Tell Me You Crave Me

by Joya Ryan

  But she kept mine…

  Of course, she could have thrown them all in the trash and he wouldn’t know, but he couldn’t bring himself to believe that. For whatever reason, he felt…happy. Looking at a box of cupcakes, he was hopeful for the first time in…

  Ever.

  “Don’t worry,” Dex said, sliding the box toward East. “She specifically marked one for you.”

  East took a better look. Sure enough, inside sat a red velvet cupcake with cream cheese frosting and a little decorative flag stuck on a toothpick that read Easton’s Dessert.

  She’d thought of him.

  Even knew his favorite flavor.

  He reached for the cake, and in one bite knew how amazing it was. But somewhere along the line, he’d started to develop an affinity for vanilla…and the sassy baker that tasted like sugar, spice, and everything wicked.

  Chapter Seven

  Natalie tugged at the hem of her dress and tried not to fidget. Difficult, considering the entire place was packed for the bachelor-bachelorette party. Chloe had taken care of the food and the location. As if there was ever a doubt there could be a better establishment than Honey’s.

  And Natalie’s display of a hundred hand-crafted cupcakes was proudly presented on its own table in the corner.

  She glanced around.

  Most of the out-of-towners she didn’t recognize seemed to be Connecticut friends of Matt’s and Bridget’s. Though no other bridesmaids showed up, a lot of other acquaintances did—not to mention the majority of the townspeople between the ages of twenty-five and thirty-five. A big party in town was never kept secret for long, and most everyone was a beer or two in.

  Natalie should grab a drink. It’d give her something to do with her hands other than stand there like a moron, trying not to look awkward.

  Story of my life…

  “Hey, sis,” Matt said and slung an arm over her shoulder. “Good turnout, huh?”

  “Yeah, it is.”

  “The cakes look great. Thanks for doing that. Bridget loves them.”

  “Of course.” She hadn’t really chatted with her future sister-in-law much. Bridget was elegant and sociable and everything her mother had ever wanted in a daughter. All class and sophistication.

  “Easton helped,” she said, feeling the need to not only give him credit but to bring up his name. For some reason just saying it made her feel better.

  “I’m glad,” Matt said. “Hey, by the way, my buddy Gary is single.” Matt not-so-subtly pointed to Gary and waved. “Want me to call him over here?”

  “Please God no,” Natalie said. She adjusted her glasses, wishing she had put in her contacts. They were just annoying, and she’d already been running late. So there she was, in a simple pink dress that she’d gotten from Michelle’s shop a while ago, and her dorky glasses. She was lucky she’d even had time to curl her hair.

  She glanced down again at herself and the pink dress. It was made for twirling, dancing. Something it seemed like everyone in town was doing, except Natalie.

  “Come on, I bet he’d like you,” Matt pushed.

  “You’re turning into Mom,” she said. She knew her brother loved her, but this dating thing was getting old real quick. She felt like a charity case. “Besides, I’m dating guys on my own. I have an extensive list of potential candidates,” she said, thinking about the profile Michelle and Chloe had made for her. It had attracted attention, sure, but not from anyone she cared about.

  “Oh yeah? That’s great!”

  Natalie nodded, but deep down, she wondered when her family would see her as enough on her own. No man, no high class attitude, no Southern Belle charm. Just her.

  Would she ever be enough?

  Her answer scared her because she wasn’t sure that would ever happen. And to make matters worse, she caught a flash of the bluest eyes she’d ever seen.

  East.

  He walked in like he didn’t have a care in the world and was instantly flooded by back-slaps and handshakes. How was he so effortlessly sociable? How was it so easy for him to blend in, be liked? To be enough?

  Because there’s a lot to like about East.

  “Well, good luck on your date, sis. I still think you should talk to Gary, though.” Matt chucked her under the chin like she was frickin’ twelve-years-old and took off across the room to talk to East. Her friends were in conversations with the men in their lives, but Chloe waved and Natalie gave a wave back. Someone had to hold up the corner of the room and Natalie decided that would be her job.

