Page 27 of Cupcake of the Month (Just Add Peaches #2)

The last time Josh had broken shells in his eggs, he had been ten years old and trying to make breakfast for Mother’s Day. It was fine back then. Cute, even. Now it made him late. Breakfast should have been ready ten minutes ago.

He used his finger to scoop the shells out of the bowl, then finished cracking the eggs and washed his hands.

He grabbed the whisk, whipping the food into such a frenzy that he could have made a custard with a few more ingredients.

All the words and emotions and brutal honesty to confess to Jordan about the past eight years went into scrambling that yolk.

He wanted to tell her everything, but the words had clogged his chest. She deserved the truth. He pushed back the brim of his beat-up University of Georgia cap and peered at the eggs, making sure he hadn’t left behind any shells.

“Are they ready yet?” Wendy folded her arms across her chest, one eyebrow raised slightly.

He hated to disappoint her and her hungry clientele. Even though it was a temp job, being part of the family meant something. “Almost.” Not really. He flipped the waffles onto a platter and handed it to her. She hustled them out to the dining room and the serving trays.

Leaving Jordan that morning had taken all of his effort.

They had slept with their arms and legs entwined within the confines of the twin bed, trading kisses and caresses when their muscles had become languid from their lovemaking.

The soft touch of her fingers against his skin had rocked him to his core, made him desperate for her.

For the comfort and excitement and life she had given him.

And then he cracked shells into the eggs.

He opened the oven to retrieve the bacon. And shit. He hadn’t turned the oven on. So there was no meat for breakfast and no grease to cook the eggs. He flipped on the temperature gauge. At least the latecomers would get some.

Butter would work for the eggs. He cut off a chunk from the stick on the counter, then plopped it into the cast iron skillet and flipped on the burner. The eggs soon joined the party, bringing a satisfied sizzle to his ears.

“How can I help?” Wendy came through the swinging doors and took an apron off the hook near the butler’s pantry.

Oh, no. He’d tasted her cooking. She’d make everything worse.

“I know I can’t concoct heaven out of flour and sugar, but I can mix or chop or pour.”

He nodded to the peaches that sat on the counter. “Halve those. And thanks.”

When that task was done, he put them on the electric grill and finished with the eggs. With Wendy’s help, the rest of breakfast was ready only fifteen minutes late.

Once the bacon was on the sideboard, Josh took a deep breath and glanced around the kitchen. Wendy came back in through the dining room.

“Hey.” Josh pushed his hat back on his head, but held her eyes. “Sorry.”

“No worries. Just let me know sooner next time if you need an extra hand.” She gave him a grin. “I’ll send Rob.”

“Appreciate it.”

“You need anything for the anniversary lunch? Hopefully we’ll have the new special events person soon who can help coordinate those things.”

Thank God the menu for that had been confirmed and everything had already been bought. He gave a quick glance to the food waiting in the fridge. “All set.”

“What about dinner?”

He didn’t even remember Duarte coming in with the vegetables that morning. Josh had picked turnips and beets. Arugula. Eggplant. What the hell had he been thinking?

“Beef stew.” He could hide an old leather shoe in that. “And crusty, homemade bread. I’ll make an extra loaf when I do the bread for lunch.”

Wendy’s nose had wrinkled at the mention of stew, but her eyes lit up for fresh-baked carbs. She picked up her tablet from the island. “Sounds good. I’ll updated the web page and get a menu posted.”

Josh went into the pantry to retrieve the flour and other dry ingredients, then laid them out on the counter. Maybe he should try a rosemary bread this time. With whole garlic cloves.

The back door opened, and Jordan’s presence filled the kitchen.

His eyes locked on hers, and her lips curved into a smile.

Thirst for her filled his body, coupled with a flow of contentment.

He could never get enough of her. In the fantasy he was living, he didn’t have to ration his time or attention.

“You missed breakfast,” Wendy told her.

“I’m thinking that since I know the chef, I may be able to sweet talk him into some leftovers.” Her expression was perfectly serious, but amusement danced in her eyes. When Wendy turned her back to post the dinner menu, Jordan winked.

Winked. He huffed out a quick laugh and got himself a glass of water. “I can fix you up when I’m done with this.” He nodded to the ingredients.

“I’ll bet you can,” she murmured, her eyes going to his jeans.

“How’s your wrist?” Wendy inspected Jordan’s fingers. “The swelling’s down. You were okay last night, brushing your teeth and stuff? Getting out of your dress?”

