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“Let’s get you warmed up,” he said, fingers caressing my jaw and sending heat rippling through me. I leant into his touch and tilted my head, brushing my lips against his in a soft kiss.

“That’s a good way to start,” he added with a grin as he pulled me in for another kiss as the rain fell in the darkness behind us.

ChapterFive

Riley

Now I’d started kissing Jace, I wanted to do it all the damn time. It scratched an itch in my brain, that I hadn’t even realised was there, and soothed a small part of my soul that had been crying out for human contact.

I hadn’t realised how lonely I was until I’d met him, because I’d always assumed that being in the bakery gave me the socialisation I needed. God, I sounded like a fucking stray cat who hung around the bins in the hope of getting scraps. But I couldn’t say it wasn’t true.

Ever since I’d started talking to Jace, I felt brighter… better… like maybe there was more to my life than work. Because, while I loved Toasty, it probably wasn’t healthy for me to pour every single gram of myself into it until I was more bread than man.

“What are you doing after work?” Jace asked about a week after I’d dragged him in out of the pouring rain, made him some tea, and given him a seat at the back of the kitchen so he could dry off while I worked. He was back again, only this time on the right side of the counter picking up his favourite croissants and a buttered oat loaf, and my heart had leapt as soon as I’d seen him through the window. It was an odd feeling, but one I was getting used to.

“Nothing, why?” I asked as I handed him the paper bag with his croissants in.

“Come over? We can hang out for a bit, maybe have some lunch? I have some decent bread in.”

“Sure. Sounds fun,” I said, wishing I could lean across the counter to kiss him. Everyone was used to us chatting now, but I didn’t want to draw any more attention to our conversation than necessary. They didn’t need to know Jace had invited me to his place. And they definitely didn’t need to know it was the first time. I’d have to spend the rest of the morning thinking about boring shit like taxes and stock before my face gave me away and Charley pounced.

“Perfect.” He grinned brightly and, fuck my life, I’d never seen anything more beautiful. “I’ll see you later.”

I watched him leave and went back to work knowing I was going to be distracted for the rest of the morning. It was worth it though, even if everything did take me twice as long.

Three and a half hours later, I found myself standing outside Jace’s flat with a bag of cookies in hand, wondering if I should have gone home to shower first. That probably would have been a better plan, especially since I was sure I smelled like flour and yeast and dried garlic, because I’d accidentally dumped it all over my hands while trying to sprinkle it into one of the mixers.

Fuck my life, Jace was never going to want to shag me now. Who wanted to fuck someone who smelt like Dracula’s worst nightmare?

I was still debating whether I should go home and come back again when the door swung open to reveal a soft-looking, smiling Jace. His hair was sticking out at odd angles, and I wasn’t sure if it was natural from where it was growing out or if he’d been running his hands through it, but the wildness suited him. He was wearing a faded, dark-green jumper with washed out text across the chest, a pair of loose black joggers that sat low on his hips, and some tartan slippers.

“Hey,” he said, running his fingers through his hair. “Sorry, fuck, I meant to get changed but I got sucked into work and?—”

“You look great,” I said, as I stepped close to him and drew him into a kiss before holding out the bag of cookies. “Here, I thought you might like a couple of these.”

“You are the best.” He took them and glanced inside the bag, his smile broadening. “These look amazing.”

“You’re welcome.”

He leant in for another kiss then seemed to realise we were still stood in the doorway. “Fuck, I should actually invite you in.” He stepped back. “Come in.”

“Thanks,” I said as I entered and kicked off my trainers. “Er, I will say, I’ve come straight from work. I probably should’ve gone home and showered, especially since I got garlic all over my hands.”

He chuckled. “Well luckily I really like garlic. But if you want, you can shower here and borrow some clothes.” He looked me up and down. I was a couple of inches taller than him, and maybe a little broader but the difference wasn’t huge.

I smiled as he shut the door behind us. “You know, if you wanted to get me naked, all you had to do was ask.”

“I thought inviting you here was doing that,” he said. “But if you need me to be clearer… I want you to see you naked. And I want us to fuck.”

“Sounds fucking perfect,” I said, closing the gap between us and kissing him deeply, heat bubbling in the bottom of my stomach. “But I am going to shower first, because I don’t want to send you running when you smell me.”

He snorted. “You’re really selling having sex with you.”

“I could’ve gone home and come back.”

“I’m teasing.”

“I know.”