look at how amazing these are!” She kisses Danny and Bree’s heads before glancing in my direction. “I’m Sydney. You must be Sophia. I’ve heard so much about you!”

“Sydney? Wait! Do you own Sydney’s Sweets?” I sneak a look at Pecker and his lips twitch.

“Yes. Have you been there?”

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