“It took a feat of acrobatics, but it got removed to my satisfaction.”

Josh choked mid-sip.

“You okay?” Jordan asked.

“Yeah.” He busied his hands with measuring. Better that than a reenactment of getting her dress off in the middle of the kitchen.

“Take it easy today, Jordan. Especially after last night.” Wendy glanced at the clock and parked herself on one of the island stools. “Staff meeting soon, but we can postpone it if you need anything from me. Like pitching peaches at Blake.”

“No need for you to be caught up in a lawsuit, too. Your arm is as dangerous now as it was in college.”

Josh listened with half an ear as he mixed and measured, while Jordan told Wendy about the request for paperwork. The melody of her voice provided a sweet song for his morning.

Like her gasps of passion last night had provided him with a symphony that would remain in his memory for a lifetime.

He reached for the bacon grease, forgetting for half a second that Jordan was kosher. He used the butter again, then cracked a couple of eggs and fried them up quick. He put them in front of her as Brandi came downstairs.

“Let’s get this staff meeting started.” Wendy swiped her tablet.

Josh bagged the bacon, tossing some and a leftover waffle in a separate container for Zach. He put it in the fridge and took out the beef and vegetables.

“Any leftover bacon?” Jordan stood next to him, holding out a plate.

What was that? He turned to her, carrots dangling from one hand. “Bacon? But you—”

“I was being petty and stupid, and I’ve missed having bacon going on three weeks.” She nudged him with the plate. “Give it here before I go out and raid a pig farm.”

He took the bag out of the fridge and held it out of reach. “So you don’t…”

“Keep kosher. No. Punish me later. Bacon now.”

He hardened at her choice of words, nearly breaking a plate getting some warmed and ready.

She took a bite, letting a low moan loose in her throat. Her face was pure bliss, like it was last night after she’d come.

“Uh…” Brandi raised an eyebrow at her friend. “Should we leave you alone with your meat?”

Jordan waved the slice in the air. “No, I’m good. Carry on.”

“Ooookay.” Wendy went back to her tablet, her finger marking her place. “We have interviews lined up after the anniversary lunch for the special events coordinator. Four applicants passed the initial screening.”

Josh half-listened to the meeting and chopped, keeping Jordan in his peripheral vision as he worked. Wendy told him anything unusual he needed to know about, so he didn’t have to give it his full attention.

“I’m heading back to Connecticut to deal with the contents of the paperwork,” Jordan said. “I was able to get a late flight out of Atlanta.”

Josh snuck a glance over his shoulder and met Jordan’s eyes.

She gave him a quick shrug before turning back to Wendy. “Yom Kippur is in a couple of days, so I’ll be back here after that.”

“Oh, man.” Brandi put her hand on top of Jordan’s. “Good luck with everything.”

“Thanks. Oh, and Josh?”

He turned to her, pushing the celery into a pile on the cutting board.

Her eyes grew wide and her expression was perfectly neutral. “I think I saw your keys next to the microwave this morning.”

“Okay, yeah.” She had tossed him his keys that morning, watching as he put them in his backpack. “Thanks. I should be done here in a little over an hour.”

“See you then.” She headed out the door with an extra sway added to her hips.

Wendy tapped her pencil on the island. “You good? Can I help?”

He took stock of the stew meat and vegetables, bread, and the time. “I’ve got it. And I mean it.”

She nodded on her way out. “Call the house phone if you need me.”

After the crescendo of the night and the frenzy preparing breakfast, the silence surrounding him was restful.

He went through his remaining tasks, mulling over Jordan’s not-so-subtle hint of going back to the stables when he was done.

He told Zach he’d be home before lunch. Not that Zach had cared.

Josh didn’t want his brother to ever think he was alone and abandoned.

An hour later, the dough was ready to go and Josh kneaded it, over and over, until he was satisfied. He put it in the oven and let Wendy know when to take it out, then cleaned up, grabbed Zach’s waffle, and headed to the stables.

Jordan greeted him with her mouth and body when he walked through the door, pulling him down for a kiss.

“Make me an honest woman and put your keys next to the microwave,” she said.

After he complied, she led him to the recliner and snuggled on his lap. “I wanted a minute alone with you before you left. I’m sure you have a ton of things to do today.”

Her feminine scent tickled his nose and he inhaled deep, imprinting the moment in his memory.

He stroked her hair, letting the satin strands flow between his fingers as he held back the need that vibrated within him to cherish her, savor her body, show her the tenderness that had been absent last night.