The entire place was filled with trays of baked goods. Everything from tiny little cakes to cookies, breads and even flaky little pastries filled with what looked like jam. It took over every inch of space and in the center of it all, was Addy with her dark hair drawn back from her flour speckled face and her sleeves rolled to the elbows. She had her head bent forward as she carefully crowned a cupcake with thick, white frosting. Toby waited until she was done before speaking.
“Did the dessert fairy finally come?” He made his way deeper into the room, careful not to nudge anything. “It only took her twenty-seven years.”
Addy chuckled. “I wanted to get a head start for this weekend.” She swiped hair away from her brow with the back of her hand and left a smudge of icing in its place. “I thought I’d freeze everything … or do you think that would make them taste gross?”
The concern in her eyes propelled him forward. He stopped once he was a safe enough distance not to give in to temptation and touch her.
“It should be okay. The baked goods Willa gets at the café come frozen and she thaws them overnight. I don’t see how this would be different.”
Relief lifted and dropped her shoulders. She turned back to the dozen cupcakes still waiting to be decorated.
“How long have you been doing this?” He eyed her. “Have you even slept?”
She nodded. “I went to bed early and woke up at three.”
“Addy,” he murmured quietly. “You’re going to crash before lunch time.”
She glanced sideways at him. “I’m okay. Honest.”
Not sure what to do short of dragging her back to bed and joining her, he reached for the dishrag instead. He propped his cane against the island and reached for her face.
Addy immediately went rigid. Her brown eyes went wide and watchful. She said nothing as he took her chin between his thumb and finger.
“You’re a mess,” he said, as he raised the cloth and dusted lightly at the flour coating her cheeks and the icing smearing her forehead.
He ran the rag over her eyelids and across her lips. The latter parted, revealing just a hint of straight, white teeth. With her eyes closed, there was nothing stopping him from really taking in her delicate features. He was free to trace the delicious curve of her mouth and the promises they held. That close, he was practically begging for trouble.
“There.” He willed himself to lower his fingers from her chin. “Now you won’t be mistaken for a pastry.”
Her answer was an upward sweep of her lashes as dark eyes opened and met his. She stayed where she was, which was too close to him. The sliver of space gave him no mercy to the unique scent of her filling what little space was between them. It was sweet, but not floral or any type of food. It was calming and seductive, and musky, but cool, like the fresh scent of running water. Part of him wanted to stand there forever until he could identify it, but she had lifted her face to his and her mouth was moving, forming words that seemed lost in the obsession of his mind. Yet he studied the curve of them, the dip and contour with a growing sense of yearning that made all other thought process impossible.
Then, when she touched him, a harmless brush of her fingers down his arm, those urges roared up over him in a swallowing wave.
He kissed her. He took her upturned lips in a hard claim that surprised even him. Beneath his, her mouth parted with her gasp and he surged forward, conquering any objection she might have with a sweep of his tongue. His hands moved up and grasped either side of her head, holding her to him as he sampled the taste of frosting off her tongue. And for a moment, she just stood there, seemingly frozen as he devoured her mouth. Then she was kissing him back, pushing into him, demanding more. Her small hands curled into the worn material of his t-shirt as she leaned up on her toes to meet him.
It was his turn to groan as every inch she closed seemed to ignite with some inner fire. The currents snapped through him in sharp nips that blistered skin. Yet it wasn’t enough.
“Addy … Christ, I need you!”
He locked one arm around her middle. The hand on the other arm braced against the island. He lifted her up. Addy’s legs wound his hips. Her arms went around his neck. In that position, there was no way she couldn’t feel just how badly he wanted her, nor did he miss the heat of her core burning through both their clothes. She was as hot and hungry was he was and that knowledge nearly destroyed him.
“Addy…” Damn it! Somehow, he needed to get them to his room. He needed to do that without his leg going numb and sending them both to the floor. “Hold on, baby.”
