Down the hatch the little pinkish pill goes, and I turn to watch Jayden lay the blankets out on the sofa. I do feel sorry that he won’t sleep well on that thing. It’s old and comfortable to lounge on but not sleep.
“Do you need anything else?” I ask as I make my way toward my room. The open floor plan leaves nothing to the imagination. You can stand here in the middle and see the whole place.
“Where’s the restroom?”
“Through that door,” I say and point at my bedroom. Now that I stop and think, this really isn’t the best setup. The only bathroom is through my bedroom, and I know it’s too late for me to hide anything. What do I do? I motion for him to go ahead as I follow behind him. Just as the door clicks shut, I kick a few pairs of shoes over to the corner and grab ahold of the wall as the room spins.
“Easy tiger, lets's get you over here to sit down,” Jayden says as he escorts me to the bed, and I promptly sit and lean forward just a bit to gather my senses. “Where’s your PJs?”
“I’ll get them, just give me a moment,” I say. The whole drawer is filled with cute pajamas, as I replenished them all on my shopping spree. I only kept two sets of the comfy old ones I had, and currently they sit in the hamper waiting for laundry day.
“Stop being so dang stubborn. Which drawer, Morgan, or I’ll open them all.”
A huff of air escapes before I speak. “The second drawer.” I keep my eyes trained on the carpet below my feet. I don’t have to see his face as he opens that drawer because I hear the quick intake of his breath from here. After the slight sound of the drawer closing, his feet stand in front of me and I trail my sight up to see which one he picked out. A small laugh escapes as I see he picked out my new favorite set. It’s a spaghetti-strapped lavender silk top and bottom set, a delicate placement of ivory lace around the edge of the top.
“Do you need any help, or are you okay to do this yourself?” he asks, and I hear him swallow.
“I can manage, thanks. Oh, Jayden, who undressed me at the hospital?”
“Well … The nurse did. I was a complete gentleman, but I will say I love the stockings. And no, I wasn’t in the room, but when I turned around I could see them.” He walks away and closes the door behind him.
Somehow I manage to slide my bottoms up and then reach behind me to unzip the back of my dress. I manage to do this little task without any help and have covered myself in silk. I stagger toward the bathroom and look at myself in the mirror. I’m horrified by my complexion and how my hair is sticking out in all directions. I can’t believe Zara and Frankie let me leave looking like this. I wipe my eyes and run a quick brush through my rat’s nest and head to bed. As I lie here, I can hear Jayden in the living room trying to get comfortable. I slide the blankets up to my chest and think about what I’m about to do. This is a mistake, but I can’t have the knight sleeping with a rod in his back.
“Jayden, come to bed.”
Minutes pass before I hear him walking toward the bedroom.
“You sure this is okay? Because I can sleep with that thing poking my back.”
“Shut up and lay down. I’m tired, dizzy, and I need sleep. Stay on your side of the bed and things will be fine.”
He doesn’t respond, but eases down to the mattress as he slides under the covers. Every nerve ending in my body is on high alert as goosebumps cover my skin. Jayden has been nothing but pure gentleman since day one, and we should be able to make it through this. It’s like a sleepover. I mean, I’ve had plenty with the girls, so why should this be different? Oh, that’s right, it’s because neither Frankie, Natasha, nor Zara make my body scream out like Jayden does. This is going to be the longest night’s sleep of my life, I just know it.
“Night, Morgan,” he says from the other side of the bed.
“Night, Jayden, and thank you.” I turn my back to him and glare at the clock next to the bed.
THE MORNING SUN is shining into my room, and my eyes feel heavy as I try to open them. I’m comfortable, sleepy, and attempting to figure out why this thick arm is wrapped around me. In my sleepy state, I twitch my body more into the chest behind me and let out a long sigh as I readjust myself. Just as I close my eyelids again, they pop open and dance from side to side as last night fills my head.
“Be still and go back to sleep,” he says in the sexiest voice I’ve ever heard. It’s husky, mixed with a deep masculine tone. I don’t respond to him as I try to figure out how to slide out of his embrace and lock myself in the bathroom. I go to inch away and his arm tightens around me, pulling me toward him. “Sleep, Morgan. You need your rest.”
