“This is getting out of hand,” Allie breathed. What an understatement. That’s twice now she’d almost had sex with Dax in her bakery, of all places. Despite the shame in that, she wanted him to pull her right back against his body and pick up where they left off.
But this had to stop. She wasn’t after the one-night fling, and really, how could this be more than that? All this talk about her being his mate was nothing more than a bad shifter pick-up line.
She crossed her arms. “You should go. I have a lot to do.”
“Why do you keep resisting what’s happening so naturally between us?” He gently squeezed her hip in a kneading motion that sent shivers down her spine. Her body’s response made it difficult to refute his statement.
She couldn’t bring herself to answer because thoughtful words refused to come. After a moment, he gave a slight nod as if acquiescing to her hesitation in continuing the conversation. He spread his hands wide.
“Make me your servant. How can I help?”
She hitched an eyebrow. A sudden image of Dax in a pink apron and nothing else, with a mixing bowl in the crook of one elbow came to mind. She could refuse his help, but though she was trying to keep space between them to slow down this crazy heat, she didn’t really want him to go. Her usually chaotic mind seemed more at peace when he was around. If he wrapped her up in his arms and held her through the night, she’d probably sleep for hours straight. He had a calming effect on her that she was coming to crave.
A random idea popped into her head.
“Were you serious about ordering the chocolate bacon cupcakes?”
“Hell yes. My family is having a... party of sorts and I think they’d be a hit.”
Allie nodded that he should follow her as she walked into the back and went to the refrigerator.
“I imagine it takes a lot of food to feed a party of bear shifters. Let’s make that test batch you mentioned.”
She grabbed out some heavy cream, butter and eggs and made a half turn to deposit them into Dax’s waiting hands. He was looking at her ass and not even trying to hide it. She plopped a small package of bacon onto his pile. He followed her obediently across the room as she took down flour, baking chocolate and vanilla. She reached for a stainless-steel bowl below the worktable at Dax’s hip. He didn’t move, forcing her to brush against his thigh to grab it. She stood and gave him an annoyed look—one that deepened as his gaze fell to her breasts.
“We have big appetites; that’s true.”
She set the bowl down hard. “Focus, man.”
He put his hands up in mock surrender. Allie giggled. Warm contentment spread through her and she had to swallow hard to keep herself focused.
Dax proved a willing helper as she instructed him on how to make the cupcake batter. He melted chocolate without burning it, only drank half the stout ale and somehow managed to refrain from eating all the bacon. By the time, the cupcakes were in the oven, his face was streaked with flour and his shirt had come untucked.
“Frosting time,” she prompted. She’d already melted more chocolate and it sat like a decadent pool in the bottom of the waiting bowl. “Here, add in this powdered sugar.”
Dax took the measuring cup of fluffy sugar and, before she could stop him, dumped it in all at once. The powder billowed up like a cloud and spilled all over the counter. Coughing, Allie, waved in front of her face as he did the same. They looked at each other and she couldn’t hold back laughter. His gorgeous face was covered in shimmery, white dust.
He wiped his face with one hand. “That’s not regular sugar.”
Allie laughed as she swept his bottom lip with her thumb. “No, but it’s still sweet.”
Impulsively, she brushed her thumb over his sugar-coated lips. The humor between them died as lust quickly replaced it. Damn, why had she done that? Unable to help herself, she popped her finger between her lips and sucked the confection off.
Why did he taste so good? She licked her lips again savoring the faint taste of his lips blended with the added sweetness.
Dax’s face grew dark, his expression a twin to the one he wore when he’d first walked in tonight.
“Damn it, Allie.”
A hard breath squeezed out of her and she knew there was no way to stop the passion between them. The timer on the oven beeped, pulling her attention away from the man with the serious sex face. Glad for the distraction, she turned off the oven and opened the door to pull the test batch of cupcakes out. She set them on the counter and was about to slip off the oven mitt when Dax’s arm went around her waist from behind. He spun her, so her breasts bumped into his chest right before he hauled her up and over his shoulder.
Just like he’d threatened to do.
She gasped and flailed to grab ahold of something for support. Twisting a little, she tried to shimmy down, but his grip was too serious, too strong.
“Dax!”
This couldn’t be happening. This... this was insane! Men didn’t just carry women off over their shoulders and whisk them away like this. Dax was oblivious to manners and the law, obviously.
