“Oh for heaven’s sake!”
“Gigi!” Holden said, grabbing her around the waist and pulling her back into him. “I was joking. If the oven is still on it’s fine. We can turn it off later.”
“But what if it catches fire!” she exclaimed, her voice sounding a lot more fragile than she wanted it to. She would never, ever forgive herself if she burned down this house too.
“Would it make you feel better if I went and looked?” he asked, a look of concern in his eyes. She wasn’t sure if it was over the oven or just because she was maybe coming off a little insane.
“Do I sound crazy if I say yes?”
“No,” he said, placing a kiss on her temple. “Be right back.”
Holden squeezed her tight, planting a sloppy, wet kiss on her cheek before pushing himself off the bed and sauntering out of the room. Gigi watched his stunning backside as he strolled down the hall toward the back stairs fully naked. Damn, he’s got a nice ass. All that running had toned him in all the right places, making for quite the view. She felt herself flush, slightly embarrassed by how unashamedly she’d been watching him, and looked down at her own naked body. No part of her had thought anything about it just a moment ago, when she was wrapped up in Holden’s arms, but now the moment was gone, and she was just the naked girl in his bed.
Unsure of what came next in situations like these, Gigi grabbed her clothes off the floor and held them up to her chest, shielding herself, like the only other person in this house hadn’t just kissed his way up and down her body, making her see stars in the process. This was all so new to her, leaving her to wonder what protocol was here—was there even one? Did she stay and wait for him to come back? Was this her cue to leave? Leaving was probably the better idea. It was only a dozen or so steps to her room, and if she hurried, she could make it there before he returned and she had to face him. She tiptoed out of his bedroom, trying to be as quiet as possible, still holding her clothes up against herself.
“It was off,” Holden said, as he crested the top of the back staircase. His voice startled her, and she froze, halfway to her room. The deer in headlights look that she knew was painted on her face made her feel self-conscious all over again, but she couldn’t move. “Where are you going?”
“Oh, ummm, just back to my room,” she stammered, taking in his glorious naked form, this time from the front. It was like staring at the David, in awe of his beauty, just with tattoos and a much better package.
“Why?”
“Well…I…mean…we can’t spend the rest of the day in bed…”
“Sure we can,” he said, a look on his face like that should have been a given. He studied her for a moment before stepping closer and placing his hands on her bare hips. She hugged her clothes tighter to her, gasping at the contact. “Have you never done that? No wonder you thought cake was better than sex.”
“We just had sex!” she whisper shouted, unable to contain the word vomit she’d been holding back. “What now? Are…are we…something? Or was that just sex to you? Because I’m not really that kind of girl, Holden. I mean, I’ve never just slept with anyone before. I’m not saying you have to be my boyfriend, but…that meant something, right? Or maybe it didn’t. That’s okay too. I get it. I know it’s different for guys. But I do like you…and it did mean something to me. But if you don’t like me, that’s fine. I don’t want to assume. So, if you don’t want to again, I understand. Just please don’t tell me that you regret—”
Holden cut off her ramblings with a kiss. His mouth seared to hers before she even had time to think, much less react, but it felt good. Damn good. Dropping her clothing, Gigi’s hands flew around his neck, drawing him in even closer. His kisses were spicy and sweet all at the same time, and it created a need inside of her that she hadn’t even realized existed. Moving his hands to her ass, he lifted her up in one swift motion, never breaking the kiss. Goodness, was there anything this man wasn’t capable of? With her arms and legs wrapped around him, he walked them back into his room, where he sat down on the bed.
“Sweetheart, there is absolutely no part of me that regrets what we just did,” he said after a long moment filled with fevered kisses. “In fact, I look forward to doing it again. And again…and again.” A wicked grin tugged at his lips, making the butterflies in Gigi’s tummy come back to life. “I told you the other night, I really like you. I know you’re not that kind of girl, and I'm not that kind of guy. There’s been no one for me since Hannah.”
“No one?”
“No one,” he confirmed. “I hope that shows you just how special you are to me, Gigi. I don’t know what this makes us, because this is all new to me too. But what I do know is that I want to explore it. Let me take you on a date tonight.”
“A…a date?” He wanted to take her on a date?
“Yes, a date. It’s Friday night, and that’s what a guy does on a Friday night. He takes his girl on a date.”
His girl. The words almost made Gigi melt on the spot.
“I like that idea,” she whispered, lowering her head until it was resting against his.
“Good. Now, we have some time to kill before we need to shower to head into town…and I have a couple of ideas on how to spend that time.”
Holden
Holden slammed the door of his truck closed, having just finished setting up everything he and Gigi would need for the evening. It had been so long since he’d planned a date that he almost wasn’t sure he remembered how. The idea of driving all the way to Montpelier for dinner seemed mundane, and while the diner in Colebury could be a fun experience, what he wanted tonight was something a little more, well, romantic.
Dusting himself off so he would look presentable, he glanced up to see Gigi come through the front door, greeting him with a huge smile. She looked too cute for words in her formfitting jeans, puffy teal winter coat, and a white knit hat and matching mittens. It was almost as if she stepped off the set of a movie and into his house.
