Page 44 of A Love Like Pumpkin Spice
“Muffin?” I think out loud, squealing when he gently pinches my hip. “Okay, okay. I’m not a fan of ‘babe,’ so that’s out. Hmm …”
I tap my lip, pretending to think hard about it. “No, it has to come to me naturally. I’ll call you ‘hot stuff’ until I can think of something better.”
“Better than ‘muffin,’” he mumbles, finally bridging the gap between us. “I’ll take it,” he murmurs against my lips. A happy sigh escapes me when his warm lips touch mine. The smile doesn’t leaving me throughout the toe-curling kiss that’s sending sparks up my spine and every rational thought out the window.
“Mmm, I’m all better now,” I whisper with a soft hum when he breaks the kiss, staying close enough to count his eyelashes.
“You didn’t feel good before?” Worry washes over his face. “What’s going on?”
“Nothing!” I assure him quickly. “I was nervous, and then I started overthinking, and I didn’t know if it was okay to stop by? Maybe you were busy. And that’s such a girlfriend thing to do, and we never talked about what we are and—” He stops me by kissing me again, and I can’t help but smile against his lips.
If this becomes our thing, I wouldn’t be too mad at it. That means I need to ramble if I want him to kiss me, right? Maybe I’ll never shut up again. Because this feeling? It’s unmatched. The butterflies in my stomach, the prickling goosebumps in my neck, making me feel so light I might just lift off the ground.
“For the record, I’d love to be your boyfriend. That would make you a girlfriend,” he mumbles against my lips. “Does that suit you?”
“Hell yes,” I whisper back softly, and now it’s my turn to lift myself onto my tiptoes and capture his lips in a messy kiss. “That sounds perfect.”
“Can I take you on a coffee date later?” He lifts his hand to swipe a strand of hair behind my ear. “I want to show you off a bit.”
“Uhhh, feeding the town gossip?” I wink at him, noting the blush creeping into his cheeks.
“Yeah. I want to shout to the whole world that you’re my girlfriend now. But that seems excessive, so Wayward Hollow will do. For now.”
God, we stand here like two idiots in a tight hug, grinning at each other wider than if we won the lotto jackpot. And I mean, who knows? This sure seems like a worthy alternative.
Awoo-woo!Jensen starts getting impatient, tip-tapping around us and nudging our thighs, not appreciating being ignored.
“Yes, yes,” Henry lets go of me, and I pout at how cold I suddenly am without his arms around me. “Here’s your attention, you little drama queen. You’vereallygot to stop interrupting our emotional moments.” He glances up at me. “By the way, sweetheart, how are the kittens doing?”
“Best friends.” I shrug, trying to hide my giddiness at my new nickname. “I put them in separate rooms while I’m gone, but the only way they might kill each other is with too much love.” I lower my voice. “I also think Chaos is giving them a spiritual ass-beating when they get sassy. Yesterday, Cinnamon hissed and then flinched back as if she got slapped.”
“That does sound like her,” he says, but I hear a tinge of sarcasm in his voice. But before I can mention it, the little bell above his door rings. Our heads turn to his front door quicker than teenagers who got caught kissing by their parents, though a lot less panicked.
“I think that’s my cue to go.” I grin and shoot him a subtle wink, away from his patients. “Let me know when you’re done with your house call.”
“Will do.”
As soon as I walk out the door, my phone rings. I’m about to decline the call out of reflex when I realize for once it’s not coming from an unknown or suppressed number. It’s coming from my financial adviser. I take a few more steps away from Henry’s clinic before I answer.
“Anna! How have you been?”
“Thanks, Nic, I’m good. Listen, I’ll skip the small talk and cut to the chase—why did you open five credit cards without telling me?”
“What?” I stop in my tracks, a sudden nausea washing over me colder than a bucket of ice water. “I did no such thing. Why would I?”
“Fuck,” she curses under her breath, and my blood runs cold. “That’s what I thought. And feared.”
“What’s going on, Anna?” I ask cautiously, not sure I want to know the answer.
“After you told me about Jay, I decided to put some alerts on your credit. You know, in case he tried to pull something. And I think he did. Is.” She takes a deep breath.
“Someone is blowing through your money, Nic. They opened several credit cards in your name and are spending your moneyon jewelry and designer clothes. They booked plane tickets to the Maldives in the last hour and a five-star hotel …”
My heart beats into my throat, but for once, it’s not anxiety. It’s anger. Burning hot anger.
“Jay and Marissa,” I say, surprised at the venom in my voice.
“That’s my suspicion, too.” She sighs, and I can hear her type something into her computer.
