The smell intensified when I pulled open the oven and my mouth watered. The muffins definitely weren’t store bought because they were in my muffin tin. They looked like something from a high-end restaurant. The tops were golden brown and instead of typical liners, they were in little parchment paper squares with the corners sticking up. That's probably all I had for him to use to make them, although it actually looked fancier.
I pulled the pan out of the oven with a dish towel and sat it atop the glass top stove. As I moved to reach for the cabinet that held the plates, I saw one had already been placed on the countertop with a fork resting in the center. Now he was just showing off. I wondered what else he had done while I slept. I trudged over to the coffee machine and lifted the lid. I preferred a typical coffee maker to the espresso and single serve ones, and when I looked into the stainless-steel water tank, it was filled to the top. I knew the grounds would be resting in the basket as well, but I checked anyway. Sure enough, all I needed to do was press ‘Brew’.
The aroma of coffee mixing with the cinnamon was a dream. I situated myself at the island with my breakfast and did as I was told. Usually, everything in my soul would be screaming at me to rebel, but today, all was quiet.
I took a bite of the muffin, the flavors exploding on my tongue and groaned into the empty kitchen. It was the best thing I’d ever tasted. Great, he could cook too. Shaking myhead, I pulled up his texts and hit play on the last voice message.
“I’m so proud of you, baby. I know you’re probably struggling with this, but I’m proud of you for taking some time for yourself, even if I had to push you a little.”
I tapped pause as warmth spread through me at the words. My parents always made sure I knew they were proud of me, but it felt different coming from him. Water pooled in my eyes, and I fought to keep it from spilling over. I thought I didn’t need anyone else except Mom and Dad, but now I was starting to realize maybe I wanted someone else. Specifically, I wanted this sweet and mysterious man who kept surprising me.
“Go into your room and get ready for the day. You can do as much or as little as you want. This is about you. If you want to go the whole nine, do it. If you want to do nothing, that's also fine. You’re perfect either way. Just dress in casual, everyday clothes. No pantsuits. Text me when you’re finished.
My mind kicked into overdrive. What was wrong with me? I was ditching work, doing exactly what a man I barely knew said, and I was going to keep doing it. He was right. I never took time for myself and maybe it was time I started. Maybe there was more to life than work and calculating every single decision I made. Throwing caution to the wind, I finished breakfast and got myself ready in jeans and a lightweight plum sweater. With no makeup and my hair down, I actually felt comfortable.
I grabbed my phone and texted Ryan.
“All right, I’m dressed and ready.”
A voice message came through a few minutes later.
“As much as I would like for you to not be dressed, good. Grab your keys.”
The sun glaredoff the windshield right into my eyes as I drove along the street toward the address Ryan had texted me. I didn’t recognize it, and he forbade me from Googling it. I almost did anyway, but I decided to just go with it, something I was doing more of lately.
I plugged it into my GPS and was enjoying the drive. I wasn’t in a rush, and the traffic was flowing easily since it was late morning. I couldn’t remember a day when I wasn’t hurrying around to get as much done as possible. Taking my time was proving to be quite nice, and I had a flutter of excitement at not knowing what to expect from the day.
When I pulled into a shopping center, I looked around for suite 705. When I found it, I was met with a used book and music store.
A smile tugged at my mouth, as the elder emo side of me jumped for joy. I was transported to my teenage years when I would spend whole Saturdays in the music store down the street from our house listening to music. I didn’t have the money to buy all the newest CDs or an iPod like the kids at school so I listened in the store. It was my favorite use of my free time aside from curling up with a book at the library. Having access to a musicandbookstore in one place would have been my best dream come true.
I picked up my phone and clicked play on the latest voice message that came through while I was driving.
“I’m going on a lot of whims today, but I’m betting you like music. I know you like books, so I luckily don’t have to guess at that one. I like the spot, so I thought you might, too. It’s one of the few places I leave the house to go. They have a nice area to read and a fairly large selection of old and new novels. I’ll behere when you’re finished. No rush. You have as long as you’d like, babe.”
Staring at my phone like it was going to grow legs and walk away, I wondered how Ryan knew me so well. We had texted about mundane things, but I didn’t divulge as much as he seemed to know. I hadn’t told him about my childhood, or?—
A chill ran through my bones. No, it couldn’t be possible, right? Ryan couldn’t have found anything about my past. It was a different time, a different place, and I had distanced myself from the situation, and there was no way anything was linked to me. I hired private investigators under a guise to be sure once I had made enough money to spare on the expense.
Taking a few deep breaths to steady myself, I pushed the worry from my mind. I was going to enjoy the day Ryan had planned for me and not question it. I was finally beginning to realize that I did deserve some me time every now and then, and it would start with going into that store and enjoying my afternoon.
Three hours later, my stomach grumbled, the muffin from that morning long forgotten. I browsed the aisles of music, then moved to the books section, plucking one from the shelves and settling into a soft chair by the window. The book was old and the faded cover had drawn me in. It had been well-read and loved by someone. I hadn’t heard of the author or title before, but it was in the romance section so I knew I’d enjoy it.
I hadn’t realized how much time had passed before my body yelled at me for food. Paying for the book, I stepped outside, searching the strip mall for anything to satiate my hunger until I could have a proper meal that evening. I still had no idea what the evening held for me, but it was likely a safe bet that food would be involved.
A shiver ran down my spine, and the familiar feeling ofbeing watched was back. The same one I got in the garage. I smiled to myself as I thought of Ryan sitting in a car at the edge of the lot somewhere watching my every move.
After a quick sandwich from the deli on the corner, I settled back into my car and texted Ryan.
“All right, what now?”
I tapped the steering wheel as I waited for the response that came a few minutes later in the form of another voice message, Ryan’s sensual tone filling the car.
“Goddamn, Raven, I’m going insane for you. I can’t stop thinking about that mouth and what you can do with it. Fuck.”
The voice message ended, and heat flooded through my body. The way his words were laced with desire had me clenching my thighs together. His voice was always sexy, but he could flip a switch and make your panties wet with one fucking sentence. No wonder he was so successful in his career.
Another message popped up, and I tapped play.