  “I hear you’re the one responsible for these amazing cupcakes,” a woman’s voice said. Natalie turned to see a sophisticated middle-aged woman in a pantsuit staring her down and devouring her cupcake.

  “Yes, ma’am, I am the baker.”

  The woman nodded. Her graying hair was fastened back in a French braid and the crow’s-feet by her eyes wrinkled a bit with a kind smile. “They are delicious! I’m Leslie McMann, and I have a gourmet catering company in Connecticut. We’re doing the wedding here in Beaufort for Matt St. Clair, and these are just fabulous.”

  “Thank you,” Natalie said. “Matt is my brother.”

  “Oh, how wonderful! Tell me, have you ever considered selling your recipes? I’d be happy to talk business with you. Adding these to my menu would be amazing.”

  “I just have my shop and have never considered outsourcing…” Natalie said slowly. Because honestly, she never had.

  “Well, think about it and let me know. I’d even be happy to steal away the baker herself.” With a wink and another hefty bite, the woman wandered back into the crowd and left Natalie with more questions than answers. Natalie could expand? Move to Connecticut, maybe, and be a part of a bigger company? Her first thought was no way. She loved her town and her shop. But as she stared over the crowd of people who didn’t even seem to know she was alive, she wondered if maybe getting out of Beaufort was a sound idea.

  Maybe…

  She looked over the room again. There were so many people that she didn’t see East anymore. Not that she was staring. But he’d obviously gotten swallowed by the gaggle of tipsy women flicking their hair and flirting with him.

  “Concentrating on something pretty hard over here, darlin’,” East said. He sidled up to her and handed her a champagne flute. She glanced at him, but she really wanted to stare. She let a smile slip. He’d brought her a drink, which she happily took. Of course, he hadn’t bothered with champagne for himself. From the smell of it, his cocktail glass held pure whiskey.

  “Just looking at the crowd,” she said.

  He nodded. “Yeah, it’s exhausting.”

  She scoffed. “I’m sure you get really tired, with all the women hanging on your every move.”

  He faced her full on and laughed. “Now, darlin’, you’re gonna sound jealous if you aren’t careful. And anyway, I am in the presence of the finest woman in here.”

  Natalie rolled her eyes and took a drink of her champagne. “Nice line.”

  “Not a line, baby,” he whispered. “You look beautiful. I love your dress.”

  That made her bite the inside of her cheek and glance down at herself for the millionth time. It wasn’t skin-tight and sexy. And on her short frame she probably looked more adorable than hot. But the way East was looking at her, the way he said what he did, made her feel his words…

  “Thank you,” she said. His eyes stayed on hers. “For everything,” she finished.

  He nodded once. “I saw you kept the vanilla cupcakes.”

  She lifted an eyebrow and shrugged. “I can’t go tossing aside perfection.”

  “My thoughts exactly,” he said.

  When she looked back at him, there was a calm seriousness washing over his entire body. She didn’t think she’d ever seen East so…real.

  The music switched to something with a strong beat but a bit slower rhythm. He took her glass and set it down on the nearby table with his.

  “Dance with me, baby,” he said quietly. />
  And there it was. Not a question—it was a demand. And he’d called her baby. She knew where his mind was, and hers was right there with him. This was a bad idea. But she couldn’t say no. Couldn’t fight. She just wanted to be…twirled.

  She nodded and he smiled.

  When he led her to the center of the floor where several people were talking, swaying and dancing, he didn’t look at her twice until he spun her to face him and clutched her close.

  She glanced over his shoulder, then over hers. She caught sight of her brother chatting with people, not noticing she was dancing with Easton. Not that he’d have cared if he had. No reason he should think anything was off. It was crazy to assume it was anything more than a dance between old friends.

  Close friends.

  Really close.

  “What’s on your mind?” East asked her. He moved her body with his as he kept perfect time with the music. Of course he was amazing at dancing as well as everything else.

