Page 46 of The Little Black Rose

I take a bite of the sandwich, and it’s delicious, but not really hitting the spot. I’m craving something sweet this morning. I know there’s éclairs around here somewhere. I saw them on the table last night when I walked over to ride Z––

Nope. Stop it. Not going to think about that anymore.

But I don’t want an éclair. I want…a donut. A Death by Chocolate one fresh from the oven.

Making the decision, I wrap the rest of the sandwich in foil and shove it into my purse for later. Grabbing my keys and phone, I head out. I should have just enough time to stop byGlaZZedbefore I’m due at the shelter.

It’s not uncommon for me to stop in on my way to work. I do it all the time. And I’m not going to avoid it just because I slept with Zeke last night.Thatwould be weird. Right?

Definitely.

* * *

“Hey, Ava,”Zoey calls out as I walk into the shop with the jingling of the bells over the door.

“Hey,” I say as I approach the counter. Spotting the donuts I’m after, I meet her eyes with a grin. “Kill me with cocoa, babe.”

She grins. “One Death by Chocolate, coming up. Want a cup of decaf?”

I huff. “I want espresso injected straight into my veins, but yeah, I guess I’ll take some decaf. Extra sugar.”

“You got it,” she says, shooting me a wink. “And the donuts are still warm. Zeke just brought out a fresh batch.”

“Perfect,” I say, praying the mention of her brother’s name doesn’t affect me, visibly.

Handing over the donut, Zoey pauses to eye me for a moment.Shit. Am I blushing? I better not be fucking blushing.

“You look good, Ava. You’re positively glowing this morning.”

God damn it.

“They say pregnancy does that to you,” I stammer with a laugh that sounds fake even to my own ears.

As she hands over the coffee, Zeke emerges from the back carrying a tray of fresh glazed donuts. His feet stumble to a stop when he spots me, and he swallows thickly before clearing his throat.

“Oh, hey, Ava,” he says, moving forward to push the tray onto one of the shelves in the display case. Straightening, he eyes the donut in my hand. “You didn’t like the sandwich?”

“It was great,” I say, my voice a bit higher than usual. Clearing my throat, I go on. “I brought it with me for later, but I needed one of these. Pregnancy cravings, you know? Hard to ignore. When you want something, you can’t stop obsessing over it until you get it.”

The double-meaning is obvious to both of us, if the sparks in his hazel eyes are any indication. He blinks, and the heat is gone, and I’m not sure if it was real or imagined. Giving me a quick nod, he spins on a heel and heads back into the kitchen. I watch the open doorway for several beats, but he doesn’t reappear.

“You dirty little slut.”

I snap out of the daze at Zoey’s words, my gaze colliding with her mischievous grin and narrowed eyes.

“What?” I ask, taking a sip of my coffee like I have no clue what she could possibly be talking about before glancing around to make sure no other customers came in while I was laser-focused on Zeke.

“Don’t ‘what’ me, young lady,” she hisses, keeping her voice down so Zeke won’t hear. “You slept with him.”

“Of course, I did,” I sass, bending my back to accentuate my baby bump. “Hello? Twins.”

“Oh, no, you don’t,” she says. “No more secrets or lies, remember?”

My shoulders slump as I heave out a breath. Motioning for her to join me on my side of the counter, I lead her back toward the entrance and away from Zeke’s possibly prying ears.

“Fine,” I say once I’m sure he can’t hear. “I attacked him last night, but it was just sex. He made it perfectly clear nothing would change between us.”

“Pregnancy glow, my ass,” she needles. “That’s an orgasmic glow, and as much as it grosses me out that it’s courtesy of my brother, I’m happy for you. It’s about damn time.”

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