Forking Around (Hot Cakes Book 2)
Page 28
They’d been talking about financials and Medicare payments and the pros and cons of contracting therapy services versus hiring your own in-house staff. All. Damned. Day.
Not one mention of innovative activity programs. Not one hint of anything having to do with goats.
At least they were playing Frank in the lobby. He heard the intro to "I’ve Got the World on a String" overhead as he stepped into the atrium.
But he came up short as his gaze landed on the woman standing under the massive chandelier in the center of the marble floor.
She was dressed in a gray pinstriped suit that Frank would have loved. She also wore black heels and a very sharp felt fedora with a black silk band above the brim.
She also had gorgeous, long red hair. And had a gigantic red gummy bear tucked under one arm and a toilet brush in the other.
Dax wasn’t sure what he loved most.
Then she started lip-syncing to the song. Into the toilet brush.
When she got to the first musical declaration of being in love and pointed the brush at him, Dax finally took a deep breath: a huge, relieved, happy-to-be-alive, madly-in-love breath.
This was good. So very, very good.
He looked around and spied a cream-and-gold upholstered armchair near a tall potted plant. He pulled the chair out, took a seat, and settled in to watch the show, propping an ankle on his other knee.
Jane’s eyes widened, but she shook her head as if to say, “Of course.”
And she kept lip-syncing.
She even had a little choreography. A few steps that looked like maybe she’d picked them up from Kelsey.
By the time she got to the last line of the song she was right in front of him, and she’d gone down on one knee and had the huge gummy bear extended as an offering.
He’d never been happier in his life.
He hadn’t realized they’d attracted a crowd until the people gathered in the lobby started to applaud.
Jane was blushing hard. Public spectacles, grand gestures, calling attention to herself wasn’t her style at all. But her gaze was locked on his.
“I wanted a life-sized gummy bear, but this was the biggest Grant could round up on short notice,” she said. “It’s strawberry though.”
He smiled at that. “It better be.”
“And if that’s not enough, then this fedora is another of Frank’s. It’s… I don’t remember. But Grant has the paperwork. It’s official.”
He wanted her so badly. God, this woman was everything. She was generous and funny and down to earth and loving and real and everything he’d never known he needed.
“If it’s not enough for what?” he asked. “Jesus, I’m so happy to see you. Candy and lip-syncing is the whipped cream and sprinkles on top of this freaking gorgeous, sweet pie that I don’t even think I deserve.”
“It’s to say I’m sorry for doubting you,” she said.
He stood swiftly, pulling her to her feet. “You had every reason to doubt me. I have no idea what I’m doing, Jane.”
She shook her head. “That shouldn’t matter. You’ve given me no reason to doubt you. You care about the things you do and the people you do them for. You find a way to get things done, and you have a whole team of people who will pull together to help you. I never should have thought for a second that this would be any different.”
“This is your dad. And I can’t fix it. It’s serious.”
“But you can make it better. You always make things better. Just being there and listening. And taking us out. And taking us to see llamas. And making sure we always eat dessert.”
“Strawberry pie might not always be enough,” he said, cupping her face.
“No. It won’t be. But you being there will be. I love you, Dax.”
“I love you too, so damned much.” He pulled her in and kissed her. Not with heat, but with all the love and hope he felt because of her and that he wanted her to have because of him.
She wrapped one arm around him. The one with the toilet brush. The other still hugged the gummy bear.
Their crowd applauded again.
He pulled back after several long, sweet moments and grinned down at her. “I’m so happy you’re here.”
“Me too. I’ll bet the robes and room service here are awesome.”
“You took time off work?” he asked.
“I did. The three days while you’re here.”
“Wow. Now I know you love me,” he said with a grin.
She nodded. “I do. So much.”
“And now you can go to these Medicare seminars with me.”
She laughed and shook her head, pulling back. “No way. This is your idea. I just make snack cakes. Llamas are all you.”
She did so much more than make snack cakes. But he just sighed. “They’re alpacas.”
“Right. Whatever. Do you have a suite?” She started toward the elevators.
He was hot on her heels. Jane was here. She loved him. They were going to make this work.
“I do.” He crowded her up against the wall of the elevator as soon as the doors swished shut.
“Wonderful.” She kissed him. “The strawberry pie should already be up in the room.”
He was instantly hot and hard. “I’m going to have to tip the housekeeping staff extra, aren’t I? We’re going to make a big mess.”
She nodded with a grin. “I certainly hope so.”
“And with all that in mind,” he said, his eyes drifting up to the hat on her head. “On a scale from zero to ten, how weird would it be to ask you to wear this in bed?”
She lifted a brow. “A seven. But I matched my bra and panties to it because I knew you’d ask.”
He laughed. “I love that you know me.”
“I do.” She kissed him quickly on the mouth. “And I’m telling you right now… this gummy bear isn’t even allowed in the bedroom, so don’t ask.”
Thank you so much for reading Forking Around! I hope you loved Dax and Jane’s story!
Grant and Josie’s story is next in Making Whoopie!
This marriage of convenience is about to get sticky!
The Hot Cakes Series
Sugarcoated
Forking Around
Making Whoopie
Oh, Fudge (Christmas)
Semi-Sweet On You
Gimme S’more
If you love sexy, funny, small town romance and, well, hot kitchens and baked goods ;) you should also check out my Billionaires in Blue Jeans series!
Triplet billionaire sisters find themselves in small town Kansas for a year running a pie shop…and falling in love!
Diamonds and Dirt Roads
High Heels and Haystacks
Cashmere and Camo
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About Erin
Erin Nicholas is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of over thirty sexy contemporary romances. Her stories have been described as toe-curling, enchanting, steamy and fun. She loves to write about reluctant heroes, imperfect heroines and happily ever afters. She lives in the Midwest with her husband who only wants to read the sex scenes in her books, her kids who will never read the sex scenes in her books, and family and friends who say they’re shocked by the sex scenes in her books (yeah, right!).
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