A Dash of Romance

by Sydney Campbell

  I held out the bag with the bagel and ice cream.

  “I brought you my hangover cure,” I said.

  Relief flooded his face. He dropped to his knees and wrapped his arms around my legs. I took him in in all his hungover glory—loose sweats, no T-shirt, day-old growth on his jaw. If this was him at his worst, I was all in. I was already imagining the feel of that stubble against my inner thighs.

  “Maggie. Maggie. I’m so sorry.”

  “You just split.”

  “I know.”

  “You really fucked up.”

  “God, I know.”

  “What happened?”

  “I think I got scared. Fuck, Maggie. I really like you, but I’ve always been in control, you know? And all of a sudden, I wasn’t. But in those four days apart, man, I gotta tell you. I think when it comes to you, I don’t mind losing control. So long as it means not losing you.”

  He got to his feet and I dropped the bag, throwing my arms around his neck. Our lips met, and I swear it was like coming home again. It just felt right. Not to mention damn good.

  He licked my lower lip and slipped his tongue into my mouth. I deepened the kiss, pressing myself up against him, feeling the muscles in his shoulders under my fingertips. God, it was amazing just to hold him in my arms, feel his body against mine. I could’ve stayed like that forever. He pulled away.

  “You’re still wearing your little maid uniform,” he said, an evil twinkle in his eye.

  I looked down, realizing I’d never bothered to change after my shift. Once I heard he’d been by looking for me, my goal was single-minded. I laughed and looked up at him.

  “Fantasy of yours?” I asked.

  He shrugged.

  “It is now,” he said. “Come, come inside.”

  I followed him into the living and stopped dead. The coffee table, armchair, and even the floor held piles of paperback novels. I reached down and picked one up. Small Town Love. I picked up another. His Fake Bride. I turned to him, stunned.

  “You’ve been reading romance novels?”

  He nodded. I surveyed the room.

  “How many of these have you read?” I asked.

  “All of them.”

  I blinked.

  “Why?”

  He grinned, looking suddenly very shy.

  “I wanted to be, well, I wanted to be the man you deserved.”

  I was speechless.

  “Don’t you get it, Maggie? You completely turned my world upside down. This started as a favour, one I didn’t particularly want to do if I’m being honest. But then you walked into my life. And you made me laugh, and you’re so fucking sexy, and you just made me feel things I hadn’t felt before. It confused me. It wasn’t who I thought I was.”

  He walked over, slowly.

  “But I like who I am with you. And I hated who I was when I walked out on you. When we’re together, Maggie, it’s unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. And I don’t just mean in bed. Although I do mean that, too.”

  I laughed. He leaned down and kissed me softly before continuing.

  “I want to be everything for you. I thought these books could teach me something.”

  “You don’t need them, Liam. I like you. These men—” I waved vaguely towards the stacks of novels. “They’re not real. You know that. Real people are going to make mistakes. I make mistakes, too. I promise.”

  “I guess I couldn’t quite bring myself to believe that,” he laughed.

  “Believe it.”

  I took his face in my hands and kissed him. He reached behind me and pulled the string on my apron, letting it fall to the floor. I twined my arms around his neck, getting on my tiptoes as he unzipped me. He gently pushed down on my shoulders, forcing my arms to my sides as he slid the uniform down until it, too, dropped to the ground. I stood there before him, in nothing but my bra and panties, my breath catching as he ran one fingertip down the front of my body, making a circle around my navel as my insides clenched.

  “You’re gorgeous, Em,” he whispered.

  I closed my eyes.

  I felt him draw closer, until there was only an inch or two between us, that space quickly becoming charged. I let out a slow breath as he took my chin in his hand. His mouth closed on mine and I put my hands on his hips, sliding my fingers into the elastic waist of his sweatpants. He groaned against me and I pushed down, letting his pants fall around his feet. He was wearing nothing underneath. I may have whimpered.

  I closed my hands around his ass, pressing my hips into his as he kissed me, feeling him grow hard against me.

  “You missed me,” I observed.

  “You have no idea,” he growled.

  I wrapped my legs around his waist as he lifted me and walked us through the living room and into his bedroom. He lay me down on the bed, kneeling over me to peel down my panties, tossing them across the room. He inhaled deeply, staring at me with pure lust in his eyes.

  “I hope you don’t have any plans for the rest of the day,” he said. “This might take a while.”

  I took his head and pushed it down between my thighs. With no further ado, he got to work. As his tongue worked its magic, I couldn’t believe there’d ever been a time where I thought I wouldn’t enjoy this. That I could do perfectly fine without it.

  As Liam’s tongue teased my clit, I knew I’d never been more wrong in my life. I raised my hips off the bed, already racing towards the edge. He wrapped his lips around me, sucking gently and I grabbed onto his shoulders, holding on as I thrust into his face. He squeezed my ass with one hand, bringing the other between my legs and sliding two fingers inside me.

  “Oh, fuck, Liam,” I cried out.

  I felt him smile against me and I opened my eyes to look down. He raised his own eyes, meeting my stare and the desire in them was overwhelming. This man, this beautiful man, wanted me. I grabbed his head and threw my own back against the pillow as he increased the pressure. I was a speeding train, racing forwards, nothing able to stop me. I cried out as I came, clutching his hair as I rode out the waves of the orgasm.

