Page 308 of The Maxwell Brothers
"Yeah, I haven't seen any either. But who cares? I can feel myself relaxing.” There were a lot of cheese, sausage, and meat-based products in the shops lining in the street, and I decided to get a huge pretzel from a cart.
"Hey, this is good," I said, chewing on it as we further explored the neighborhood. When we reached a spice shop, I told Declan, "Oh, let's go inside here. I don't want to buy anything, just look around. This place used to be a bakery. I read that on Tripadvisor."
"Sure. Let's go in," he said.
This place was a dream come true for anyone who liked working with spices. The baking process didn't use that many, but I still loved being in here. It smelled like cardamom and vanilla and nutmeg. But there were also stronger scents, and I suspected it came from a mix that was labeled "grill magic."
"This is lovely," I whispered. I felt Declan move up behind me and kiss my temple.
"You're cute, all excited because you're in a spice shop,” he murmured in my ear. “You would think we were looking at jewelry.”
"Hey, spices are life. Don't discount them."
"I like this about you, that you enjoy experiences like this."
Despite claiming I wouldn’t buy anything, I did buy a bag full of spices. Declan had found the address of a bakery that actually did serve German goodies, and we headed there afterward. I finally tasted strudel, and I couldn’t wait to try out a few recipes myself.
Perhaps I could also sell snacks, like real food snacks. But that was something I could always add later. Sweet Treats was going to have a lot to offer.
"Declan, thank you so much for this. I really enjoyed myself. Did you?”
“Babe, I love everything I do with you.”
“Me too,” I said as we headed to the crosswalk. “What are we doing now?" I asked as we stepped out. "I don’t have anything else on my list. Should we head back to Chicago?"
"No," he said. "Let's go check into a hotel."
My eyes widened. "You want to stay here overnight? We don't have any clothes." The adventure and spontaneity sounded like so much fun.
"We have the clothes we're wearing," he said, winking as we approached the car.
"We don't have spare, you know, underwear," I muttered. I knew that sounded silly, but I hated the thought of wearing my underwear another day.
He smiled wickedly, lifting the corner of his mouth, brushing his thumb over my lips. "You already know I like to go commando from time to time. You could try the same tomorrow."
"I wasn’t expecting this. I'm wearing a skirt. Aren’t you afraid that the wind might blow? I might get into a Marilyn Monroe situation, and someone could see my lady bits."
His eyes darkened instantly.Holy shit. I can turn him on that fast?I felt like I had discovered a superpower.
"Don't say that to me in public."
"Why not?" I teased.
"Because now all I can think about is burying my head between your thighs."
Now it was my turn to instantly get turned on. This had escalated quickly. Here we were shopping a few minutes earlier, and now all I wanted was to jump his bones.
"Right, you're doing that thing again," I murmured.
"What thing?"
"Where you're convincing me of doing something just by being in front of me."
His lips curled into a smile, but his eyes were still dark. "I'm starting to like that."
"You should. It gives you the upper hand.”
“Come on. Let's see if anything else catches your eye while I ask my assistant to look for a hotel."
