Page 97 of Love Without Control

I glared at her but she merely lifted her eyebrows and then pinched me on the ass. “Ow, wench.”

Fiero’s chuckle came through the speaker. “What did you do, Eden? Slap his dick?”

She giggled. “No, just a butt pinch.”

“Try slapping him right in the junk pouch next time. That’ll really piss him off.”

Eden tilted her head to one side, like she was seriously considering it, as I grumbled, “Don’t give her any ideas, asshat.”

“I think I’m going to go for a swim,” Eden announced before twiddling her fingers at the computer. “Bye, Fiero.”

“Later, Eden.”

She gave me a light tap on my crotch, not enough to hurt, but enough to get my attention. Then she winked at me and headed back toward the door leading outside.Notupstairs to change into a swimsuit.Fuck. Yes.

The shirt came off first and dropped to the floor near the refrigerator. Then the shorts and shoes as she walked out the back door.

“Bro, what are you looking at?” a voice said from what seemed like very far away.

When her black satin panties hit the window in front of me, I didn’t say a word, just shut the lid on the computer. He’d figure out that the meeting was over. My grin was so big it made my cheek muscles hurt as I stripped off my shirt on the way across the kitchen at a full run.

The backward hat and gray sweats… they do it every time.

Chapter 31

SIXTEENMONTHSINHIDING

“You made this?” Dane asked, looking with suspicion at the cake with its silky smooth white frosting and multicolored sprinkles.

“I made the frosting and the cake layers—which were only slightly crooked, I might add—and then took them to Barry. He worked his magic on it.” I made a grand gesture over the pretty confection. “And voilà! A perfect masterpiece for my husband’s birthday.”

Dane’s smile was huge. “No one has made me a birthday cake since…” A hint of sadness dimmed the curve of his lips.

“Since your mom?”

He looked over at me and nodded. “Yeah.”

“I’m sorry,” I fretted. “I didn’t mean to upset you.”

His arms wound around my waist and pulled me hard against him as he silenced me with a toe-curling kiss. Pulling back an inch, he pecked the tip of my nose. “Don’t apologize. I love it. Thank you, baby. And for the record, I wouldn’t have minded if it had been crooked with lumpy frosting.”

I couldn’t help my giggle. “I can bake, but my decorating skills are abysmal.”

“Is this where I’m supposed to lie and say you’re an excellent decorator?” he asked, and I smacked his chest.

“Yes! You’re supposed to tell me my cupcakes are pretty.”

His large hands slid down to cup my bottom and give me a squeeze. “This cake is really pretty. I’m a huge fan.”

“You’re a huge perv,” I corrected, pushing away and pulling the pan of lasagna from the oven. “Let me just pop the garlic bread in, and then we’ll be good to go.”

Over our dinner of salad, lasagna, and bread, we talked about his day at the bakery. As we cut into the cake, I shifted the conversation.

“I met a lady named Maz today. She’s one of the veterinarians at the Turtle Hospital. I called them because I found a male loggerhead in distress this morning on the beach.”

“That’s that big green building up on the highway?”

“That’s the one. They do rehab on injured or sick sea turtles and then release them back into the wild. They also do a lot of research and collaborate with universities.”

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