“I was going to come pick you up at your door,” he said. He placed his hands on her hips and tugged her into him, placing a soft kiss on her lips.
“My bedroom door?” she questioned, a little giggle to her voice.
“It sounds a lot more ridiculous when you say it like that,” he answered, returning the laugh.
“I can go back upstairs if you want me to,” she offered, biting her bottom lip. The nervous habit made her even cuter, and Holden could feel himself starting to get hard just watching her.
“I don’t want to waste any more time. Let’s get this date started.” He took her mitten-clad hand firmly in his and led her to the truck. He loved the way her hand felt in his—even through the protective layers. Helping her up into the truck, he kissed her again, unable to help himself. Part of him had wondered if it would feel weird or wrong to take this step with Gigi, like he was somehow cheating on Hannah. But now that he was in the moment, it felt more right than anything had in a long time. This afternoon had officially pushed them over the line. She was one hundred percent his girl now, and he was going to make sure she knew it.
Just before they reached the road, Holden took a slight righthand turn, driving down a long, winding trail.
“Where are we going? I thought we were going into town?” she asked.
“I had a better idea. But don’t worry, we’re not going far, you’ll see.”
A minute later he slowed to a stop and put the truck in park in front of an old, rundown gazebo overlooking a small pond. The small structure had certainly seen better days, since no one had given it much thought in the last decade, but Holden had checked earlier that it was still structurally sound, at least enough for them to hang out for a couple of hours. The moon was full and bright above them, reflecting perfectly off the water of the pond. Gigi took it all in with wide eyes and an equally big smile as he led her over to the gazebo, where he’d laid out a bunch of pillows and blankets for them to use. The built-in bench was lined with candles, which once lit would hop
efully give off enough of a glow for them to be able to see each other, even if they didn’t give off much heat.
“I had no idea this was over here,” she commented, amazed by her surroundings.
“Well, as you can tell, it’s in need of some repair, but it’s been here since the twenties, I believe. It was one of my favorite places to come and read as a kid.”
“Did you ever go swimming in the pond?”
“Uh, no. That thing is gross. You’d probably come out all covered in leeches, like in Stand By Me,” he told her, a shiver running through his body at the thought. He led her to the blanket and motioned for her to sit, while he lit the candles surrounding them. Once they were all settled and tucked in, Holden reached behind him, grabbing a thermos.
“I’ve never seen it,” she admitted as he poured hot chocolate into two camping mugs.
“Adding that to our movie list!” he laughed. “Are you warm enough?” Putting his arm around her, he closed the small gap between them. He rubbed his hand up and down her arm, enjoying the feel of her body against his.
“I am now,” she said, snuggling into him. She took a sip of her drink, a soft moan escaping from her lips. “Can I ask you something?”
“Anything.”
“You spend a lot of time up in the loft in front of either the computer or a typewriter. Are you writing a book? Like your godfather?”
“I’m pretending to write a book,” he corrected her. “It should come as no surprise based on what I’ve told you about my family that I’ve always wanted to be a writer. That was always my plan. But then I got drafted, and it was too good of an opportunity to turn down. Financially we’d be set for a very, very long time, and I figured I could still write in my downtime. That proved a lot harder than I thought. Then everything happened with Hannah, and I haven’t been able to write since. My muse died with her.”
“Holden,” Gigi gasped. The tears forming in her eyes about broke his heart, while still somehow endearing her to him. How was it that this beautiful woman he’d known such a short time seemed to feel his pain right along with him? “I’m so, so sorry.”
“I keep hoping that someday my muse will return. Just need the right spark,” he shrugged. “What about you? What did young Gigi want to grow up to be?”
“Promise not to laugh?”
Holden could hear the apprehension in her question, and he wished he had the magic cure to fix her confidence. It was a good thing her asshole husband was dead, or he’d be more than a little tempted to kick his ass.
“Of course.”
“A book editor.”
“Seriously?” He was taken aback by her answer. She had told him that she’d majored in literature in college, but it hadn’t occurred to him that an interest in publishing would have been the motivating factor.
“Yup. I’ve always loved to read, but I’ve never really been good with words. I figured being an editor was the best way to basically read all day. I mean, I know they do more than that, but that was still young Georgia’s logic.”
“Why would you think I would laugh at that?”
“Because everyone I’ve ever told has laughed at that answer,” she whispered, looking down into her almost empty mug.
“Well, I’m not laughing,” he whispered back, tightening his grip around her. “Are you still interested in that?”
“Oh no. I still like to read, but I don’t think I could do a job where I had to tell people their stuff wasn’t good. I’m not mean enough. Is it bad that I’m thirty-four and don’t know what I want to be when I grow up?”
“Only if it’s bad that I’m thirty-nine and don’t know either, sweetheart.”
“I never thought that I’d enjoy baking as much as I am though. It’s been so much fun to play with the recipes, even the ones I've messed up. Maybe someday I can have my own cake shop.”
“I think that you can do anything you put your mind to.”
