"Talk more? We can talk more."
"I was going to say we should move to the bed."
I pulled back, smiling. "I like the way you think."
THIS TIME WAS DIFFERENT.
Last night had been desperate — all heat and hunger and loneliness finally breaking loose. This was slower. Sweeter. Like we had all the time in the world and nowhere else to be.
I took my time with her. Kissed every inch of skin I'd rushed past the night before. Found the places that made her shiver, the touches that drew soft sounds from her throat, the spots that made her dig her nails into my shoulders and whisper my name like it was the only word she remembered.
When I finally slid inside her, bare and slow, she wrapped her legs around me and held on.
"Look at me," I said.
Her eyes met mine. Brown and gold and full of trust she probably shouldn't be giving me yet.
"I've got you," I whispered. "Whatever happens. I've got you."
She pulled me down and kissed me, and we moved together in the pale morning light — unhurried, connected, real.
When she came, it was with my name on her lips and her eyes locked on mine. I followed seconds later, groaning into her neck, feeling like the ground had shifted under me and I didn't want it to shift back.
We lay tangled together afterward, her head on my chest, my hand tracing lazy patterns on her back.
"Hunter?"
"Hmm?"
"Thank you." She pressed a kiss to my chest. "For not running."
"Cardio," I reminded her.
She laughed against my skin, and I made a mental note: making Dixie Lane laugh was going to be my new mission in life.
Sunday brunch was a lavish affair on the hotel's garden terrace. Mimosas flowed, the omelet station had a line twelve people deep, and Kendall was still wearing her tiara.
"I'm not taking it off until we leave for the honeymoon!" she announced when someone asked. "This is the only time in my life I get to wear a tiara without people thinking I'm unhinged!"
"Honey, people already think you're unhinged," Hudson said fondly.
She beamed at him. "That's the sweetest thing you've ever said to me."
Dixie and I found seats near the back, close to where Ruby and Pearl Garrett held court over a table covered in mimosas and pastries. The sisters waved us over immediately.
"Dixie! Hunter!" Ruby's sharp eyes swept over us, missing nothing. "You two look well-rested."
"Glowing, even," Pearl added with a knowing smile.
Dixie's cheeks went pink. "We, um—"
"Don't explain, dear. We're old, not blind." Ruby patted the empty chairs beside her. "Sit. We wanted to follow up on our conversation yesterday."
Dixie touched her purse, where I knew she'd tucked the business card Ruby had given her at the bakery. "I was going to call tomorrow, like you said."
"We know." Pearl's voice was gentle. "But we've been talking, and we didn't want to wait. What you did with that cake — the instinct, the artistry — that's not teachable. That's a gift."
Ruby inclined her head in agreement. "We'd like to offer you a formal apprenticeship. Full training, flexible hours, path to ownership when we're ready to retire."
