A Dash of Romance

by Sydney Campbell

  I saw her often, of course. She was always at the restaurant. She seemed happy. Happier, in fact. I used to bump into her at parties and shit. She was never my type, but we ran in some of the same circles. I thought maybe I should chat with her.

  “You got quiet,” Adam remarked.

  “Yeah. Sorry. Just wandered for a moment there. How’d you know she was the one?”

  He took a minute before answering.

  “I don’t know if you ever know. I think it’s about trusting yourself, letting yourself feel.”

  “Helpful.”

  “Listen, Chef, here’s the thing. You like the girl, see where it goes. It doesn’t have to be forever. You’re dating. You like her. Just take it from there. Don’t overthink this.”

  Now that was solid advice.

  By the time we got back to town, it was near noon. Toni had taken care of lunch and I was due in the kitchen. Adam and I parted ways at the door and I spent the next several hours head down in the weeds. Friday nights at Cagney’s were off the hook and it was always a rush to work the dinner crowd. I didn’t come up for air until close to eleven, and when I checked my phone, I saw a bunch of missed calls from Maggie.

  I walked outside into the parking lot and called her back. She picked up after the second ring.

  “Liam?”

  “Maggie. What’s up? Something wrong?”

  “I got two rejections today.”

  She sounded like she’d been crying.

  “Oh, shit, Em. I’m sorry. That must sting.”

  Sniffles. Yup. She was crying. I had never dealt with a crying woman before, and I wasn’t quite sure how to handle it.

  “Listen, Maggie, I’m just finishing up my shift. Do you want me to come by?”

  “Please. That would be great.”

  I shoved my phone back in my pocket and went back into the kitchen to change out of my work clothes.

  “Where you going?” Bree asked, poking her head in. “You’re not joining us at the bar for a drink?”

  “Not tonight,” I said.

  She smiled knowingly and backed out of the kitchen. I grabbed my stuff and left. On the walk over there, I thought about how Maggie had reached out to me in a moment of distress. I felt a vise-like grip on my heart and stopped for a minute to catch my breath. This was what I’d wanted, right? A relationship with this woman. This is what a relationship was. Being there for each other. I swallowed and broke out in a cold sweat. Don’t be ridiculous, man. I shook it off and kept walking.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

  Maggie

  I hesitated for a long time before calling Liam. We’d just started dating, and I had no idea where we stood with each other. But I was crushed, and I wanted him close. Somehow, this seemed like something Tammy couldn’t help me with. No one could help me with it, but I felt if anyone could understand what this meant to me, would be able to comfort me, it would be Liam. If he wanted a chance, this was his chance.

  When I didn’t hear back, I freaked out a little and left him a message. I tried him a few more times before realizing it was a Friday and the restaurant was probably crazy. I felt like an idiot. He’d think I was a stalker or something.

  Now here I was, pacing the living room, waiting for him to arrive. When the first rejection came in, I was disappointed. It hurt, but I felt I could deal with it because there were still two more chances. When the second one came in, I just burst into tears. Sue at work covered for me and I took the rest of the day off.

  The bell rang and I stopped pacing, taking a deep breath to centre myself before greeting him. Behind my disappointment, I could feel the excitement at seeing him, and it brought the first smile of the day to my lips. I glanced down at my shorts and T-shirt, then walked over to open the door.

  “Maggie.”

  He pulled me into a hug and brushed back my hair with his large hand. It felt divine. I could have melted into him.

  “You okay?” he asked.

  I shrugged.

  “I will be. It’s just, you know?”

  “I know. Come, let’s go inside. I brought you some desserts.”

  I smiled and led him into the living room, where we both got cozy on the couch before he pulled three take-out containers from a paper bag, all containing chocolate delights. I grabbed a plastic fork and dug in.

  “That’s better,” I mumbled between bites.

  He laughed and stretched his legs out on the ottoman, closing his eyes.

  “I’m sorry,” I said. “You’re probably exhausted. And I dragged you over here.”

