Page 166 of Hot for Hostage

I didn’t mind at all.

The post-engagement bliss came to an abrupt end ten minutes after Sadie finished having her way with me on the picnic blanket. She lay on her stomach now, admiring her new ring after having a small photoshoot with it and the cupcake. When she finally took a bite of the baked treat, I watched closely—surprised when she froze in place.

The lack of reaction from a woman who usually hummed with pleasure whenever she so much as looked at a sweet put me on immediate alert. “What’s wrong?”

Sadie kept her expression carefully blank as she avoided eye contact. Her throat worked as she swallowed the bite. “Um… Did you bake this yourself?”

Her hesitation made me frown, but I didn’t want to admit Tony and Vince had tried to help. They didn’t deserve any credit. “Mostly. Why?”

A long pause passed before she poked a finger into the cakey part. “It’s nothing.”

Yeah, I didn’t believe her for a second. Especially when she didn’t go in for a second bite.

“Tell me.”

Sadie’s lips spasmed like she was trying not to laugh, even as she grimaced. “I love you. And I really love all the effort that went into baking this for me, Dav—truly—but, um, I think you mixed up sugar and salt in the recipe.”

My frown deepened, and I shifted closer. It couldn’t bethatbad. It still looked like a cupcake, after all. “Let me try it.”

Sadie reluctantly handed over the treat, and I took a generous bite before immediately spitting it out on the grass.

“What the hell is that?” I scowled, feeling an actual flash of betrayal as I glared at the traitorous cupcake. It was poisoned. Or defective. “Why’d you swallow it? Sadie, spit it out.”

She collapsed on the blanket in a fit of giggles, while I threw the cupcake as far from us as I could into the forest.

“I’ll make you a better one.” I moved to get up, determined to redeem myself, but Sadie grabbed my arm and pulled me back down without interrupting her laughter.

She grinned and leaned up, placing a kiss on my cheek. “Or maybe you should stick to crime, and I’ll handle the cupcakes?”

I grimaced as the overwhelming taste of salt clung to my tongue, but it wasn’t a bad deal. “I can agree to those terms.”

Sadie eased the sting of discovering I lacked even the smallest amount of baking skills with another kiss, reminding me I’d gladly go to all the plant funerals and dog weddings in the world if it meant she’d be there with me.

---