“Jayden, I need to get up.”
“You’re not going to work, so lay back down and keep me warm,” he says while I still try to figure a way out of this bed without him tackling me. Jayden scoots closer to me and I can feel every inch of him against me, and let me stress the every inch. This is when I know I have got to get out of this bed. I know that I’m highly attracted to him, but I also know that I’m not ready to take that next step. Hell, we aren’t even a couple, and I have no idea what his relationship is with Amy. I refuse to be the one that breaks a up couple—I’m not like Simon. I lie here for a little longer and hear his breathing slow down, which alerts me he’s back asleep. I lift his arm from my body slowly and scoot away as quietly as I can. With a quick maneuver, I place the pillow where I was lying and let his arm drape across the fabric.
I stand as quietly as I can and look back to the bed. His scruff is a little thicker than it was the day before, casting a sexy shadow as he’s bedded into my comforter. Jayden took his shirt off before coming to bed last night and the view of his muscles has my mind racing like a greyhound dog crashing after that mechanical rabbit around a track. I tiptoe toward the bathroom and close the door behind me. The faint sound of the click echoes and I wonder if I disturbed him. I turn the water on in the shower as the need to wash last night’s events off my body urges me forward. After I brush my teeth, I step in and let the water fall over my body and instant thoughts of Jayden overcome me.
I wonder if we will speak of last night, or allow it to just be brushed under the rug. I’m perfectly happy with us never speaking of it again. After I’m satisfied that I have washed the night away, I step out and dry off. Then I realize I never brought my clothes in here and my robe is hanging on the hook in my bedroom. It just gets better and better and I become a complete idiot around him. I open the door just a crack. He’s on his back but looks to still be asleep. Before I walk out, I check the towel and make sure I have it tucked securely in place. I make a mad dash out the doorway and across the room to the dresser. Just as I open the top drawer, I jump at the sound of his voice. “Thought I told you to go back to bed. You have to be tired still.”
“No, I’m rested and I have stuff to do. Now close your eyes,” I say as I feel him watching every move I make. I need to bend down and grab a pair of yoga pants, so I can at least dress comfortable today. I’m in no mood to dress up; the old Morgan needs to come back for the day.
“I’m enjoying the view, and I’m pretty comfortable with you next to me.”
I turn and cut my eyes at him. “Jayden, you need to get up and go to your place. This cannot happen between us. I thanked you for taking care of me last night, but we didn’t do anything and there will be a line drawn.” My hand motions between the two of us and I have no idea what I’m saying. Just then his hands go behind his head under the pillow and that’s when it hits. I can tell from the look on his face that he found it, and in my late-night medicated state, I’d forgotten to hide it. A slight smirk broadcasts itself from his face and in complete horror I watch him slide my precious wand out into the open. He brings it up in front of him and inspects it, almost how you would look at a cute kitten before you buy it. My eyes are as wide as saucers and the words that need to be said are stuck in my throat. Horrified is the only way I can describe this. Right as I open my mouth, he clicks the button and the ball at the end comes to life roaring wit
h a vengeance. The need to squeeze my thighs together as I picture him holding this against me is all it takes before I blow up.
“Jayden, put that back and get the hell out of my bed. You, mister, need to leave right now. I have work and you have work, and let’s not mention that I’m sure Amy would not appreciate you here in my bed with that in your hand. Now, do I make myself clear?” I storm to the bathroom and slam the door behind me. I make sure to lock it, and sit down on the edge of the tub. I can hear him mumble something from the other side of the door. My ears are heated as all the blood in my body rushes to my head, and I can’t understand what he’s saying.
A few minutes pass and I finish dressing as I say a prayer before I walk out. I’m not sure what I’ll say to him if he didn’t leave. I just need some time to figure this all out. My head’s still cloudy from the medicine last night, but strangely enough, I feel completely rested. Actually I’m more awake today than I think I’ve been in months. I look out and around the bedroom and let out a sigh of relief. Jayden is gone. “Thank God he listened,” I say out loud and head out to start the coffee.