Adjusting her weight higher, he fumbled for his cane. He almost had it. His fingers brushed the rubber grip, only to have the thing slide sideways and slam into the hardwood with enough momentum to crack like gunfire. In his arms, Addy jumped. Her head jerked up, breaking the carnivorous lock of their lips. Under the harsh light, her eyes were dark pits haloed by a ring of gold. Her lips were swollen and wet, and red from his whiskers. She had scratches on her chin and cheeks, and looked like the sexiest woman on the fucking planet. But he could see the creep of reality chasing away the glaze of passion. He could see horror part her lips and widen her eyes. He set her down when she struggled and didn’t touch her when she backed away from him, one hand cupped over her mouth.
“Oh God!” she gasped. “I am so sorry! I shouldn’t have … I don’t know what…”
The oven timer beeped behind him and she practically lunged at the door. He stumbled back just in time to keep from getting nailed in the knee by the hot metal swinging open. Heat bellowed free, tinged with the sweet scent of baked cupcakes. Addy didn’t seem to notice as she snatched up the oven mitts and reached in. Each pan was yanked out and set on the stove with a noisy clatter. She shut the oven door and stared at the four trays like she couldn’t believe they could betray her.
“Addy…”
She shook her head. Her eyes squeezed shut tight. “Please don’t.”
“No!” Ignoring her protest, he took her elbow and pulled her rigid body back to him. “You don’t, because I am so fucking hard right now, I can barely stand it and I know you’re wet. I know you liked that kiss just as much as I did and I know that if we hadn’t gotten distracted, we’d both be in my bed right now and I’d be so deep inside you, you’d lose your fucking mind.”
An intense surge of arousal rode up her neck. It flooded her cheeks to a deep crimson that only deepened his burning desire for her.
“Is it ‘cause of your husband? Do you still love—?”
“No!” Her vicious snarl cut into his question before he could finish. Her eyes flashed and the lust was raw anger now.
Relief softened his tone. “What then? Why won’t you give me a chance?”
“You don’t like children,” she blurted, then winced. “I mean, you don’t like women with children.”
Toby recoiled. “What? Where the hell did you hear that?”
Her shoulders lifted in a deep inhale. “The first time you found out I had kids. I saw your face.”
“No!” It was his turn to cut her off. His hands closed on her arms. “Sean and Hanna had absolutely nothing to do with that day. I love kids. I am a kid half the time. What I’m not is a guy who steals another man’s woman, no matter how badly I want her for myself.”
“I told you it was complicated—”
“Yeah.” He shook his head. “I don’t do well with complicated women either. Either you’re married or you’re not. I don’t see blurred or gray lines when it comes to two people’s marriage.”
“I am,” she whispered so quietly he almost didn’t hear her. “I’m still legally married, but I took Sean and we left. I haven’t seen or heard from him in five years.”
Instinct warned him to let go and step back. Those were the kinds of blurred lines he just wasn’t comfortable with. But he got caught in her eyes, in the swollen state of her lips, the tension forming a crease between her eyebrows, and he was done. His mind made itself up.
“Why ha
ven’t you filed for divorce?”
The skin on her arms vibrated beneath his palms. It wasn’t the same hum of passion that had claimed her earlier. This was wrought with and tension. It was hesitance and fear.
“It’s complicated, Toby. There’s so much I can’t—”
The steady clip of approaching feet stilled the rest of her quiet words. Laura Charleston appeared in the doorway, clad in black slacks and a peach colored top. Pearls hung in three neat rows along her collarbone, matching the studs in her ears and the bracelet on her wrist. Toby had met the woman and her husband briefly over dinner the night before and she reminded him of someone whose husband was running for presidency. Everything about her screamed money and social standing, without the stick up her ass. From what he’d concluded about the pair, they were both decent people. Nevertheless, he really disliked the sight of her just then.
“Morning!” she greeted them with a wide smile. “What smells so delicious?”
