When his hands disappear from my body, I sneak a peek at him as he moves around the kitchen, already so comfortable in this element. Before he catches me staring, I turn back and start frosting again.
Just after midnight, I switch off the light after cleaning for the past hour. Baylor’s already holding the door open for me. I take one last look around and lock up before we make our way upstairs.
My feet are dragging, and my arms are kind of sore from doing that same motion for the past few hours. The festival is a huge undertaking physically, but mentally, I feel like I’m already forgetting something. As we enter the apartment, I say, “I have to be up early to get everything ready for the cupcake cart.”
“How early?” he asks, closing the door behind him and locking the deadbolt.
“Six, at the latest.” I don’t turn on the lights as I walk to the bedroom. Enough light creeps in through the cracks of the blinds to guide the way.
“I can drive you home if you need to sleep there.”
I’d almost forgotten about my mom knowing he’s renting the place. I check my watch. “I’d rather stay here. Anyway, she’ll be asleep, and I’ll be out the door before she wakes up. I think our secret is safe.”
I flip on the bathroom light and reach for my toothbrush. When Baylor comes with his toothbrush in hand, I add the paste so we can brush together. It’s hard to focus with him around, though. A giddiness finds me, making me giggle through the white foam. The sudden reaction sends dribbles of paste down my chin.
He grabs a tissue to clean me up before I even spit. As soon as we do and are finished, I say, “It’s fun to have you here.”
“I’m glad you stayed.” He exhales a day’s worth of exhaustion as he glances in the mirror and drags his hand over his unruly hair. “I’m so fucking exhausted.”
“Let’s go to bed.”
We wrap up in the bathroom individually, so when he comes out, I’m already tucked in. I’m not sure what to expect to happen. Will we have sex or go to sleep? I’m open to both because eitherway, I get to sleep in his arms again.
My body is calm, peace filling the room as he climbs in next to me. He kisses me but doesn’t linger. Instead, he pulls my back and body to his chest and wraps me in his arms. “Hey, Shortcake?” he whispers against my hair.
“Yeah?” I don’t know why my breath stops in my chest, but my heart stalls along with it.
Although I’m not facing him, the sudden tension between us makes me nervous. He takes a deep breath and slowly exhales before his words float against the back of my neck. “I’m developing feelings for you.”
I smile, not obnoxiously so, but the kind that comes from hearing him open up on his own. “What kind of feelings?”
A kiss is placed on my shoulder before he says, “I’m falling for you.”
I need to see his eyes, so I turn in his arms. “You are?”
“I am. It’s not something I do, but the more time I spend with you, the more I want to be with you.” He chuckles lightly. “Does that make any sense?”
I cup his jaw, then run my fingers over his cheek. “I feel the same about you.” I kiss him just as his hand slides along my ribs. Tucking my leg between his, I know right then that sleep will have to wait.
CHAPTER 18
Baylor
Sleep wears off slowly.In the first conscious moments of the morning, I reach across the bed to pull Lauralee to me.
Cold sheets. Empty. Shit.
I groan, rolling to check my phone, but judging by how bright the bedroom is, I know it’s well into the morning. The screen lights up with 9 a.m. flashing right at the top.
Fuck.
She’s long gone.
Sitting up, I scrub my hand over my face and roll out of bed. And like every morning shower, I have a plan in place before I’m drying off. I’ll check the shop downstairs first, and if she’s not there, I’ll head out to the festival and help her set up.
By the time I’m dressed, I get a text from Beckett from Tagger’s phone number:Dad said barrel racing at 1 p.m.
He isn’t asking me specifically, but your nephew texts with that much context for only one reason. I reply:I’ll see you at 1.
