breathing, the way I normally did during a workout. The air in the kitchen seemed too hot.
“Lucas?”
“Yeah?”
“Can we start over?”
Steph licked her bottom lip, and in that moment I wanted to go right over to her and suck on it myself, shove her to the floor, take her the way I wanted to. I pushed the urge away.
“Start over?” I asked. “Like, you come cater another party for me and feed cake to my dog until he pukes on my carpet?”
She smiled.
“How about I come over tomorrow night? But I want you to be real this time. And I’ll be real too.”
“What do you mean, real ?”
“Well,” she said, tapping her fingernail against the counter. “I won’t pretend to act like a super in-control professional. Because I’m not, not when it comes to you. I’m a total pushover.”
“Okay,” I said, laughing softly. “And what about me?”
“You? Lucas Black?” she asked, her voice spilling my name out like honey. “Easy. Be yourself.”
“What does that mean?”
She smiled, a teasing quirk at the corner of one eyebrow.
“Don’t pretend to be a gentleman.”
Chapter Nine
Steph
The bakery was a mess when I went down to check on Andy, but at least all of our batches had shipped out on time.
“You can tell your boyfriend thank you for having his butler come help me out,” Andy said, slumping back onto the kitchen table.
“He’s not my boyfriend.” I didn’t know what Lucas was, but I knew that there was something there. Not quite a boyfriend yet, though.
“I didn’t realize how much you actually had to do in here.”
“Now you know,” I said. “I do everything and then some.”
“When are you coming back?” There was desperation in my brother’s voice, and I chuckled.
“We’re hiring an assistant,” I said. “Do you know anyone who could run another shop if we expanded?”
“Really?” He sat up and stared at me, his mouth gaping open.
“What? Do I have a spider on my head?”
“No. It’s just… we’re expanding? For real?”
“For real. Lucas wants to invest in the company.”
“No way.”
“Way.” I looked up at Andy who was still bug-eyed. “What is it?”
“Steph, you never take help from anyone.”
He leaned over and pressed the back of his hand to my forehead.
“You don’t have a fever. That can’t be it.”
“Come on.” I crossed my arms. “I take help from people.”
“Are you an android who looks like my sister? What have you done with Stephanie?” Andy peered closely at my face, into my ears and up my nostrils. “Steph, are you in there? Has an alien life form taken ahold of you? Blink twice for yes—”
“Oh, stop it,” I said, shoving my little brother away.
“This guy is something special, huh?”
“What do you mean?”
“You seem… happy.”
“I’m always happy.”
“No, you know what I mean. Usually you’re all tense and nervous and rushing around and OH MY GOD WHERE IS THE FLOUR. Today, you seem almost… relaxed. It’s weird.”
“Weird?”
“It’s a good kind of weird.”
“Well, thanks. I guess,” I said.
“Thank Lucas for me the next time you see him,” Andy said. “Did you know his butler was super cute?”
I was getting ready in the afternoon when Lucas called. I picked up the phone in one hand, my eyeliner pencil in the other.
“Hello?”
“What did you mean about me not being a gentleman?”
I laughed as I slid the pencil along the edge of my lower lid.
“Gentlemen don’t come into bakeries and tell women they want to tame them.”
There was a pause.
“Lucas?”
“True enough. Sorry, I was deciding whether I wanted to be a gentleman or not.”
“I hope you decided not.”
“Why?”
“Because,” I said, pouting at myself in the mirror before standing back up, “I want you to tame me tonight.”
“Is that so?” His voice was throaty like smoke.
“If that’s what you really want,” I said, letting the flirtatiousness fill my voice. I was enjoying doing this to
“Lucas?”
“Yeah?”
“Can we start over?”
Steph licked her bottom lip, and in that moment I wanted to go right over to her and suck on it myself, shove her to the floor, take her the way I wanted to. I pushed the urge away.
“Start over?” I asked. “Like, you come cater another party for me and feed cake to my dog until he pukes on my carpet?”
She smiled.
“How about I come over tomorrow night? But I want you to be real this time. And I’ll be real too.”
“What do you mean, real ?”
“Well,” she said, tapping her fingernail against the counter. “I won’t pretend to act like a super in-control professional. Because I’m not, not when it comes to you. I’m a total pushover.”
“Okay,” I said, laughing softly. “And what about me?”
“You? Lucas Black?” she asked, her voice spilling my name out like honey. “Easy. Be yourself.”
“What does that mean?”
She smiled, a teasing quirk at the corner of one eyebrow.
“Don’t pretend to be a gentleman.”
Chapter Nine
Steph
The bakery was a mess when I went down to check on Andy, but at least all of our batches had shipped out on time.
“You can tell your boyfriend thank you for having his butler come help me out,” Andy said, slumping back onto the kitchen table.
“He’s not my boyfriend.” I didn’t know what Lucas was, but I knew that there was something there. Not quite a boyfriend yet, though.
“I didn’t realize how much you actually had to do in here.”
“Now you know,” I said. “I do everything and then some.”
“When are you coming back?” There was desperation in my brother’s voice, and I chuckled.
“We’re hiring an assistant,” I said. “Do you know anyone who could run another shop if we expanded?”
“Really?” He sat up and stared at me, his mouth gaping open.
“What? Do I have a spider on my head?”
“No. It’s just… we’re expanding? For real?”
“For real. Lucas wants to invest in the company.”
“No way.”
“Way.” I looked up at Andy who was still bug-eyed. “What is it?”
“Steph, you never take help from anyone.”
He leaned over and pressed the back of his hand to my forehead.
“You don’t have a fever. That can’t be it.”
“Come on.” I crossed my arms. “I take help from people.”
“Are you an android who looks like my sister? What have you done with Stephanie?” Andy peered closely at my face, into my ears and up my nostrils. “Steph, are you in there? Has an alien life form taken ahold of you? Blink twice for yes—”
“Oh, stop it,” I said, shoving my little brother away.
“This guy is something special, huh?”
“What do you mean?”
“You seem… happy.”
“I’m always happy.”
“No, you know what I mean. Usually you’re all tense and nervous and rushing around and OH MY GOD WHERE IS THE FLOUR. Today, you seem almost… relaxed. It’s weird.”
“Weird?”
“It’s a good kind of weird.”
“Well, thanks. I guess,” I said.
“Thank Lucas for me the next time you see him,” Andy said. “Did you know his butler was super cute?”
I was getting ready in the afternoon when Lucas called. I picked up the phone in one hand, my eyeliner pencil in the other.
“Hello?”
“What did you mean about me not being a gentleman?”
I laughed as I slid the pencil along the edge of my lower lid.
“Gentlemen don’t come into bakeries and tell women they want to tame them.”
There was a pause.
“Lucas?”
“True enough. Sorry, I was deciding whether I wanted to be a gentleman or not.”
“I hope you decided not.”
“Why?”
“Because,” I said, pouting at myself in the mirror before standing back up, “I want you to tame me tonight.”
“Is that so?” His voice was throaty like smoke.
“If that’s what you really want,” I said, letting the flirtatiousness fill my voice. I was enjoying doing this to
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