Page 31 of Bad Boy Bakers, Vol. 2

Chapter Seven

There was nothing like sleeping on a cold, hard floor to make Grey feel every single one of his fifty-three years.

And nothing like being curled up with a warm, naked Rebel to make every ache well worth it.

She slept the sleep of the thoroughly sated, head tucked against his shoulder, arm draped over his torso, legs tangled with his.

Not that she could’ve gone anywhere, wedged as they were into the sleeping bag that was really meant for one.

He’d zipped them in sometime after they’d exhausted themselves and he’d added the last of the logs to the fire.

That fire was out now, and sunlight crept across the floor to their pallet, illuminating the gold undertones in Rebecca’s rich, dark hair.

The storm was over. He couldn’t tell from here what kind of aftermath they’d be dealing with or whether they could get back to town.

All of it could wait. He wanted to soak in every shred of pleasure in waking up with her.

They’d never been able to do this when they were teenagers.

If they had, he didn’t know if he’d have been able to leave her.

Then again, maybe it was all the years apart that made him appreciate the simple joy of having her wrapped around him.

It sure as hell wasn’t something he’d take for granted.

So he ignored the fact that his ass was numb and his shoulder would almost certainly scream the moment he moved it, in favor of breathing in the sleep-warmed scent of her and wondering how long he’d have to wait to make this permanent.

Full-steam ahead, Captain.

Before his brain could go too far into that fantasy, she stretched against him, then went very still as her eyes blinked open. The hand at his waist flexed. “You’re here.”

“I am.”

Her fingers traced down over the curve of his bare hip. “Not a dream.”

“Nope.”

A pretty flush worked its way up her cheeks as she looked anywhere but at him.

“Why are you getting shy now? You didn’t have any problem being direct last night.”

The blush deepened, and she pressed her face into his shoulder. “Last night I was…”

Wanting to reassure, he curled a hand around her nape and rubbed. “Incredibly hot. I liked you ordering me around.” Even thinking of it had his cock standing at attention, reporting for duty.

“Well, I know what I like.”

“Which is fucking glorious, and I want to learn everything that falls into that category, in great detail, as soon as humanly possible.”

That drew a laugh out of her. “Maybe let’s consider doing that in a bed. At home.”

“See also the part about as soon as humanly possible.”

“Then we’d better get dressed and see what the state of the road is.”

Accepting they couldn’t stay cocooned in the sleeping bag forever, he braced himself to face the cold.

Moving fast, he unzipped one side and rolled away from her, tucking the edge back down to retain whatever heat he could.

Biting back a curse as his shoulder protested the movement, he dove for his pants.

He’d yanked them on and was reaching for his sweater when he heard her gasp.

“Grey!”

“What? What’s wrong?”

She scrambled up, circling around him to lay her hands on his back, over the scars. “What…?”

“It’s nothing. I’m fine.” And he was. Mostly.

Her fingers traced the ridges of tissue. “This isn’t nothing.”

Turning to face her, he drew her in, brushing a kiss to her brow. “Just battle scars. Get dressed. It’s too cold for your birthday suit if I’m not in mine.”

Her hands fell away as he dragged on his sweater. Making quick work of his socks and boots, he snagged his coat and headed outside.

It was the view, rather than the cold, that stole his breath.

Morning sun struck the ice-covered trees, making them sparkle like jewels.

The winter wonderland was beautiful. And it was already melting.

A patter of falling drops sounded around him, a bass beat to the mix of snow and ice that crunched beneath his boots as he strode toward the drive.

More snow and ice fell off the Jeep as he popped the back hatch and reached in for his trekking poles.

Moving carefully, he made his way down the slope, examining the rutted driveway.

The ice would definitely be a problem for a while longer, but it looked like temperatures would continue to rise, melting the accumulation.

If they were careful, they could probably manage by late morning.

Climbing the hill again, Grey circled around the house and found another road, this one in better condition, leading into another copse of woods.

The garage was on this side, and there was no drive leading around from the front.

Apparently, this was the actual driveway.

“Son of a bitch.”

Rebecca was dressed by the time he came back inside, her hair gathered up into a knot. Her eyes were worried, her posture a little uncertain. Hating that, he closed the distance between them and wrapped her in his arms.

“Well, there’s good news and bad news.”

“Good news first.”