Right as I exit, a yelp escapes from my mouth. Jayden is in my kitchen plundering through the cabinets in only his slacks he wore last night.
“What the hell? I told you to leave.”
“I need coffee, and it’s snowing, so you’re stuck with me.”
“Snowing? What the crap does that have to do with you staying here? I need space.”
“Not leaving. We have a few things to talk about, and even though I know how to function in this weather, most don’t. Come on, how do you take your coffee?” he asks as he turns his back to me. I’m floored as my mouth hangs open and waits for something to come out. Jayden turns his head back toward me. “Coffee?”
I let out a long sigh before I answer. “Creamer and that’s all.” I jump up onto the counter and watch as he saunters over to the fridge, pulls out the carton, and pours some into the mug he found. The funny part is he picked out the cup I use daily, and I’m not sure if that’s because it was right in the front or what. I have a vast collection of mugs, but this is my favorite. Frankie bought it for me as a housewarming present years ago when I opened the bakery. “My buns are hotter than yours,” it says in bold pink letters across the front.
Jayden hands me my cup and leans back against the counter next to me. My eyes dart over the rim and watch him sip his coffee as I drink mine. I’m still fuming that he won’t leave, but him standing here in my kitchen shirtless has my mind thinking other things. It doesn’t help that his black slacks are hanging loose on his hips, he’s barefoot and gorgeous with the bed head he’s currently sporting.
“You ready to talk yet?” he asks, breaking the silence.
“Nope,” I say, putting a little more attitude in my response. This is what I wanted to avoid today, the questions, hearing his response to what I might have said last night. Frankie and Natasha didn’t tell me everything, and knowing the way my body reacted, I’m afraid to know myself.
“Drink your coffee. I have all day, thanks to you.”
“Thanks to me? I told you to leave. I don’t need a babysitter.”
“You really aren’t a morning person are you?”
“I love mornings, but you are testing me today. Honestly, Jayden, you can leave. I'm all right and nothing needs to be discussed about last night. It is what it is, and I thank you for the help.”
“Welcome, but I feel that we need to get a few things out in the open.”
“Like what?” I ask as my shoulders fall in defeat.
“For starters, are you married?”
“No, I’m not.”
“Okay … So you just like to run around town in a wedding dress? I mean, I saw the bag before and then you were wearing it in the shop.”
“It’s a long story, but to answer your question, no I’m not married.”
“Okay, I’ll come back to that question later. Are you dating Nick? Was he your fiancé?”
“Last night was our second date, and no he wasn’t.”
“Well, you’re not having a third date with him,” he says as he pushes himself off the counter and moves to stand in front of me. I glance up and focus on his face as my breathing quickens, and I wonder what he’s about to ask me.
“Next question … Do you really think about me non-stop?”
“No, don’t flatter yourself.”
“Interesting, so you don’t feel a connection between us? A spark? Or anything?”
“Sure don’t,” I say with my best poker face and pray that he can’t see past this front I’m trying to build.
His mug lands on the counter as he rights himself back in front of me. “So, if I was to lean in and kiss you, what would happen?”
“I’d slap you. I told you we have nothing going on. You are a customer and someone that helped me when I needed it. Nothing more,” I say with my breath hitched in my throat. I don’t even believe it as I speak. Inches are the only thing that separates Jayden’s lips from mine and I’m lost in his eyes. The need to snap out of it overwhelms me, but the power of this connection wins against my body moving. It’s like watching a movie play in slow motion as he gets closer and closer to my face. Before I even know what’s happened, Jayden’s lips are on mine and instinctively I raise my arms around his neck and pull him toward me. My legs lift and wrap around his waist as we continue to taste each other. It’s not forceful, just the gentle movement of his tongue and mine doing a dance.
