Page 87 of Scrape the Barrel
His face fell, his hand that was holding the plastic bag falling to his side. “Sage…”
“I know, silly me. A spoon wouldn’t save me.”Nothing will.
He stepped over the threshold, closing the door behind him, then folded himself around me. “Baby, you should’ve called me.”
But calling him would’ve let on to how scared I was, and in my experience, men either loved scared women or they hated them.
“I’m okay,” I lied. I wouldn’t be okay until he was behind bars, but even before, it took me years to stop looking over my shoulder.
“You know you don’t have to lie to me,” Callan murmured, running his free hand down my back.
“I promise, it’s much better than the truth,” I told him.
The rough timbre of his voice vibrated through his chest, giving me the comfort I so desperately needed. “I only want the truth with you. No matter how bad it may be. Remember my rules?”
I inhaled deeply, a sense of calm washing over me now that Callan was here. How could I forget the rules he instilled in me that night in front of his mirror? Yet even then, he hadn’t demanded anything. He laid a path for me to follow if I chose to.
Pulling back slightly, I looked at him. “Only truths, then.”
He pressed a kiss to my forehead. “Only truths.”
After he removed his lips from my skin, I looked down at the bag. “Did you buy me groceries?”
He grinned, removing his hand from around my waist to grab the handle of the bag, holding it open. “I brought ingredients to make cinnamon rolls.”
Arching an eyebrow, I said, “Middleof the day craving?”
A blush heated his cheeks. “I wouldn’t say I was craving cinnamon rolls.”
The unspoken words clung in the air, tension radiating between us.
“Hmm. I wonder why you’d bring the makings for them, then,” I wondered out loud.
The corner of his mouth ticked up. “I want you to teach me.”
I wanted to learn a lot of things from him, but Callan taking an interest in what I did and wanting to learn how to do it himself? My mouth would’ve dropped open if it wasn’t for me asking, “To bake?”
“Yeah. What else would you be teaching me with all of this?”
A warmth spread through my chest, crawling up my neck as I smirked. “How to have fun with it, too.”
***
“You want me to just wear this?” Callan asked, holding the fabric up in his hands.
I nodded.
“No boxers?”
“That’s up to you.”
I’d immediately dragged him down the hall to my bedroom and rifled through the dresser to find my spare apron. If this was supposed to be all about having fun and getting my mind offeverything else, I was going to take advantage of it. I’d much rather have my attention on his body instead.
“Alright. Out,” he instructed.
“I don’t get to watch?”
He smiled, waving his hand at me to shoo. “You’ll get to see the final result.”
