Page 11 of Dangerous Encore
I try to bury myself in my tea as the manager drops off our samples, but I can barelytasteit.
Piper laughs as she digs into the first sample. It's all white with a curvy, abstractdecoration.
She sticks her tongue out. "Vanilla on vanilla. Fine, butboring."
"Like brother, like sister," Kitteases.
She makes thatew, that's my brotherface. Piper still can't stand hearing about Mal's taste inbondage.
I take a bite of the vanilla cake. It's sweet and plain, with a vague taste of vanilla bean. It's not what I want, butit'ssafe.
Nobody hatesvanilla.
Nobody goesew,vanilla.
God dammit. I'm eating cake here. I'm going to at least enjoy tasting mydessert.
I dig into the second sample. Chocolate on chocolate. It's rich and fudgy and sure to please all the real chocoholics and scare off the people who don't like the darkstuff.
It's apossibility.
But is that whatIwant?
I like chocolate just fine. Who doesn't? But it doesn't feel right formywedding. Forourwedding.
"Oh, that is perfection." Piper polishes off her second bite of the chocolate cake. "Have I died? Am I in heaven? Can I only eat thisforever?"
"You do have a problem,"Ethansays.
"You don't like it?"sheasks.
He shrugs. "It'scake."
"What do you mean, 'it's cake?'"sheasks.
"It's a pastry dessert. It can only be so good,"Ethansays.
"And you'd prefer what?"sheasks.
"Skipping cake and going straight to our hotel room." He slides his arm around my waist and pulls mecloser.
I nestle into his touch. "Can I voteforthat?"
Henods.
Piper shakes her head. "How about you order a cakeandyou two skip eating the cake to go straightto,ahem—"
Kit chuckles. He whispers something inherear.
Shewhispersback.
I try to laugh, but I can't. Ethan'sright.
It's justdessert.
It shouldn't have this much baggage attachedtoit.
One party shouldn't have this much baggage attachedtoit.
I try to get into tasting the samples, but I can't. None of the cakes are sure to pleaseeveryone.
None of the cakes make mehappy.
The only thing that makes me happy is thinking about the moment where Ethan's lipstouchmine.
Where it's just the two of us,forever.
