Page 50 of Betrayed in the Dark
“Really?” He grins. “I’ve been sleeping like a baby. Best nights of sleep I’ve had in a while, actually.”
My cheeks flush as I quickly look away.
Elena gestures toward the back room. “I have everything prepared in the back if you’d like to follow me.”
The three of us trail behind with the scent of chocolate wafting through the air. Taste This has won countless awards over the years, establishing itself as the best bakery in the northeast. And while I may not be particularly looking forward to my wedding, I knew that if Taste This made my wedding cake, I could at least be guaranteed a piece of delicious cake to help ease the pain that day would bring me.
“I think I might be in heaven,” I murmur as we settle around a circular white table.
An employee approaches with a tray of samples and places them on the center of the table.
“In order, we have our vanilla cake, dark chocolate cake, carrot cake, lemon cake, red velvet cake, spice cake, and our signature ginger chai.” Another server appears, placing a second tray before us. “And here, we have the lemon curd, vanilla buttercream, vanilla buttercream with a hint of lavender, raspberry preserves, a salted caramel filling, a ganache, and an apricot filling.”
Three glasses of water are positioned in front of each of us.
“Wow.” My eyes travel across each sample. “This is going to be a difficult decision.”
“If you have any questions,” Elena begins, “please don’t hesitate to let me know. I’ll be back shortly to check on you.” She exits gracefully, disappearing around the corner.
After several minutes of consuming more calories in one sitting than I think I ever have in my life, I lean back in my seat, placing a hand on my stomach. “I don’t think I can look at another piece of cake for as long as I live.”
“Well, good thing we all know what flavor you’re probably leaning toward,” Alina teases, bumping my shoulder. She takes her fork, digging it into the decadent chocolate cake.
And she would be correct if Alastor hadn’t explicitly told meno chocolate. Normally, I wouldn’t ever let a man tell me what to do, but with Alastor, I need to learn which battles to fight.
And having a chocolate wedding cake isn’t at the top of that list.
“Actually, I thought the vanilla cake with the buttercream would be nice.”
Alina chuckles, licking her fork. “Right.”
I give a slight shrug.
“Wait.” She drops her fork, her eyes blinking. “You’re serious?” She looks at Eli. “Is she serious?” Her phone on the table in front of her vibrates, stealing her attention.
He leans back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest as he regards me. “You’re not going with chocolate?”
“Is that a problem?”
“Not at all. It’s just that for as long as I’ve known you, chocolate has been its own food category.” He smirks, placing his hands behind his head. “I never took you for someone who liked vanilla.”
He winks at me, rekindling that pulse between my legs that I thought I had managed to extinguish. I quickly cross my legs, which doesn’t go unnoticed by him. His grin grows wider, hiseyes darker, and I’m thankful that Alina is too busy staring at her phone to notice.
She abruptly stands from her chair, glancing down at her phone in her hands with furrowed brows. “Sorry, I have to take this. I’ll be right back.” She heads toward the entrance, leaving Eli and me behind.
Alone.
Silence fills the room. The only noise I hear is the clock ticking above the giant oven.
Where’s Elena? Shouldn’t she be checking on us by now?
I tap a steady finger on the table, my leg bouncing in rhythm.
“Something on your mind?” Eli asks, crossing his arms over his chest.
“Actually, yes.” I clear my throat and say, “I think we should talk about what happened the other night.”
He leans forward, rubbing his jaw as he gazes down at the table. “Yeah, you’re right. Let’s talk about it.” His eyes meet mine. “Which part did you want to talk about, though? The part where you watched me jerk off to the thought of you? Or the part where I had my face buried in your—”