  She shrugged, and he pulled her a little closer. “Tell me,” he insisted.

  “Just how there are a ton of women looking at you right now. Wanting to be where I am.”

  He shook his head. “They’re looking at you,” he whispered.

  She scoffed. “I’m your buddy’s baby sister, remember?”

  “Yeah, I do, which is why I can’t hold you the way I really want to right now. But it doesn’t change my response.”

  “They’re looking at you, East, not me.”

  “You’re the epitome of what every woman wants to be.”

  “Have you lost your mind? I’m pretty sure my mom would disagree with you.”

  He just smiled, and then he did pull her closer. But just for a moment, a silent stolen moment that was theirs, one that no one would be able to recognize. Then they were back to a platonic distance.

  But when he twirled her out once, then tugged her back, her smile turned into a full on laugh.

  “You make me lose my mind constantly, actually,” he said when she was once again at a close stance with him. “You’re interesting, Nat. Smart and tough and so damn stubborn and mouthy I want to smack your ass so hard sometimes…” He spun her out again, and again she twirled, feeling her dress float around her. Then he pulled her back, and that smile was still plastered on her face. “Your laugh is the best sound, and your smile takes up your whole face. That’s not awkward. That’s beautiful, and like it or not…” The music came to an end, and he dipped her down and whispered her in ear, “You’re all woman.”

  When he let her up and everyone clapped for the band, he nodded once and stepped away from her.

  “Thank you for the dance,” he said and turned to walk away.

  Once again, East was never alone long. Natalie stood there, swallowed up by a crowd that deemed her invisible. His eyes had made her feel anything but.

  Maybe it was just a magic power he had with women. Because just then, she didn’t feel like Lemon-Anne St. Clair’s awkward disappointment of a daughter. She felt…seen. In a way that only he could see her. And even though this was all pretend, and everyone in here knew they were just two friends that argued more than they got along, she had a feeling that she might never feel this seen again.

  And that made her chest constrict.

  For tonight, she wasn’t dating, wasn’t her mother’s daughter, she was just Natalie. Dancing with the town bachelor. Because he chose her. And because she’d worn the kind of dress that deserved to be twirled.

  She’d soak it in for tonight. Tonight might be all she’d ever get of this level of passion, this desire—she knew it was unsustainable and it wasn’t real, but she wanted to cling to it while she could.

  Just tonight…

  She would let herself slip free from the weight of what she wasn’t…and just be.

  Be herself.

  Be in East’s arms.

  Be happy.

  Be enough.

  Chapter Eight

  East unlocked the front door of his home and ushered Natalie inside.

  “So this is the great Easton’s house,” she said with a sly smile.

  “You’ve been here several times,” he said, shutting the door behind him.

  “Yes, but never at night,” she said. Clearly that third glass of champagne had hit her. She wasn’t drunk, just a touch tipsy. “We all but snuck away from the bachelor-bachelorette party.”

  “Naw, it was winding down. And there was no way I was letting a pretty thing like you go home alone.” He winked at her. Great, now he was flirting like an idiot.

  “Oh, how many women have walked these halls…” She walked with her arms outstretched, fingers skimming the sides of the hallway as she made her way toward his bedroom.

  “None,” he said honestly, walking behind her.

  She turned to face him, her face a picture of surprise. “I beg your pardon?” she asked and shoved her glasses up her nose. My God she was fuckin’ adorable, with her pink pouty lips and big eyes staring at him. She was also sexy as hell.

  “I’ve never brought a woman to my home before,” he said. And it was the truth.

  Natalie looked at him like he’d grown a second head. “How can that be?”

  He shrugged. “My home is personal to me,” he said honestly. It had never crossed his mind to bring a woman here. He’d had sex in lots of places, public and private. But never once in his home or his bed.

  Ever.

  Now that he thought about it, it seemed weird.