  He shook his head but didn’t open his eyes.

  “Nowhere I’d rather be,” he said.

  I reached over and touched his hair. He opened one eye and smiled at me before closing it again.

  “Just give me a minute,” he murmured.

  I leaned over and put the container down on the ottoman, then crawled into his lap. He let out a small pleasurable groan as I ran my fingertips down the side of his jaw before bending down to kiss him.

  “Em—”

  “Shhh…”

  I wrapped my arms around his neck, deepening the kiss until he responded. Before long, his fingers were threading through my hair, his hands running down my back. He kissed the soft spot under my ear, then the side of my neck before reaching the hollow place at my collarbone. I clutched his T-shirt as his head dipped into the V of my neckline.

  “I like those noises,” he murmured.

  I hadn’t been aware I was making any.

  I grabbed the hem of his shirt, pulling it up over his head and tossing it to the ground. I buried my face in his chest, inhaling his scent before exploring the landscape with my lips and tongue. His hands worked quickly, tearing off my shirt and unclasping my bra. I pulled it off, letting my breasts fall against his bare chest as he kissed me again. Every inch of me was on fire. I wanted him more than I’d ever wanted anything.

  I repositioned myself in his lap, grinding into him as I felt him grow hard beneath me.

  “Em, fuck—”

  “I want you. Please.”

  “Shit.”

  He lifted me off his lap with ease, depositing me on the couch beside him. He dropped to the floor before me, tugging at my shorts as I raised my hips off the couch, letting him slide them down my legs along with my panties. He traced one finger between my legs and I arched my back, eager for more.

  “You’re so wet,” he groaned. “Em, you’re so—”

  I pushed his head down, feeling a boldness I’d never known before. He spread my legs apart with his hands, peppering the insides of my thighs with light kisses. I was squirming, trying to align his tongue with my target, but he was having none of it, teasing me until I thought I would scream. Until I did scream.

  “That’s what I was waiting for,” he said before burying his head between my thighs, using his tongue to take me places I’d never been. I held his head with one hand and clutched the couch pillow with the other, riding his face as licked and sucked, pushing me close to the edge.

  “Liam,” I breathed. “I’m so close.”

  He slid his hands under my ass, squeezing hard as his tongue worked its magic. I opened my eyes and looked down at him, watching him devour me. It was so incredibly sexy, both of us moving, his hands and mouth all over me. He reached up and cupped my breast and I closed one of my hands over his as I raised my hips off the couch, chasing my release.

  “Yes, Liam, that’s it. Oh my god. Oh, shit. Liam—”

  The orgasm broke over me like a tidal wave, and I held onto him so hard I probably left bruises. But he wouldn’t stop, kept kissing me, licking me, stroking me with his tongue. I wrapped my legs around his neck, pulling him in closer, pressing myself against his face.

  He reached up and slid one finger inside me, and I exploded a second time, crying out his name as I came. This time he let me rest, kissing the insides of my thighs as I came down. Then he reached for his jeans and pulled out a condom. He glanced up at me, questioning,
and I nodded.

  I took his wrists and pulled him back up towards me, leaning in for a kiss. I took the condom from his hands, tearing the foil and pulling it out. He dipped his head to trace a circle around my nipple with his tongue. Whenever his mouth made contact with my skin, it was like fireworks in my brain. He short-circuited me, and I couldn’t think straight anymore.

  I reached down and took him in my hand, stroking him gently but firmly until he started to moan. Then I slipped the condom on and lay down on my back on the couch. He grinned and took my hand, pulling me up to my feet. He grabbed me by the hips and lifted me, prompting me to wrap my legs around his waist. He kissed me as he walked me to the dining room table, onto which he gently deposited me.

  “Not a missionary guy,” he whispered in my ear.

  My insides melted.

