Page 78 of Bake You Mine
“Sorry, I forgot to change some things in my overnight bag. They’re all dirty.”
She was propped like a pin-up girl, and her dark hair fell in a wave behind her. He gently moved Teddy to the end of the bed and pulled down the comforter, revealing her shapely legs.
He sent a hand across her legs. “As much as I want to dive under those covers with you, we need to talk.”
She set her phone on the nightstand. “What about?”
“With how crazy life has gotten, I didn’t have a chance to tell you about a meeting I had the other night.”
She rolled on her side, and the shirt slipped up some, revealing the alluring slope where her waist met her hip. “What kind of meeting?”
“You know who Jason Morse is, right?”
Aubrey sat up with a start. “Jason Morse, from Devour Group? Of course. He’s a big fucking deal.”
“Yeah, I met him at The Far End the other night. He and Steve go way back. Anyway, he’d heard about the competition and thought we should meet. Y’know, to talk about that much-needed plan B.”
Aubrey idly scratched her face. “So, plan B would be DC, then? Or is Jason looking to come to the ’burbs?”
“DC. He wants to meet after the announcement.”
She brought her knees to her chest. Her expression was hard to read.
“Jason’s a dream maker,” she said. “He’s opened over twenty restaurants in the DMV in the last decade.Only five of his properties have closed over the years. That’s an impressive record in this industry, especially considering the upheaval we’ve all suffered in the last few years. If you want to go far, having someone like that behind you is a great way to do it.” Her words were encouraging, yet her gaze was distant. As if she’d suddenly found the far brick wall of his bedroom the most exciting thing in the world.
He eased closer to her. “Well, I think I’ll probably meet with him then. Have you thought about your plan B? I could talk to Jason for you if you wanted.”
Her gaze snapped over to him. “I’ve already had the pleasure of talking to Jason. We met a couple of years ago at…I don’t even remember now. He asked my thoughts on Devour, and I told him I preferred to stay independent. It was all very cordial.”
He thought he’d throw Aubrey a bone, but she’d already discarded Devour and the man behind it.
“Okay, so no need for me to swoop in and rescue you, got it.”
Her gaze went far away again for a moment. He leaned forward and stole a kiss.
She laughed and then sighed as he kissed lower, until his lips landed against her neck.
He stood and flung off his jacket. Then he whipped his T-shirt on top of it. “Hey, are you okay?”
Aubrey didn’t reply. Instead, she tugged off her T-shirt and tossed it at him. He momentarily forgot what planet he was on. She was everything he’d never known he’d wanted. Until they’d met, and she’d changed everything.
“Does it seem like I’m not okay?”
She flipped onto her belly, revealing most of that glorious backside, thanks to a very tiny thong. She turned and gave him a sleepy smile. “I’m a little tired, but I promise I’m fine, Liam.”
Her smile didn’t quite reach her eyes, but he wasn’tabout to discount her word. It’d been a crazy few weeks for them both. Aubrey had the added responsibility of parenting.
“Well, I’m not going to mansplain your feelings to you. If you say you’re fine, I’ll take your word for it.”
She came up onto her hands and knees and arched out her back, pushing that delightful ass toward him. “I’m more than fine, but I’ll be even better if you come here.”
His fingers fumbled on his belt buckle as he took in the display before him. She slipped forward so her stomach was entirely on the bed. She was so beautiful—physically, of course, but also on the inside.
He stood and kicked off his jeans. Then he caught her by the foot, delighting in her squeal as he tugged her down the bed, then flipped her around.
“I needed to see how easy it was to drag you across the bed. Get your head on the pillow.”
She shimmied, making the best parts of her sway as she obeyed. He hopped on the bed, grabbing the covers as he slid next to her. She reached for the edge of the blanket, tugging it up and over them as he rolled over on top of her. It was warm, cozy, and a little dirty, with her letting out one of those little groan-sighs as he pressed against her.
