CHAPTER 5
COLTON
I STIR IN my sleep, aware of moanin' comin' from my downstairs. Mumblin' and cursin' Buddy under my breath for bringin' another girl over to my place without my permission, I attempt to roll over and go back to sleep.
But then I hear Penny gigglin'.
I bolt straight up in bed. I growl as I look over at the clock. It's seven in the mornin'. Considerin' I didn't fall asleep until a few hours ago, I'm not in the best of moods.
I shrug on a t-shirt and a pair of jeans over my boxers and make my way downstairs.
"Oh, my God, Penny!" Buddy moans from the kitchen.
They're doing it in my kitchen?
"Do you like that?" she asks, breathlessly.
"Oh, yeah. That's great. You're amazing." Buddy groans loudly, but it's muffled like his mouth is full of somethin'.
Growin' angrier with every passin' second, I quicken my descent down the steps and round the corner of the kitchen just in time to catch them…eatin' dessert?
I blink a few times and take in my surroundings. My kitchen looks like a bakery threw up in it. Pans, sugar, flour, dough and other bakin' supplies litter my counters along with a countless number of pies, cakes and cupcakes in different stages of bein' finished.
Mack is stretched out on the floor lookin' content. He raises his head slowly and gives me a tired look before ploppin' his head back down onto the linoleum.So much for being a good watchdog. He didn't even let me know people were in my house. He really doesn't like strangers, so I'm surprised he didn't bark like crazy when Penny came in. He always lets me know when Ruby Sue is comin'.So strange.
"What the fuck is goin' on?" I complain.
Buddy and Penny both jump and turn to me. Buddy has a mouthful of apple pie, and he chews quickly and swallows before givin' me a big grin. "Penny thought of a way to help the bar. She wants to bake these delicious desserts for us to sell." Before I can even process that information, he continues with, "I know a lot of people who would buy these. We don't have a bakery in town, and old Mrs. Winston stopped bakin' cakes years ago."
I rub at my sleepy eyes. "It sounded like you two were gettin' it on down here," I grumble out.
Buddy starts laughin'. "Foodgasm," he remarks. He pops a toothpick in his mouth and grins wide. "So that's why you came runnin' in here like you were ready to start a war." He winks at me like we're sharin' a secret.
I eye him before I tell him, "Get the hell out of my house." I'm only half jokin'.
He chuckles and walks past me. "All right. I'll see you later, Penny!" he calls halfway out the door.
"Okay!" she calls back.
I lean against the counter, starin' at Penny. My kitchen is a disaster, and Penny is covered in flour. "I take it this was Buddy's idea for you to bake here?"
Penny nods slowly. "He said I would have more room to bake in your kitchen than in my apartment. I figured since you weren't using it…"
"That'd you tear it up like a tornado ripped through here?" I finish for her, fumin'. I'm tired and cranky and pissed off that I can't seem to get away from this girl…even though, in a weird way, I like seein' her in my kitchen all mussed up and happy.
She shrugs her shoulders slightly and bites her bottom lip. She's nervous. I learned quickly that's one of her nervous tics. "I'll clean it up, Colt. It looks way worse than it really is."
"Oh really? Because it looks pretty damn bad," I tell her. My eyes peruse her from head to toe. She looks cute in jeans, a t-shirt, chucks and a frilly pink and white polka dotted apron. Most of the apron is covered in flour, and she even has some on her cheek. She never looked more beautiful.
Where the hell did that come from?
My heart beats faster, and I instantly tear my eyes away and force them to the floor. I quickly clear my throat and turn away from her. "Well, just make sure you clean it up," I call over my shoulder before headin' back to my bedroom.
Once inside my room, I close the door behind me and lean against the wood, tryin' to calm my breathin'. I'm pantin' like I just ran a damn marathon. What is it about this girl that gets my blood pumpin'?
I take an ice-cold shower to calm me down before dressin' and headin' downstairs once again. Penny is gone and the kitchen is spotless. I feel a pang of disappointment that she left already, but I push the feelin' aside. I notice some cakes that are cooling on racks, and so I know she'll be back later. Why does that make me suddenly feel anxious and…happy?
Shakin' my head to clear my thoughts, I walk into the kitchen and stare at her apron draped across a chair. My fingers instantly gravitate towards it, and I find myself pickin' it up and bringin' the material to my nose. I inhale her scent deeply. She smells like flowers and sugar and flour and…home. She smells like my childhood, and I instantly get a warm fuzzy feelin' inside of me all of a sudden.
