Page 85 of Forever in the Country

RHEA

Closing the bakery took longer than anticipated tonight and after being on my feet all day, I’m more than a little tired. My feet ache from standing, and I’m almost positive I still have some frosting in my hair.

The sightings of Sorren and Marlee’s parents around town the past couple of days haven’t diminished. I don’t know if he is waiting for them to give up and leave or if he hopes he can just ignore them forever.

At the end of the day, he doesn’t care about Vivian and Michael—only the fact that Marlee hasn’t spoken to him since they’d shown up at the house. He thought she needed time, but I know she needed him to make a decision and she didn’t want to interfere. She didn’t have a relationship with them to salvage but he did—if he wanted to.

Sorren’s Charger is in the driveway and a sad smile pulls at my lips. Blowing out a breath, I try to prepare myself for what I’m about to walk into. My hand reaches up to push my hair back from my face and snags on frosting.

While he’s seen me at all my awkward stages growing up, I still feel like it’s way too early to completely give up on trying to impress him. I growl knowing that I’ll have to jump in the shower instead of just crawling into bed.

Throwing my keys and purse on the island in the kitchen, I kick my shoes off and walk toward the back of the house. The light is soft coming from my bedroom, and I’m all of three steps into the room when I skid to a stop.

Sorren’s eyes slowly lift from the paperback in his lap, and I can feel my lips part at the sight. Thin-framed reading glasses sit on the bridge of his nose, and he stares at me over the top of them when he looks up.

He’s shirtless, the sheet covering him from the waist down, but I’ve licked every inch of him below the soft, gray fabric. My mouth waters at the thought—all concepts of jumping in the shower gone as his lips tip up into a small smile.

“What are you doing?” I ask quietly as I take a step toward the bed.

“Reading.”

“I see that.”

“Will you read with me?” The low tone of his voice has my panties damp in seconds. God, this man has no idea how sexy he is. My hair is pulled back haphazardly, my leggings are covered in flour, and I’m pretty sure I spilled coffee on this tank top. Even wearing my apron all day, I’m a mess.

But Sorren is looking at me like he’s never seen anything more beautiful.

“I’ve never loved reading,” I say quietly.

He studies me for a second before dipping his head with a slight nod. His index finger holds his page as he lets the paperback fall shut.

“I want to show you what I like,” he says when he meets my gaze, and my cheeks heat instantly. He grins and holds up the book. “I like reading, Sunshine.”

Clearing my throat, I try and act like I wasn’t halfway to stripping him all the way naked and finding out everything helikesand more.

Buying myself some time, I pull my hair from the hair tie, run my fingers through the strands, and then secure it again at the nape of my neck. “It’s important to you.”

He lifts one shoulder but doesn’t say anything. I hate reading—I always have. My mind wanders as soon as I read the first sentence, but the look on his face and the fact that heaskedhas me offering up what I hope is a viable alternative.

Taking a step toward him, I let my knees sink into the mattress one at a time. He watches me closely and nothing but the flutter of the pulse in his neck gives away how he’s feeling. Settling myself over his thighs, I cup his face in my hands and kiss him.

My tongue tangles with his, and he lets me explore every inch of his mouth as a growl rumbles in his chest. I pull back enough to see his eyes blazing with heat and want andneed.

For me.

Biting my lip, I sit back and drop my hands to my thighs. “I like the reading glasses.”

“You do, huh?” he says wryly and I nod.

“Very sexy.”

“You have frosting in your hair.”

“Hazards of the job,” I say and then tilt my head to the side. “Would you consider reading to me?”

“You’d want to hear me talk that much?” he says in a self-deprecating tone.

“Yes.” I press a hard kiss to his lips, and his hand grips the back of my neck, holding me in place.

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