Addy hurried past Toby and rushed to the table. “Sorry! I’ll just clear some of this away—”
“No, no, don’t worry yourself.” Laura chuckled. “Rick and I are going out for breakfast today. We’re driving out to Vancouver for the day so we might not be back for supper or the night depending on how long our sightseeing goes.”
“Oh, would you like me to pack anything for the drive?”
Laura shook her head. “No … actually…” She eyed a tray of apple turnovers. “I wouldn’t say no to a couple of those, if you’re willing.”
Richard took that moment to appear at his wife’s shoulder, two coats slung over his arm. He eyed the display of desserts laid out around the kitchen and whistled through his teeth.
“It’s like Christmas,” he decided. “You’re like a one woman bakery, Addy.”
Addy chuckled, it was soft and sweet, but Toby could hear the underlying strain just underneath. “Thank you. I’m helping some friends with their business.”
“What kind of business?” Laura inquired, looking genuinely interested.
Addy grabbed a couple of napkins out of their holder on the table and folded two turnovers into them.
“They’re starting a catering service in town.”
“Well, that is wonderful,” Laura said.
Addy just smiled as she offered the other woman the treats. “Drive safely and please call if you need anything.”
Agreeing, the pair left the kitchen. A moment later, the front door opened and closed. Then it was just them once more.
“Why didn’t you tell them it was your business too?” Toby asked.
“Because I don’t want people to know,” she murmured, her back still to him as she reorganized the turnovers to cover the gap left behind.
“That you’re working with my sisters?” Toby ventured, attempting and failing to keep the indignation from his voice. “Because they’re McClain’s?”
Addy turned to him, her eyes narrowed in disgust. “I adore Willa, and Calla has been nothing but kind to me. Them being McClain’s mean nothing to me. But this is my business and if I don’t want people to know, then that’s my business too.” Her features softened. “I’m a private person and Willow Creek isn’t known for minding its own business. I don’t want people traipsing around my inn trying to get the latest gossip about me or my kids.”
He wasn’t sure why her decision to keep her involvement with his family a secret bothered him as much as it did, but it did. It almost felt like a slap, like somehow they weren’t good enough to be seen with her and that infuriated him; his family might have been a lot of things, but they were his. All their quirks and oddities made them special and he’d be damned if he let anyone turn their nose up at them.
Swooping down, he snatched up his cane and started for the door.
“Toby, wait—”
He jerked to a stop just inside the doorway. His head turned over his shoulder and he pinned her with hard eyes.
“I can handle a lot of things, you having kids, you wanting your privacy, you not wanting whatever this is between us, and maybe even you being married, but my family means everything to me and I’m not sure I want to be with someone who’s ashamed of them.”
Steeling his nerves at the flicker of hurt that shot across her face, he left the room.
“Toby!” Uncle Sloan’s sharp snap jerked Toby out of his dark cloud. He turned to the man on the other side of the porch railing with an almost stagger when he lost his balance. “Are you listening?”
He hadn’t been. He couldn’t think past his fight with Addy and it was affecting his focus, but he realigned his weight and concentrated on his uncle.
“Yeah.”
Uncle Sloan didn’t look convinced. “We’ve got a lot to do today so I need your full attention.”
Next to Toby, Damon shot him a curious side glance that he ignored. “Got it. I’m good.”
Nodding, Sloan peered at the others. He plunged into details about tearing out the porch and leveling out the foundation around the house. Holes needed to be dug for support and filled with concrete. It really would be a full day’s work, but Toby was ready for it. He needed the mind numbing task to forget about that morning.
They were in the process of ripping out the rotted planks when Jared’s truck rumbled up the path, Calla at the wheel. Hammer in hand, Jared straightened as his wife pulled into the parking spot next to Damon’s Jeep and cut the engine. She hopped out and pocketed the keys as she made her way to them.
“Don’t mind me,” she said as she drew closer. “Just cutting through.”
“You might want to go around back for now,” Uncle Sloan urged. “The structure in front isn’t sound.”
