Page 40 of Leather and Longing (Island Tales #3)
Adam walked over to the kitchen table and leaned on the back of a chair.
“Want to tell me what you’re up to now?”
“We’re going to make a birthday cake.”
Adam tilted his head to one side. “We?”
“Yup.” Paul grinned. “You’re going to help me.”
There was a moment’s silence. That fluttery feeling in the pit of Paul’s stomach was back.
“What flavour?”
Paul wanted to fist-pump the air. “Chocolate. With cream in the middle. And icing, made with dark chocolate.”
The slow, sexy smile on Adam’s face made Paul’s insides all quivery. “Enough. You had me with the first mention of chocolate.” He nodded. “Okay. Let’s do this. Where do you want me?”
Paul had to bite his tongue not to say the first thing that came into his head.
Wherever I can get you.
“Sit down while I get all the ingredients out.” Adam complied, and Paul poured him a mug of coffee from the machine. “Here, it’ll give you something to keep you occupied while I’m doing it.”
Adam snorted. “You’re edging closer to that spanking, you know that?” He sipped his drink.
Paul had the recipe printed out and kept consulting it as he pulled diverse ingredients from cupboards and the fridge. The two new cake tins had been washed and dried and were sitting on the worktop. It was a good thing Paul had checked the previous day: there wasn’t a single tin in the house.
Caroline probably took them. Most likely she makes cakes for her tea shop.
“I thought it would make things easier if I weighed everything out first,” he told Adam.
“Don’t I get to help with that?”
Paul chuckled. “You’ll have plenty to do. You’re gonna be doing the bulk of the work.”
Adam lifted his eyebrows. “I see. So what was this ‘we’ business? What will you be doing?”
“Supervising. I’ll be in charge so suck it up.”
Adam laughed. “My, you’re getting bolder.” He grinned. “I like it.” He relaxed into his chair.
Paul turned away to wash his hands under the tap.
Once they were dried, he got out the kitchen scales and placed the glass mixing bowl on top.
A glance at Adam’s calm face emboldened him further.
“Mind if I ask you something personal?” he said as he cut off pieces of butter and dropped them into the bowl.
“You can ask,” Adam replied dryly. “I may choose not to respond.”
Paul poured caster sugar over the butter, watching the weight. “What was wrong yesterday?” His heartbeat sped up. “And please don’t tell me nothing was wrong. I’m not an idiot.”
Adam said nothing but stared beyond Paul’s shoulder, his face tight. The moment passed and he sighed. “No, you’re not.” He took a drink from his mug. “I’m sorry about yesterday. I got started on a train of thought and it took me to a dark place, that’s all.”
Paul kept silent while he placed another bowl onto the scales and sifted flour and cocoa into it. He wanted Adam to get it out into the open.
“I don’t know if you’re acquainted with anyone who suffers from depression. It’s a fairly new occurrence for me and not something I’ve ever shared with anyone, except with the doctor in Torquay. He told me it was common for people in my situation.”
“It is.” Paul couldn’t remain quiet. Adam raised his chin to gaze in his direction, and Paul sighed. “I read up on it before I started working for you. I wanted to be prepared.”
Adam smiled. “Why does that not surprise me about you?” He leaned forward, elbows resting on the table, mug clasped in both hands.
“Sometimes there are days when every thought you have takes you deeper and deeper. You don’t want to feel like this, and yet you can’t go back the way you came, not without having to wade through all the crap again. You have to fight to climb out of it.”
Paul caught his breath. “I get it. It’s like finding your way through a maze that you feel trapped in, only each corner brings you all these unwanted feelings, and now and again you find a tiger that wants to eat you.”
Adam stared at him for a second before laughing. “Where did that come from?”
“Something I saw on TV recently.”
He straightened. “Anyway, yesterday I got a bit lost in that maze, but I found my way out.”
Fuck, Paul wanted to hold him right then. “That’s good.” He contented himself with that.
Adam coughed. “Okay, we ready now?” It was as if he’d wiped his hand across his face, removing all traces of introspection.
Paul snickered. “I feel like living dangerously. Why don’t you crack the eggs into the bowl?”
Adam gave a gleeful smile, put down his mug and rubbed his hands together.
“Bring it on. I always liked cracking eggs on the side of the bowl myself.” He got up from his chair to walk around the table to the sink and washed his hands.
Paul took away his mug and placed a glass bowl on the table.
He laid a folded tea towel next to it and put the six eggs there.
Adam retook his seat and explored first with his fingers before picking up the first egg. He grinned. “Here we go.”
Paul held his breath as Adam placed one hand on the bowl’s edge and tentatively tapped the egg on it. “You can go harder,” Paul suggested. Adam gave a nod and brought the egg down more forcefully, cracking its thin surface.
“How’d I do?”
Paul peered into the bowl. “Hey, not bad. Only two pieces of shell.” He fished them out with the point of a knife, manoeuvring them until he could remove them from the bowl.
“That’s not bad for my first go,” Adam protested. He picked up another egg, repeating the action until all the eggs were in the bowl. “Well?” He stuck out his chin, as if daring Paul to find fault. “I have done this before, you know.”
Paul glanced into the bowl. “Nice one.” He handed Adam a fork. “Now get beating, slave.” It was only after the words had left his lips that he realised what he’d said. His cheeks grew hot.
Adam arched his eyebrows and smirked. “Yes, sir.”