  When I came down, he raised his head got on his hands and knees, crawling up until he was positioned above me. I put my hands around his waist, pulling him down closer, needing contact between our bodies. He leaned over and pulled open the night table drawer, pulling out a condom which he dropped on the bed beside us.

  “You’re not going to leave this time?” I asked, only half-joking.

  “It’s my apartment,” he grinned.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

  Epilogue

  “You up?” Liam asked.

  “Nope.”

  “Come on, wake up,” he insisted, gently poking me in the side.

  We’d been together six months, living together for four. In all that time, not one morning had passed that I hadn’t woken up to the smell of fresh-brewed coffee coming from my kitchen. This morning, there was no such aroma.

  “You know what I need,” I said.

  “Shit, Em, didn’t we just do that a couple of hours ago?”

  “Ha, ha. You know what I mean.”

  I cracked an eye open and looked at him. He was standing by the side of the bed, one hand behind his back.

  “I think this is more important than coffee,” he said.

  I sat up, suddenly wide awake. This was very un-Liam-like behaviour.

  “What’s up?” I asked.

  He pulled a large envelope from behind his back.

  “You got mail,” he said, handing it over.

  I took the envelope, looking at the front. It was addressed to me, and the return address was the last publishing company I’d submitted to. I was up to seven rejections at this point and had just about given up. I took a deep breath, opened the envelope, and pulled out its contents. I studied them for a moment before looking up at Liam. There was an anxious look in his eye.

  “It’s a publishing contract,” I said, in shock.

  “YESSSS!” he screamed, doing a victory lap arou
nd the bed before taking a giant leap and landing in his spot next to mine on the mattress.

  He grabbed me, pulling me into an enormous bear hug. I laughed, unsure of what felt better—receiving this incredible news, or the fact that I had someone to share it with who was just as excited as I was. I pulled him down with me into the pillows, burying my face in the space between his shoulder and his neck. My most favourite spot.

  “Get up, I’ll take you to brunch and we’ll celebrate,” he said.

  I lifted my head and peered out the window into the January winter wonderland that lay outside.

  “I don’t know,” I said. “Looks cold. Why don’t we do our celebrating right here?”

  He grinned wickedly and smacked my ass.

  “What exactly did you have in mind?” he asked.

  “Well, I’m working on this scene in my new book. Not so sure about the feasibility of it…” I reached down into the waist of his sweats and found him hard and ready for me.

  “I think I get the picture,” he said, his voice husky.

  I tilted my head up for a kiss and he obliged. I stroked him, and he worked his pants off before reaching up to cup one of my breasts. I was still naked from our early-morning romp, after which I’d fallen into a deep sleep. Monday mornings with Liam were the best.

  “That feels—” I started, but he cut me off with another kiss.

  His hands were everywhere and my body was on fire. No matter how often we had sex, it was never enough. My thirst for him was unquenchable, and from the way he devoured my body, I knew he felt the same. He bent his head and took one nipple in his mouth, sucking gently as I moaned. His hand worked my other breast and my head was spinning. He slid his other hand down below my waist. I was so wet his finger just slid in, easily finding its way to the magical spot that sent me off into orbit.

  “I want you in my mouth,” I managed to get out.

  He got to his knees by my head, his hand still working between my legs. I reached up and took him in my hand, stroking him a few times before reaching out with my tongue to taste him.

  “Oh, god, Em.”

  I wrapped my mouth around him, sliding my tongue up and down and I pulled him deeper into my throat. I felt his knees buckle before he reached over with his spare hand to brace himself against the wall. His thumb found my clit and he pinched lightly before starting to rub me rhythmically, driving me towards a sure orgasm. He’d gotten to the point where he could make me come in under two minutes. But once he’d done it, he’d refused to do it again. No, Liam much preferred teasing me, drawing out my pleasure.

  My hips came up off the bed and I cupped his balls, squeezing lightly as I traced a line up his shaft with my tongue. He increased his speed with his thumb as he started to fuck my mouth. I looked up at him and our eyes met, his hooded and shining with desire. I exploded into my orgasm, surrounded by bright colour and intense waves of pleasure as he pulled his cock out of my mouth, repositioning himself on top of me.

  “For a guy who doesn’t do missionary,” I said, “you seem to do a lot of missionary.”

  “I fucking love watching your face when you come on my cock,” he growled, leaning down to bite my neck as he slid into me.

  He thrust once, twice, and then stilled. I used the opportunity to roll him over onto his back, never breaking our connection, as I straddled his waist. I grabbed his hands and put them on my breasts. He needed no further instruction as I started to ride him.

  “Was this was you had in mind?” he asked.

  “Almost,” I panted.

  I lifted my hips, letting him slide out as I swung one leg over and repositioned myself so I was facing his feet.

  “Ah, the good old reverse cowgirl,” he laughed.

  “This has a name?” I asked.

  “Still so much to teach you. You know, for a romance writer, fuck—” He stopped talking the moment I slid back onto him. I couldn’t blame him. The angle was exquisite.