“The good news is that stuff is already melting, so there’s no question we’ll be able to get out of here today.”

“A good thing. I think the boys were about to mount a rescue mission. I’ve been given strict instructions to let them know when I make it back.”

“Oh, were you able to get a text out last night?”

“I’m not sure when it finally sent. There was a stack waiting for me when I got up. I told them we were fine, and that you were working on digging out the Jeep.”

Grey took a moment to be grateful they hadn’t been interrupted by a three-man rescue team. He didn’t really want to think about how her trio of sons would react to finding them naked together.

“What’s the bad news?”

“We maybe didn’t have to spend the night out here last night at all. The real driveway is off the back of the house. And unlike what we came in on, it looks like it’s been paved this century.”

“So… we camped out on a hard floor for no reason?”

He laced his hands at the small of her back and grinned. “Well, I wouldn’t say no reason. Whether I buy the place or not, I might have to make an offer on the rug.”

With a look of abject horror, she thumped him on the shoulder. “Oh my God, don’t you dare.”

“What? We could have it dyed a more pleasing color.”

“Mitchell.”

He winced at the exasperated tone. “Trotting out the first name. Fine. We’ll leave the rug. But I’m still happy about last night.”

On a sigh, she snuggled against him. “Me, too.”

“Let’s eat something and take a better tour of the house, now that it’s light. Then we’ll see about getting back to town.”

“To a shower,” she sighed. “There is only so much I can do with wet wipes from my purse.”

“Fair enough. I shall endeavor to get you back for a shower as soon as possible.” And if he was lucky, she’d let him join her.

An hour later, they were rolling slowly down the driveway, headed back toward town.

Grey wasn’t sure if it was the daylight or the sex, but the whole property looked better today.

The house had potential, and certainly the land itself would do for what he had in mind.

As soon as Magnolia was able, he’d put in an offer and see whether the owner would come to terms. If he needed to bump things up a bit, he had a willing investor on the hook.

They rolled into Eden’s Ridge during prime Saturday breakfast hour. Despite the chill in the air, a line stretched outside the diner as they drove by.

“Where did you leave your car?”

“It’s at home, actually. I walked to work yesterday.”

Three minutes later, he pulled into her driveway and shut off the engine.

“Well, that was an adventure.” Her smile was a little tired around the edges.

“The first of many, I hope.” Grey slid out of the driver’s seat and hurried around to open her door.

The hand she placed in his felt like a promise. Or maybe that was just wishful thinking on his part. He walked her to the door, waiting as she unlocked it.

“So, I have a proposal.”

“What’s that?”

“You’re tired. I’m tired. I suggest we go inside and make use of your shower—preferably together, as that’s the environmentally responsible thing to do—and then fall into your bed for a nap and… other things for the rest of the day.”

Her eyes kindled. She leaned in, her lips curving as one hand fisted on the lapel of his jacket. “I think—”

He didn’t get to find out what she thought because a truck pulled into the driveway beside his Jeep.

By the time Jonah stepped out, Grey thought he had the lust locked down. Mostly.

“You okay?” The question was divided between them, but Jonah’s eyes were entirely for his mother.

“Yeah, I’m fine. We had a roof over our head. There was a fireplace, so we were warm. And we had MREs. I’ll never think they’re good, but they served their purpose. We’re just tired. I’m not used to sleeping on the hard floor.”

Grey worked to keep his expression neutral. Do not think about all the not sleeping we did last night. Do not.

“Fair enough. You should have time for a solid nap before meeting Rachel to work on the wedding favors this evening. Or do you need to reschedule?”

“That’s today? What am I saying? Of course, it’s today. The wedding’s in a week. I may be a little late, but I’ll be there.”

Recognizing that his own plans for the day were firmly derailed, Grey shifted gears.

“I’m gonna get out of your way so you can get some rest. I’ve got a few things to take care of.

” He leaned in to brush a kiss over her lips, as much because he wanted to as to make a point in front of her son.

The spark of heat in her eyes as he pulled back was gratifying. “Call you later, okay?”

“Okay.”

He headed for his Jeep, nodding at her son. “Jonah.”

“Grey.”

The wary tone almost made him laugh. Almost.

Spinning on his heel, he walked backward. “Oh, hey, where can I buy a baby gift in this town? I figure Magnolia’s new one’s here by now.”