Page 60 of 40 and (No Longer) Fighting It
Claire stared down at the black fabric, and he could tell the minute the pattern registered in her mind. Tiny white sketches of couples in various sexual positions dotted the apron. He’d found it in a kitchen supply store he’d visited in Nashville and hadn’t been able to resist.
Claire’s bark of laughter had his cock firming against her thigh. “Did you think I needed a reminder so I wouldn’t forget what you’re available for?”
He nuzzled an ear—and tilted his hips to rub his ever-present reminder into the vee of her legs. “I can do my own reminding, thank you very much.”
Claire abandoned the apron to circle her arms around his neck. “I’m sure you can.”
One kiss and the fabric between them was forgotten—until it was time to take it off. And that was when Linc proved aprons were useful in far more places than just a kitchen.
Hours later, when Claire could finally speak, she wholeheartedly agreed.
Epilogue
One Month Later
The new barbecue restaurant in town, Memphis Hot ’N’ Sweet, had a line out the door when their group arrived on opening night. Everyone in town was excited to have a new place to eat, and the fact that the owner, Catherine Tucker, was the daughter of well-known Memphis barbecue king, Ray Tucker, had hopes high for the food’s quality. From the looks of satisfaction on the customers already eating, Claire had a feeling they wouldn’t be disappointed.
“I still don’t think it’ll be as good as Clay’s,” Scarlett whined as they settled into a booth. Luckily Lily had gotten them preferential treatment or it might be hours before they actually tasted anything. And where was Lily, anyway?
Claire glanced back through the crowd and saw her friend standing several tables over, chatting with her assistant, Evan, and his girlfriend, Alana. The couple was celebrating a special anniversary, Claire knew—she’d created the cake Evan had ordered and hidden a special surprise inside for Alana to discover later tonight. From the glowing look on the woman’s face as she talked to Lily, Claire had no doubt Evan’s surprise would be a success.
“More than one person can be good at something,” Erin reminded Scarlett.
“Loyalty says otherwise,” Scarlett pointed out. The woman had been pouting over Clayton’s competitor since news of Tucker’s restaurant had made the rounds. Her soft heart was obviously worried for their friend.
“The Drunken Otter will be fine,” Claire assured her. “Besides, competition can be healthy.”
“Speaking of competition,” JD said, standing to seat Lily as she finally arrived at the table, “did you hear when shooting forCulinary Combatwill start in LA?”
Lincoln angled his chair closer to Claire’s, slinging his arm across the back to pull her to him. “Second week of January.”
Pain squeezed Claire’s chest, and she looked down at her lap, hoping to hide it from Lincoln. She still hadn’t quite wrapped her mind around the fact that she was in a long-distance relationship, and the thought of nine weeks apart was already worrying her. As it was, Lincoln spent ten days in New York, working at the Prime, before returning for a long weekend here in Black Wolf’s Bluff.
Claire had been happily independent since her divorce. It had shocked her at first that being busy with Gimme Sugar and her friends wasn’t enough to distract herself from the sense of loss she felt every day Lincoln was gone. And a month hadn’t made the experience any easier. Nine weeks? That seemed like a lifetime.
As she stared down at her hands, a masculine one came into her field of view, seeking out and gripping her own tightly. The wrist was circled with a thin black line she knew led to an infinity symbol over his pulse and Kelly and Lincoln’s names. She followed the pattern of ink up his arm until her gaze met Lincoln’s. The sympathy in his eyes made her feel guilty.
He wasn’t the only sympathetic one. Lily gave her knee a discreet pat from her seat next to Claire. “How long will you be filming?”
Lincoln’s lips tightened. “Almost two-and-a-half months. And any breaks I have will need to be spent at the Prime.” A glint appeared in those beautiful blue-gray eyes. “I’m trying to convince Claire to take advantage of how well her new employees are working out and come visit me while I’m out there.”
“That’s a great idea, Claire,” Erin said. “You haven’t had a vacation since the store opened.”
Her friend wasn’t wrong. And Claire would likely go despite her doubts. It was just that giving up the reins when her store had literally been her life for so long was…difficult.
She’d have to do it at some point, though. Black Wolf Resort was aiming for a midsummer opening, and she couldn’t be in two bakeries at once. Add in the thought of being away from Lincoln for such a God-awful length of time?
Yeah, she would almost certainly be seeing California for the first time in January. Firming her shoulders, she glanced up at Lincoln from beneath her lashes. “Maybe I just need the right incentive to finally break away from the store for a bit.”
Lincoln’s gaze heated. He leaned close, nuzzling her ear. “I’ll give you all the incentive you need.”
She tried not to let her eyes roll back in her head, she really did, but if the hoots and laughter around the table were any indication, she did a piss-poor job of it.
Their waiter arrived to take their drink orders. As he left, JD asked Lincoln, “So you’ll be around for Christmas?”
“I’m working on making it happen.” Lincoln stroked his thumb over Claire’s wrist. “Why?”
JD and Lily exchanged a glance that sparked suspicion in Claire as well. “What’s going on, you two?”
