Page 73 of The Gingerbread Bakery
‘Turn around,’ Annie said, holding up the shirt. She resisted the urge to bury her face in it and inhale.
‘Why?’
‘So I can change.’
Mac stared at her. ‘Annie I was just face to face with your?—’
‘Do not finish that sentence.’
Mac let out a low laugh of disbelief.
‘Turn around,’ Annie insisted.
He shook his head but complied, turning to face the wall.
‘Just because we didthat,’ Annie said, ‘doesn't mean anything else changes between us.’
‘Oh, really?’ Mac said, addressing the wall.
‘Yeah, really. We were only blowing off some steam, relieving tension. It was basically like doing yoga or going for a run.’
Mac scoffed. ‘Wow, Annabelle, you sure know how to make a guy feel good.’
Annie pulled the shirt over her head, relieved to be out of her sweater and bra. It had been an incredibly long day and Mac’s shirt was soft and worn and smelled just like him.
‘I’m not here to make you feel good.’ She said it to remind herself as much as him.
Mac snorted. ‘Well, joke’s on you because that made me feel pretty darn good.’
Annie felt the heat rise to her cheeks and was glad Mac was still facing the wall. She was sure her face would give away exactly what she was feeling. And what she was feeling was highly ill-advised.
‘And it sure sounded like it made you feel good, too,’ he said, running a hand through his hair. Annie took the opportunity toreally look at him. She spent a lot of time avoiding looking directly at Mac. It was always far too dangerous.
But now here she was in his bed, wearing his clothes, and looking at him seemed like the least of her worries. She took in the breadth of his shoulders and the flex of his forearms as he stood there.Waitingfor her. She took pleasure in the fact that his hair was a mess because of her fingers, and she wondered if he was still as hard as he was while he was going down on her.
God, what was she doing here?
‘I should probably go,’ she said, snapping out of it.
Mac turned around. ‘You sure?’ he asked. ‘You’re welcome to stay the night. I’ll sleep in the guest room.’
Sometimes Annie thought about that day at the Christmas market when Mac asked her to hang out and she wondered what would have happened if she had said no. Maybe she would have been able to have a healthy, lasting relationship in the eleven years since then. Maybe she wouldn’t still be caught up in some stupid teenage fantasy. This moment felt similar to that one, like there was a fork in the road and Annie's life would change entirely depending on which path she took.
She should go home. She’d gotten what she came for. She got her orgasm. She got Mac wanting her. If she left now they could maybe go on as friends. Or something similar. People that got along, at least.
Mac was watching her from his place propped up against the wall. He looked tired, too, and maybe Annie was tired of punishing him.
‘It’s probably cold outside,’ she whispered.
‘It definitely is,’ he said with a knowing smile. ‘And it’s still snowing.’
‘And it’s late,’ she murmured.
‘Really late.’
‘So maybe I’ll just sleep for a bit?’ Annie whispered, and Mac’s smile grew but he didn’t say anything. He nodded and headed for the door.
‘Where are you going?’
