"Ten."
There was sadness in his eyes as he talked about baking with his mom, and I wondered if there was a story there but didn't want to pry, especially as he was finally more relaxed around me.
"What do you do for a living?" he asked.
"I'm an architect."
"That's great. Have you designed anything I'd recognize?"
"Probably not since I've only recently moved here from Porto, so all of my work is there."
There was that look again. Curious, searching, and something else I couldn't put my finger on.
"They're finished, so it's time to ice the cakes and then the best part."
"What's that?"
"We get to try a little bit of each and give feedback."
"I can totally get behind that."
I was having a great time at the center, so much so that I almost forgot the reason I'd come. After David and the kids were gone, I left my boxed cake on the kitchen island and went out to the gardens to wait for Tiago.
The place was as magical as he'd described. I walked around and spent some time looking at the latest painting on the wall before I settled on the cushioned seats under an arch. I'd heard about the ever-changing piece of art created by the kids and loved it. Every time I looked at something in this place, my heart swelled further with pride for Tiago.
I knew he sold himself short when it came to his involvement with the center, but I was pretty sure if I spoke with Isaac, he'd tell me exactly how much work my gorgeous young man had put into it.
In the weeks since we'd lived together, I'd heard the one-sided calls from Isaac, and on one occasion, I'd even joined in a Skype video call when Isaac asked to meet me. He'd apologized for the confusion from the rental agency, but I'd shut him down immediately when I said I'd happily send the agency some flowers or a thank you card for their role in Tiago and I meeting again.
I saw movement from the direction of the kitchen door and looked to see Tiago leaning against the frame with my cake box in his hand. I smiled and crooked my finger to call him to me. He obliged and walked over, straddling me and placing the box next to us.
He was going to say something, but I was missing him too much for words, so I put my hand behind his neck and pulled him down for a kiss. He took advantage of his increased height in that position and took over the kiss, licking my lower lip before demanding entry. As if I'd ever say no to anything he wanted from me.
"Mmm… you taste delicious," he moaned into my lips.
I opened the box, and using the plastic fork I'd left inside, took a piece of the cake and fed it to him. The sounds he made as he took each of the bites I fed him made me so hard I wasn't sure how I'd be able to walk out of there.
"If I knew all it took was cake, I'd have baked you one ages ago," I said, pushing my hips up and showing him the effect his sounds had on me.
"You can bake, too?"
I chuckled and pulled him in for another kiss, tasting the chocolate filling from the cake on his lips.
"I baked this one."
He leaned back to look at me.
"When?"
"I was hoping to meet you earlier, but you weren't here, so I met your friend David and helped him with the workshop. This is the result of my effort." I grinned.
His mouth fell open. "You met David?"
"Yes, he's a nice guy but a little odd."
"How so?"
"He seemed apprehensive around me at first, but once we started talking about his workshops, he relaxed. It was like he was trying to find something in me, but I'm not sure what. Does that make sense?"