Jayden pulls back breathless, just as I am. My hand reaches up and I run my fingers over my swollen lips. With hooded eyes I watch him as he stares down at the tile floor beneath his feet. He’s not looking at me when he says, “I’m sorry, Morgan. I just had to know what your lips tasted like.” He looks back up at me, studying me as he continues. “They’re just as I imagined. Even though you haven’t been to the bakery today, they taste like it. Whenever I’m near you, your scent of sugar, frosting, and a faded hint of vanilla overwhelms me. That’s how you taste, and it’s not one that I’ll ever be able to forget, or ignore. Something about you has captured me since you bumped into me that day in the park.”
“Shouldn’t have been standing in the middle of the sidewalk,” I whisper.
“That’s all you have to say?”
“No … Yes … I don’t know what to say, and that’s usually not me. You make me crazy, Jayden, and that scares me. You have to understand I just broke up with someone, and yes I was getting married. I don’t know if I’m ready for what you are doing to me. Plus, I need to know what your relationship with Amy is? I’m not going to be that person that destroys what you two might have going on. ”
“Oh yes, Amy. Amy and I go way back. Morgan, Amy is my cousin. She likes to protect me, and will make any interested ladies think we have something going on.”
I let out a loud relief of air as those words are like music to my ears. A part of me was hoping that they weren’t involved, while the other half was prepared to never see Jayden again. With the way life has been these last few weeks, it wouldn’t have surprised me that the universe brought this man into my life just to tease me. “Well … I’m glad she’s your protector, it’s sweet that she wants to be that way. Plus, I’m happy that we can give this a try and see where it goes without me being like Simon.
“I understand you’re scared, but you have to know I’ve never felt like this with anyone. You, Morgan Lewis, are the real thing. In just this last month, I’ve seen so many sides of you. Do you know how rare that is? You can be with someone for years and only know one side. You, however, show them all. I don’t know if it’s just me you do it with, or everyone?”
“Only you and my friends. I don’t feel like I have to be fake with you, and … You watched me bake.” I can feel my eyes start watering. That was the moment I knew I felt something for him. If I had to pick the hour—or even the minutes—that I knew Jayden owned my heart, it was that night in my bakery. Since that night, when I’m baking, I c
an still feel his eyes on me like he’s standing there watching as I whip something up.
“Has no one ever watched you cook before? I would think your friends or parents have,” he says in a whisper next to my ear as he kisses the side of my head.
“They have, but not like you did. Simon wanted me to close the bakery, or let Zara run it. So, he never came to see what I did. He thought it was useless.”
He moves back in front of me and places both hands on each side of my face. “Useless is never how I would explain what you do. That night I witnessed the passion, desire, confidence, and someone who loves what she does. Your talent never should be hidden; it’s who you are.”
I can’t respond. I’ve never had another human being say those words to me. I’m not sure if it’s from the effects of the medicine last night, the kiss, or the words that he just spoke, but I can’t respond, and I finally give in to the tears that I was holding back. Jayden’s last words did me in, at that moment I knew that I would never find another man who understands me. Even if this doesn’t work out, he will always hold my heart, body, and spirit. This man before me has the power to crush me to no end, I just pray that doesn’t happen.
I take this moment to look at him and inhale a gulp of air before I speak. “Jayden, I don’t know everything that I said last night, but … it was all true.”
“Come on, let’s go sit. Oh, do you happen to have a shirt I can borrow?” he asks as he helps me down from the counter.
“I have some spare clothes that Simon kept here. You’re welcome to wear them. I’m sure he won’t mind. I need to either burn them or send them to him.”
“Thanks. I’m just going to jump in the shower.”
“Oh … okay … well, here, let me get them for you.” I head to my bedroom and open the third drawer of my dresser. I haven’t looked in here since before the breakup, and the emotions of his stuff still being here overwhelm me. I dig around to get a pair of sweats and shirt for Jayden. We don’t exchange words as I toss them to him. As soon as I hear the door click behind him, I search for a box in my closet. After finding one, I pull out all Simon’s clothes and pack them away inside the brown cardboard. I frantically head to the closet and pull down the shirts and pants he kept here, and the one pair of Oxford shoes he has. As I finish placing them on top of the rest, I move for my phone.
Frosted Sweets (A Taste of Love Series Book 1) Page 11