  I started to move, slowly at first, then picking up speed. The length of his cock slid along my clit as I rode up and down, and I reached down, applying more pressure with my hand, increasing the sensation until I was a puddle of moans and soft cries.

  I felt his hands on my back, and then they slid around cupping my breast, squeezing as I rode him. I could feel his control, his refusal to move his hips and let me set the pace. The power I felt was undeniable. It was definitely an aphrodisiac. I had never been so turned on in my life.

  “Liam?” I said.

  “Yeah?”

  “I think I’m going to come.”

  He pinched my nipples, sending me flying over the edge. I grabbed hold of his thighs as I rode it out, crying out over and over until I felt him pull me firmly against him as he came deep inside me. We’d ditched the condoms months ago, and the feeling when he came inside was often enough to make me come again. He reached around, finding my clit and rubbing frantically, knowing he could get me there.

  “Oh, fuck, Liam,” I screamed as I came a second time. I collapsed forward, my breasts against his thighs, as I tried to regain my breath. His hands moved slowly over my lower back, my ass, finding the place where we were still joined and running his thumb along it. I sighed happily, once again awed that we’d ended up together.

  *

  “Hey, Em, phone for you.”

  I walked into the kitchen, going over the contract in my hands, to find Liam holding out my cell phone. I must have left it there the night before. I hadn’t even heard it ring. I’d fallen back asleep, once more, after our celebratory session and had woken to the smell of pancakes and bacon.

  I padded over and took the phone from him, putting it to my ear.

  “Hello?”

  “Sweetheart! It’s your mother. How are you?”

  I shot Liam a dirty look and he just smirked, turning back to the stove.

  “I’m fine, Mom. How are you?”

  “I’m well. Your father, too. We decided to spend this cold day planning our spring and summer travel plans and guess what? You’re first up on the itinerary. I’m giving you plenty of advance notice so you can take the time off.”

  I took a deep breath in before replying, but then decided not to argue. Why bother? I had a publishing contract in my hands, literally. Who knew if I’d even be working at the hotel in four months? Maybe I’d be able to write full time.

  “Why don’t you give me your dates and we’ll see what we can do,” I said.

  “Well that sounds lovely. I will do that, dear. Any chance Liam can get some time off?”

  I glanced over at him, remembering how he’d handed me the phone without warning.

  “Pretty sure that can be arranged,” I said.

  “Fabulous. I mean, it was a nice visit last time, but with the two of you running in different directions all the time, we didn’t get enough time together. I mean, really, Maggie, you never even told us how you got together in the first place.”

  I burst out laughing and sat down at the kitchen table. Liam put a plate in front of me before sitting down to his own.

  “Actually, Mom, that’s a really funny story. Have you got a minute?”

  *

  Author’s Note:

  Thank you so much for downloading A Dash of Romance!

  This is the third book in my new series, Mountain Valley Romance, a collection of stand-alone steamy stories taking place in a small, northern Canadian town in the mountains. There’s something about small towns that makes writing about them so delicious. The tight-knit communities, the fish-out-of-water stories, the reunions with long-lost loves—there’s so much potential material.

  This particular story was inspired by some friends of mine and writing it was pure joy. I spent almost two years in the kitchen while at culinary school, so getting to draw on that experience was a lot of fun. It was also super interesting to discover all the changes in the culinary arts over the past decade while I was doing my research for Liam.

  I’ve always loved the trope of
the fake relationship. I mean, who doesn’t? It was something I hadn’t attempted yet, and Liam and Maggie presented me with the perfect opportunity. I loved her spunky naivete and his smoldering charm. The chemistry between them was easy to create!

  If you haven’t already signed up for my newsletter, it’s a great chance to receive a free bonus story that’s not available anywhere else. Sign up here. In addition to receiving the fun (and sexy!) prequel to the Allie Styles Romance series, you’ll be among the first to know about new releases and sales, and you’ll even get the occasional free chapter…

  *

  I really hope you enjoyed A Dash of Romance. The next book is the series, Coming Around Again, launches on October 1, 2021, but can be pre-ordered at your favourite retailer. Here’s a sneak peek:

  “Ladies and gentlemen, we’re now approaching Mountain Valley, the end of the line. Please ensure you have your personal belongings with you. Your luggage will be retrieved from underneath the bus once we arrive at the terminal. As you’ll have noticed, there’s a storm coming and caution is urged for the rest of your travels this evening. Thanks for riding with Great Lines.”

  I looked up from my laptop for the first time in God knew how long and peered out the window. The snow was indeed coming down. I could barely see the mountains that I knew surrounded us. It had been over a decade since I’d last been here, but some things you never forget. I shut my laptop in frustration. Aside from serving as a distraction from the storm, my attempt at writing on the trip had been laughable. I tried not to think about my looming deadline, but it was impossible. It was like the devil on my shoulder, taunting me.

  I packed everything up and was pulling on my coat when my cell phone started buzzing. I searched my purse until I found it, dismayed to see I was on the last bar. I’d have to charge it in the rental car on the drive. I saw who was calling and grimaced. The devil on my other shoulder.