Page 33 of Bake You Mine (Port Fortune #1)

twenty-two

It wasn’t a coincidence that Aubrey lost her virginity the night she went to a haunted house with her high school boyfriend.

There was something about getting the ever-loving shit scared out of her that turned her on a little. As a bonus, it gave her anxious mind something to do, with “real” perceived threats around every corner.

And sure, maybe she had a thing for men in masks. She should get one for Liam.

After her initial scare, Daphne delighted in every spook, especially her favorite, the creepy animatronic granny in a rocking chair, beckoning children closer.

Daphne was tuckered out in the backseat, allowing Aubrey to scratch that itch once her kid was settled in for the night.

At a stoplight, she examined Liam. The bluish glow of his phone lit up his smiling face. This seemed natural, the three of them together like a family.

“I was going to drop her off and then grab some things. Is that okay?”

He stowed his phone. “Sure. ”

She turned around to jostle Daphne awake. “C’mon, let’s go inside.”

Daphne groaned but complied, taking off sleepily toward the house.

“I’ll be right back.” She squeezed Liam’s knee and took off for the house.

Her father closed the door behind her. “Did you have a good time?”

“We did. Daphne loved getting scared.”

“You’re going to sleep over at his place?”

“If you’re okay keeping an eye on Daph,” she said. She didn’t want her dad to think she was taking advantage of him. Even if Daphne took care of herself at this point, it could hardly be called babysitting.

“Of course, I am. You deserve a night out.”

Liam liked discovering Aubrey in his bed, resting on her side, with Teddy curled into the crook of her knees.

There’d been a small fire to put out at Elevation, one of his busboys threatening to quit after rude treatment from a customer. Damon and one of the new sous chefs, Enrique, had handled it perfectly, but the busboy needed Liam’s reassurance to smooth things over.

Coming home and seeing Aubrey settled in gave him a funny feeling.

The best kind.

Aubrey rolled over. “How’d it go?”

Liam grinned. He started to answer. Then he found himself distracted by the sight of her. She wasn’t wearing one of her usual T-shirts to bed.

He stepped closer. “Is that my shirt you’re wearing?”

She smoothed her hand over her chest, where her breasts stretched out the band’s logo.

Fuuuck.

“Sorry, I forgot to change some things in my overnight bag. They’re all dirty.”

She was propped like a pin-up girl, and her dark hair fell in a wave behind her. He gently moved Teddy to the end of the bed and pulled down the comforter, revealing her shapely legs.

He sent a hand across her legs. “As much as I want to dive under those covers with you, we need to talk.”

She set her phone on the nightstand. “What about?”

“With how crazy life has gotten, I didn’t have a chance to tell you about a meeting I had the other night.”

She rolled on her side, and the shirt slipped up some, revealing the alluring slope where her waist met her hip. “What kind of meeting?”

“You know who Jason Morse is, right?”

Aubrey sat up with a start. “Jason Morse, from Devour Group? Of course. He’s a big fucking deal.”

“Yeah, I met him at The Far End the other night. He and Steve go way back. Anyway, he’d heard about the competition and thought we should meet. Y’know, to talk about that much-needed plan B.”

Aubrey idly scratched her face. “So, plan B would be DC, then? Or is Jason looking to come to the ’burbs?”

“DC. He wants to meet after the announcement.”

She brought her knees to her chest. Her expression was hard to read.

“Jason’s a dream maker,” she said. “He’s opened over twenty restaurants in the DMV in the last decade.

Only five of his properties have closed over the years.

That’s an impressive record in this industry, especially considering the upheaval we’ve all suffered in the last few years.

If you want to go far, having someone like that behind you is a great way to do it.

” Her words were encouraging, yet her gaze was distant.

As if she’d suddenly found the far brick wall of his bedroom the most exciting thing in the world.

He eased closer to her. “Well, I think I’ll probably meet with him then. Have you thought about your plan B? I could talk to Jason for you if you wanted.”

Her gaze snapped over to him. “I’ve already had the pleasure of talking to Jason. We met a couple of years ago at…I don’t even remember now. He asked my thoughts on Devour, and I told him I preferred to stay independent. It was all very cordial.”

He thought he’d throw Aubrey a bone, but she’d already discarded Devour and the man behind it.

“Okay, so no need for me to swoop in and rescue you, got it.”

Her gaze went far away again for a moment. He leaned forward and stole a kiss.

She laughed and then sighed as he kissed lower, until his lips landed against her neck.

He stood and flung off his jacket. Then he whipped his T-shirt on top of it. “Hey, are you okay?”