Calla nodded, but made no move to follow directions. “How’s it going?”
“Only just started,” Jared answered. “What brings you out here?”
Calla drew in a deep breath. “Addy called. She asked if she could store some of her baked goods in the café freezer.”
“Who’s watching the boutique?” Damon asked.
“Willa and Mom.” She checked her watch. “But I should hurry. Willa has to get to the newspapers at two.” Calla glanced at Jared. “Mind giving me a hand? It’ll get me out of here faster.”
“I’ll do it.” Uncle Sloan descended off the porch. “You three keep working.”
The two disappeared around the side of the house. Toby watched them go, partially wishing he’d thought to offer, not that he’d have been much help. He was in no position to carry anything, not with only one hand. Even as it were, it was hard enough working on one leg.
“So how’s things been living here?” Damon asked as he ripped out the railings along the side.
Toby shrugged. “Fine.”
“Only fine?” Jared asked.
“It’s a bed. Not sure what you guys expect me to say.” Even to his own ears, his response sounded defensive and angry.
The two glanced up at him, their eyebrows raised.
“It’s nothing!” he snapped. “It’s a place to sleep. Nothing else.”
“Whoa! All right.” Jared put both hands up in surrender. “Calm down.”
“What’s your problem?” Damon demanded, not nearly as nicely as Jared.
“I haven’t got a problem. I just don’t know what you want me to say.”
He closed his hands around the second set of railing and jerked back with all his weight. The notches he’d made along the bottom and top gave easily and the post came down with a crack.
“What did you guys fight about?” Damon asked in all his infinite married wisdom that Toby did not appreciate.
“Nothing,” Toby muttered, hefting the torn strip up and tossing it in the pile a few feet away.
“Nothing sure looks like something,” Damon badgered.
Panting and sweaty, Toby straightened and faced his brother. “Will you drop it? I said it’s nothing.”
Damon’s dark eyebrow winged up, but whatever he was about to come back with was silenced by the har
d jab of Jared’s elbow into his side. The assault nearly sent Damon toppling over. He regained his balance and focused on something over Toby’s shoulder.
Toby didn’t move. He didn’t need to. He could feel the full weight of her presence scorching up his spine. Each second was another twist of the knife in his gut.
“I’m sorry to interrupt.” Addy’s soft voice lashed through him like a whip. “But lunch is on the table.”
He heard her hurry away back along the side of the house and he mentally kicked himself.
“Mind telling us what that was about?” Damon demanded, actually crossing his arms and glowering at Toby.
“You guys have a fight?” Jared prompted.
Rubbing a hand over his face and back through his hair, Toby dropped down on the steps they’d yet to demolish.
“It’s nothing,” he mumbled lamely, knowing full well his brother wouldn’t let up on his ass no matter how many times he said it. “Just…” he trailed off with a shake of his head. “It was a bunch of things that kind of all went from bad to worse.” He peered up at the two standing over him. “I kissed her and it was a stupid hot kiss. I mean like melt your socks and make you forget everything, except…”
“Got it!” Damon cut in quickly.
“Anyway, turns out she’s still married.”
“Shit!”
“Jesus!”
Toby nodded. “They’ve been separated for five years and she hasn’t seen or heard from him in all that time, but…”
Damon hissed through his teeth. “Dude, I don’t know…”
“Yeah, that’s kind of really pushing it,” Jared agreed.
Toby shook his head. “That’s not even what the fight was really about. I can handle the whole not legally, fully divorced part, but…” He paused as Sloan and Calla stomped into view, arms laden with bags. He waited until they had dropped everything off in Jared’s truck and had gone back inside before resuming. “You guys know about the catering thing?” At Jared and Damon’s nods, he went on. “Well, she doesn’t want people to know that she’s part of it, like she’s embarrassed or something. I don’t know. It just hit me the wrong way,” he finished.
His Lullaby Baby Page 16