Gigi twisted in his arms so she was facing him, pressing her lips to his. It might have been early December in Vermont, but every part of him was on fire. How could it not be with Gigi sitting in his lap. His erection surged, and he shifted underneath her, not wanting her to think this moment was about sex. He was enjoying being close to her, listening to her talk about her dreams. The flicker of candlelight danced across her face, showing off everything she was feeling. What Holden saw in her eyes made him feel like the luckiest man in the world.
“I don’t think I've ever been as comfortable with another person as I am with you,” she said softly.
Gigi’s words hit Holden like a wrecking ball, overwhelming him. He knew what these feelings were, he’d been here before—he was falling. But everything was still new and different, like he was experiencing it all for the very first time. She was bringing him back to the world he’d known before, one that he’d thought was lost forever.
“For someone who thinks she’s not very good with words, you certainly know what to say to get me going.”
“It’s easy with you.”
She twisted in his arms again, this time positioning herself between his legs and pressing her back to his chest. Making sure she was fully covered by the blanket, he wrapped his whole body around her, engulfing her small frame in his. The soft mewls she made let him know that she was enjoying this moment as much as he was. They sat and simply watched the small snowflakes that began to fall, glittering in the moonlight.
“It’s my first Vermont snowfall,” she said, mesmerized by the fluffy white prisms that started sticking to the ground.
“Just one of many firsts for us,” Holden said, thinking of all the other things he couldn’t wait to experience with her. If she was this taken by a few snowflakes, he could only imagine what she would be like once the holidays drew closer, and he couldn’t wait to be by her side for it.
“It’s so pretty,” Gigi commented, snuggling deeper into his arms.
“Just not quite as pretty as you,” Holden whispered in her ear.
“Holden…” she cooed.
“I mean it, sweetheart,” he said, placing a kiss just underneath her ear. “I know we haven’t known each other that long, but you have brought more light into my life in that amount of time than if we were in Times Square. I feel alive for the first time since losing Hannah and the baby. You have no idea what you do to me, Gigi.”
Spinning in his arms, Gigi looked him in the eye. There was so much emotion in hers, and he hoped she knew how much it was returned. “You have no idea what you do to me. No one has ever believed in me the way you do, Holden. Thank you for taking a chance on me.”
“I will gladly take a chance on you, and your baked goods, over and over again,” he told her, leaning in for a kiss. “Now, how about I get you home and warm you up. Properly…”
17
Gigi
“Boss ladies were looking for you,” Roderick said, walking into the kitchen of the Busy Bean.
Gigi popped up from the small cake she was decorating for a special order they’d received and looked at him wide-eyed.
“I didn’t do it!” she exclaimed, a response so automatic she wasn’t quite sure where it came from.
Roderick stared at her for a moment, a puzzled look crossing his face. Gigi grinned awkwardly in return, trying not to look like she had a secret to hide, fearing that was exactly what she looked like right now. Had Roderick figured her out? Had Bradley found her?
“The dopey look on your face for the last week tells me otherwise, and I hope for your sake, it’s your hottie landlord,” he said, catching her off guard.
"Whatever could you mean?" she asked, trying to pass off some innocence, relieved to hear that’s where he was taking this.
"Girl, I know the power of a smoldering roommate, and yours…he's got the part down pat. And it's hot. So if you haven't already, I recommend taking that for a ride."
Gigi opened her mouth to respond but stopped herself. Just what did you say to that? She couldn’t deny the dopey smile part.
Roderick was right—there had been one plastered to her face ever since that night in the gazebo. Gigi had been so nervous when Holden had used the word “date” that she had changed her outfit at least a half dozen times. But once they were cuddled up under those blankets, all her nerves had melted away—and all those walls she had put up seemed to melt away right along with them. The man saw through to the real her like no one she’d ever known. She’d spent so long putting on a face—the perfect daughter in high school, the fun-loving coed in college, the dutiful wife after marrying Bradley—that she had almost forgotten who the real Gigi was underneath it all.
The rhythm they had found themselves in prior to Thanksgiving—of doing their own thing during the day and meeting up in the kitchen in the late afternoon/early evening to play test kitchen—still seemed to be working. Although now their playing around in the kitchen also involved kisses and caresses, and they always seemed to end up cuddled on the couch. Holden was the perfect mix of sweet and affectionate. For as generous as he was with his kisses and all his attention, she never felt like he was pawing at her. His touch was thoughtful, intimate, and oh so sexy. He seemed to know just where to touch her to get her all worked up, as well as when she just needed some reassuring. Evenings with him were officially her new favorite thing.
A slight pang of guilt hit her, wondering if she should have told Holden the full truth that evening on the couch, or most certainly after their date. He deserved to know the truth—to know that she still feared Bradley showing up any moment and causing a scene. But every time they were together it was as if there was nothing else but them. The world outside melted away, and they were enclosed in their own little world. A world she knew she would have to rock at some point, she just wasn’t sure when or how.
Throwing an exaggerated wink over her shoulder, she heard Roderick let out a deep belly laugh as she walked through the kitchen door out into the café. Slipping around the counter, Gigi found Zara and Audrey sitting at the same table by the window where they’d been when she’d first met them. She felt like that evening was a lifetime ago and that a completely different person was standing here now than had walked through that door waiting for her tire to be fixed.
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