  He pulled me towards the end of the table and slid himself into me in one fluid, practiced move. Then he stilled, staring at me, wonder in his eyes. Without a word, I understood exactly what he was thinking. Never had I felt anything so exquisite, so incredible, so—

  “Shit, Em.”

  “I know, I feel it, too.”

  “Hold on.”

  I put one hand on his shoulder and grabbed the edge of the table with the other as he began to move inside me, slowly at first, then increasingly faster. I braced myself, using my leverage to raise my hips and meet each thrust, angling myself for maximum friction. The table shook, puzzles pieces falling to the ground.

  There we were, both of us, naked, having sex, in my dining room with the lights on. It was unlike anything I’d ever done before, anything I’d ever felt before. I wanted that moment to last forever, him gazing into my eyes, his face awash in pure pleasure.

  I felt the orgasm building, slowly, steadily, lazily. It was just out of reach, teasing me just as he was, pulling out and waiting for me to whimper before sliding back in. My body was electric, sending off sparks in every direction. I closed my eyes and threw my head back, abandoning myself to whatever was to come.

  He dipped his head, taking a nipple in his mouth and biting lightly as he continued to thrust. His pace was controlled, but I could tell he was close. I could feel it in the way he moved, the way his hands seized my hips.

  “Come for me, Em,” he whispered.

  I opened my eyes and looked down at the place where our bodies joined, then looked back at him through hooded eyes. I reached down, finding that spot that I knew would drive me over the edge. He increased his speed as I increased mine and together we sailed over the edge, him swearing, me calling out his name.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

  Liam

  The moment I closed her front door behind me, I knew I’d made a mistake. Whether the mistake was having told her how I felt, sleeping with her, or sneaking out in the middle of the night, I wasn’t sure. But a mistake had been made.

  I’d been crazy to think I could pull this off. That I could be boyfriend material. She’d needed me and I freaked out. I’d almost had a panic attack on the way to her house. And then how did I comfort her? With sex. Classic Grayson. Maggie deserved better than that. Better than me.

  I’d been planning to go home, but I found myself heading towards Franni’s bakery. I had toyed with the idea of talking to Tess about all this, how she coped with the abrupt lifestyle change. I checked the time. It was close to six o’clock. I knew someone would be there…with any luck it would be Tess.

  I could smell the baked goods before I even turned the corner onto Main Street. No one else was around yet, save for the occasional jogger and dog walker. The door to the bakery was open and if it had been a cartoon, there’d have been visible steam wafting into the street.

  I walked in and saw Jax behind the glass wall, working away in the kitchen. I poked my head in.

  “Hey, Liam. How you doing?” he asked, pausing to look up from his tray of danish.

  “Unsure. Is Tess around?”

  He laughed and slid the tray into the waiting oven.

  “No. She doesn’t show up until close to noon. You telling me she and Adam don’t keep the same schedule? We figured that was why she’d changed her shift.”

  I thought about it and realized he was right. Adam had been coming in around noon these days, save for the occasional times there were extenuating circumstances…like a farm trip. They hadn’t been together long, but they seemed to have already carved out a little schedule for themselves.

  “Right. Okay. Hey, listen. Does she seem, uh, happy to you?”

  He looked up, shocked.

  “Tess? Yeah, why? What have you heard?”

  “No, no, it’s nothing like that.” I was quick to reassure him. The last thing I wanted to do was start rumours. “This is actually about me.”

  Jax put down the towels he was using to hold the hot trays and walked over to me. He jumped on the stool, grabbed two croissants, and handed me one.

  “What’s up?”

  I took a step back. I hadn’t exactly been planning on having a heart-to-heart with another dude. But he was just sitting there, waiting for me to say something. I opened my mouth, then shut it again. Should I tell him? It kind of made sense, Jax was also a player, just for the other team. But he’d never really settled down with anyone, at least for as long as I’d known him. And in such a small town, I’m sure I would’ve heard if he’d had his heart broken at some point in the past.

  I pulled up another stool and tore off a piece of the croissant.

  “I think I fucked up.”