Aubrey didn’t reply. Instead, she tugged off her T-shirt and tossed it at him. He momentarily forgot what planet he was on. She was everything he’d never known he’d wanted. Until they’d met, and she’d changed everything.

“Does it seem like I’m not okay?”

She flipped onto her belly, revealing most of that glorious backside, thanks to a very tiny thong. She turned and gave him a sleepy smile. “I’m a little tired, but I promise I’m fine, Liam.”

Her smile didn’t quite reach her eyes, but he wasn’t about to discount her word. It’d been a crazy few weeks for them both. Aubrey had the added responsibility of parenting.

“Well, I’m not going to mansplain your feelings to you. If you say you’re fine, I’ll take your word for it.”

She came up onto her hands and knees and arched out her back, pushing that delightful ass toward him. “I’m more than fine, but I’ll be even better if you come here.”

His fingers fumbled on his belt buckle as he took in the display before him. She slipped forward so her stomach was entirely on the bed. She was so beautiful—physically, of course, but also on the inside.

He stood and kicked off his jeans. Then he caught her by the foot, delighting in her squeal as he tugged her down the bed, then flipped her around.

“I needed to see how easy it was to drag you across the bed. Get your head on the pillow.”

She shimmied, making the best parts of her sway as she obeyed.

He hopped on the bed, grabbing the covers as he slid next to her.

She reached for the edge of the blanket, tugging it up and over them as he rolled over on top of her.

It was warm, cozy, and a little dirty, with her letting out one of those little groan-sighs as he pressed against her.

“I feel like I did when I was little, in a blanket fort,” Aubrey said.

She reached her hand between them; it came to rest on his hardness.

He exhaled as she gave him a gentle stroke through the fabric. “I think we had very different childhoods. I was never alone long enough to do something like that.”

The noise he emanated was part groan, part laugh. She trailed her hand up and down the length of him. “You know what I mean. Minus the sex part. ”

He fell over onto his side, with her rolling to face him. “Were you lonely a lot as a kid?”

She brushed her hair from her eyes. “I mean, kind of. We moved around a lot. I learned to make the most of relationships while I had them because we’d be moving again sooner or later.”

“I was born in Port Fortune and lived here until I turned eighteen. That’s why I was so desperate to leave, y’know?”

“It must have been nice, that stability. But there were upsides. I got to see the world at a very young age. Something I’ve tried to mimic for Daphne.

We’re planning a trip over spring break next year to Paris.

It’ll be her first time going, and she’s so excited, as she’s heard me talk about the time I’ve spent there. ”

He frowned at the thought of her making plans without him. Then he realized how insane that was. He wasn’t the barnacle type, so why did he want to latch onto Aubrey? “That sounds fun. I went to Paris all the time when I lived in London.”

“I think that’s why you and I get along, Liam. We both made our own paths.”

“I agree. If you don’t mind, can we switch topics and positions? You have a lot on your plate right now. How about I lessen your load a bit?”

She snorted. “Load.”

“You’re officially thirteen years old.”

“Hey, you should be glad I’m showing you my authentic self. Dumb jokes and all.”

He rolled over, taking the covers with him as he settled on her.

“Covers, STAT. You keep your place too cold, Linley.”

They pulled the covers over them as she sent her hands onto his hips, catching his boxers at the waist and edging them off.

He shoved them further down his legs. They stayed there as Aubrey kissed him.

He exhaled, happy that whatever weirdness had bothered her earlier had vanished.

He braced himself by her head as he deepened the kiss, loving the way her fingers traced along his back as they explored one another.

She slid one hand out of their blanket fort, tugged open the nightstand drawer, and produced a condom.

“You’re in a hurry tonight, aren’t you?” he asked.

“Is that so bad? To know I want you as much as I do?”

Their eyes locked under the blankets. Her face was hidden by shadow. He couldn’t take his eyes off her as he ripped open the packet with his teeth. Their blanket fort fell apart as he leaned back to slide the condom on.

“Of course not, it’s flattering as hell.”

Her gaze was soft and focused as she took him in. She brought her hands together, rubbing fiercely. “Oof, I’m cold!”

“I’ll keep the thrusting to a minimum to keep the covers in place.” He finished rolling on the condom and descended on her once more, bringing the covers tightly around them.

“You’re such a dork. I never would have expected that, given your face.”

He guided himself into her, relishing in her happy sigh. “Hey, you should know better than to judge a book by its cover.”

He dropped his elbows to either side of her shoulders and began to move inside of her. She leaned forward, bringing their mouths together. This closeness was new. Maybe he was stupid to consider it, but this kind of felt like forever.