  Good thing he wasn’t thinking about it. All he was thinking about was Natalie standing in front of him, looking flushed and sexy and sweet and edible all in one.

  “Well, I don’t want to infringe on your personal space. I thought we had snuck out of the party to…” She glanced over her shoulder at his bedroom door, and he realized just then what the expression in her eyes was. Uncertainty. He knew because he’d seen it before. He also knew she wasn’t overly experienced. Hell, she didn’t date much at all, much less men like him. But it was the first time he’d really seen her pause.

  “We snuck out and I brought you here because I wanted to get away from everyone else.” He tucked a lock of hair behind her ear.

  “To have sex?” she clarified.

  “Or hang out.”

  Shock ran over her face. “Hang out? Like…”

  “God, will you stop giving me the third degree? I just wanted to duck out and thought you’d like to come. Is that okay?”

  “Well, yeah,” she whispered, and then the sass was back on her face. “But that was before I realized your bed is a virgin.” She tapped on the door handle. “I wouldn’t want to spook you. I bet you still have those old Star Wars sheets, huh?”

  He smiled. She really was a brat, and he loved it. “They’re Spiderman sheets, and they’re awesome.”

  She laughed, and it was the sweetest sound he’d ever heard. Tonight when he’d held her at Honey’s, it had annoyed him to the point of physical itching that he couldn’t touch her more. But they’d been in public. In front of Matt and all their family and friends. And all he could do was hear Natalie’s laugh and take it in like a friend. Because that’s all he could ever be to her. And at times, he’d been barely that.

  He’d seen the look on her face when he’d found her in the corner tonight. Blank. Not sad, not happy, just blank. Like she knew the drill, knew her place, and played that part. But there was so much more to her that not a damn person seemed to realize.

  Her laugh alone was life-changing, for Christ’s sakes! It came with a dimple and cute little crinkle by her eye, and fuck, he wanted to make her laugh again. Normally he’d be thinking about other things for her mouth to do. But just then, laughing was top priority.

  He realized she wasn’t pushing. Wasn’t going into his room. She was respecting his privacy, as if knowing this was some kind of step for him. Knowing him.

  He came close and, damn, she smelled good. When his nose brushed hers, he reached and opened his door handle.


  “Enter at your own risk,” he said in his best doom voice.

  She smiled, and he felt it just briefly against his lips before she turned and walked in. It was dark, so he flipped on a single lamp on the nightstand by his bed.

  “Wow,” she said, slowly moving around his room, the hardwood floor creaking beneath her steps. “This is not what I expected.”

  She looked around and he followed her gaze. He was a pretty simple guy. King-size bed, matching dresser and nightstand, all in dark wood. She ran her hands along the stack of books he had by on his nightstand.

  “The Last Battle?” she asked, reading the title of one.

  “It’s about the Civil War.” She smiled and he crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow. “What? I read.”

  She nodded. “Clearly.”

  “So what were you expecting?” he asked.

  “Honestly? A round rotating bed, leopard print sheets, velvet curtains and—”

  “Are you kidding? What else? Was I going to wear a smoking jacket to bed?”

  “I was going to say that I’d assumed you’d have a cage with a dancing girl in it but, sure, a smoking jacket completes the look.”

  “Such a smart-ass,” he said, and smacked her butt. She grinned and laughed.

  “I just…” She started, then trailed off.

  “What?”

  She looked him dead in the eye, and it was nearly his undoing. “You should let people see the real side of you more often.”

  He frowned. “I do.”

  She shook her head. “No, you’re all flash and busy and sexy and popular.”

  “I’m not seeing the down side here.”

  “There’s more to you, East. More than a night.” She looked around his room again then back at him. “More than a lonely room.”

  That hit him hard. “I’m never lonely,” he said, but even he didn’t buy it.

  She nodded. “Yeah, neither am I.”

  Then they both knew they were lying, to themselves and to each other. And somehow, he didn’t feel alone in that moment. More, he only wanted to be in that moment with her.