Page 15 of Fairy Cakes in Winter

I slipped my free hand under his balls and massaged the smooth skin as I stroked. Scott tore his mouth away and rested his forehead on mine.

“Did I do something wrong?” I whispered.

He didn’t reply. He licked his palm and took both of us in hand, bending his knees till we were roughly the same height. The press and slide of our erections were too much for me. I dug my fingernails into his ass cheek.

“I’m gonna…”

“Shh. I’ll tell you when.” Scott moved faster, biting my chin and kissing it better. The second I felt my balls tighten, he nuzzled my ear and growled, “Now.”

We went off at the same time. Cum shot over my fist and dripped over my knuckles. I sucked in a gulp of air, leaning against him when my knees turned to jelly. We floated back to reality with tender kisses before pulling away with matching megawatt smiles.

No words necessary.

We cleaned up with toilet paper and made our way to the sinks, one at a time. I left the restroom first and waited for Scott by a drinking fountain. He fell into step beside me, pausing when we reached the sliding doors to the main exit.

This was where we parted.

For real.

I pursed my swollen lips and grinned. “That was officially the best flight I’ve ever been on in my life.”

Scott barked a laugh as he reached for my wrist and kissed my knuckles. “Me too. Take care of yourself, Theo. I wish you all the good things in life.”

“Thank you. Same to you.”

I inclined my head and pivoted toward the exit, rolling my suitcase behind me.

At first, my smile was borderline manic. I was still buzzing hard in the aftermath of my very hot, sexy encounter with a handsome man. But as I stepped onto the sidewalk to contact my mother about my ride to Bradford-on-Avon, every step felt like a punch in the gut.

It was probably exhaustion. I’d had a busy week of travel and family time with Dad and Sally, bookended by an arduous long-distance flight. I was sure I’d feel better in the morning.

I hoped so. ’Cause the alternative explanation was that I’d just walked away from someone special.

3

Theo

Jet lag was real. It took me three days to acclimate to Greenwich Mean Time. I fought the urge to nod off during dinner but had a hard time getting to sleep in the wee hours of the morning. I thought about using my remaining Ambien, but they hadn’t worked on the plane and I didn’t want to lean on pharmaceuticals anyway. So I reverted to my usual habit of scrolling social media and playing word games on my cell at two a.m.

And yes…I researched Scott O’Brien.

Ugh, that sounded a tad pathetic, but I couldn’t help it. I thought of him constantly. I wondered where he lived and what his shop had been like in London. I’d love to try his “famous” red velvet cake, but I wasn’t sure where to find his baked goods and his online presence was lackluster.

Don’t get me wrong, it was professional, visually stimulating, and easy to navigate. I liked his logo and general branding, but his site didn’t have much personality. My former marketing self couldn’t help thinking it was a lot of flash for a bakery, and yet it was missing something.

Then I remembered his pop-ups in Oxford and Bath.

I wasn’t familiar with my English geography, which led to more research. I pulled up a map on my iPad and zoomed in on my current location in Bradford-on-Avon, furrowing my brow when I realized that Bath was very close—as in one train stop away.

I could visit the town, which actually looked pretty interesting with its Roman ruins and pristine Georgian architecture. And…I could visit Scott’s Bakery. He’d said he lived in London, so I wasn’t likely to run into him, and that was okay. In fact, it was better if I didn’t see him again. I didn’t want to come across as stalkerish. I was simply…curious.

And low-key obsessed with the sexiest sex encounter I’d ever had in my life.

Who could blame me?

The memory of Scott’s big hands, talented tongue, and his X-rated sweet nothings would fuel the right-handed bandit for months, if not years to come.

However, after a few days and nights of replaying conversations on the plane with Scott while distractedly engaging with Mom and Alistair, I realized something had to give. I couldn’t spend the next four and a half weeks preoccupied with a man I’d never see again. And I had a notion that seeing his pop-up bakery would give me closure. I could satisfy my curiosity and close this chapter once and for all.