  “Tell me.”

  So I did. And when I was done, he was staring at me, a look of combined pity and amusement on his face.

  “So you just walked out? While she was sleeping?” he asked.

  “Yeah,” I said. “It’s fucked up. I know. I screwed around with her, then I decided I liked her, figured I’d never get her, got her, and then took off.”

  Jax contemplated this for a moment.

  “Maybe it was just the chase?” he suggested.

  “I don’t think so. Every time I think about her, I want to throw up.”

  “Is that supposed to be a good sign?”

  I jumped off the stool and started pacing.

  “I don’t fucking know. No woman has ever gotten into my head like this before. When I woke up and saw her lying there, next to me, my fucking heart stopped. I just panicked, and I fled. And the more I think about it, the more I think I did her a favour. Look at me, I’m a fucking mess.”

  “Hey, relax. You’re just a little freaked out is all. Let me get you a cup of coffee.”

  Jax took off into the front of the bakery to the coffee machine. I paced the floor, trying to figure out how I came to be standing in Franni’s kitchen at six o’clock in the morning talking about my love life with a man I’d never exchanged more than a dozen words with.

  I heard the jingle of a bell and looked towards the front door to see another guy, Chance I think, come in. He shot a questioning look at Jax as he made his way to the kitchen.

  “Hey. Chef Liam, right? From Cagney’s? Man, I love your food.”

  I smiled and took his outstretched hand.

  “Yeah. Chance, right?”

  He nodded, seemingly please I knew his name.

  “Let me know next time you’re in the house. I’ll come say hi,” I said.

  He smiled and went to get washed up and into his apron. Jax returned and handed me a coffee, holding one for himself.

  “I made it black,” he said.

  “Wise.”

  I took a sip. It was good coffee. I took a longer sip and let it slide down my throat, ignoring the burn. I deserved it.

  “Listen, I’m no expert at this, but all I’ll say is, figure out what you really want. You’ve lived one way for a long time. A challenge came along. Like I said, maybe you just liked the chase? Who knows. Figure it out before you screw with her head anymore, though. Maggie’s a nice girl.”

  “Yeah, I know that. I know I’m not good enough for her.”<
br />
  “Shit, man. No. It’s not like that. If you like her, and she likes you, that’s all that’s important. But it seems like you won her over, and now you’re not sure what to do with your prize. That’s the shit you’ve got to figure out.”

  Huh.

  I took the last sip of my coffee before throwing the cup in the trash.

  “Thanks, man. That was really helpful. Come by for dinner sometime. My treat.”

  Jax smiled and Chance’s head shot up.

  “Yeah, yeah. You, too.”

  I walked through the bakery, out the door, and headed home for a few hours of sleep.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

  Maggie

  “He was just gone?”

  “Yeah.”

  “No note?”

  “None.”

  I was hiking one of the more challenging trails with Tammy as I told her about my night with Liam. I’d texted her the moment I woke up and we both called in sick. Might’ve looked suspicious, but I didn’t care. This was an emergency.

  “What the actual fuck is that?” she asked. “Who does that? Well, I guess Liam Grayson does that.”

  I didn’t even know what to say. I had no idea what had happened, what, if anything, I could’ve done to provoke his leaving. I’d thought we’d had a great night, despite the fact I’d been crushed about the rejections. The sex had been mind-blowing. At least, for me. Maybe it hadn’t been for him? No. Impossible. We were both there.

  “Maybe he got scared?” I mused.

  “Fuck that shit,” she said. “No. No one treats you like that. Fuck him.”

  “You think?”

  “I do.”

  We hiked on in silence for a while. Pushing myself physically was the only way I was managing not to cry over this entire thing. If Tammy was right, and he was just an asshole, where did that leave me? How stupid had I been to trust him? After everyone, including my own brother, had told me not to trust him. I had been willing to just screw around, dammit, and he’d insisted on getting to know each other, saying he liked me. What the hell?