Page 13 of The Night Ride (SEALs on Wheels #3)

Chapter nine

M y fingers trembled when I snatched an egg from the carton.

Get ahold of yourself.

Aiden was simply being nice. He didn’t like me that way. And I wouldn’t want him, anyway. But even that thought was a lie. It felt as if I’d wanted Aiden my whole life. He’s the man I used to measure all the other men I’d dated.

Each one had fallen short—because they weren’t him. How could they when Aiden was the epitome of a hero? He was the blond, all-American hero. He had served his country with selfless determination.

And for a single evening we connected. He’d been there with me every step of the way until my brother interrupted us. It wasn’t until Evan came between us that Aiden realized who I was when I thought he knew.

It hurt more than I’d let on because I thought he’d known it was me. As a former fat girl turned thin, or at least thinner, it had told me that when I was heftier, he hadn’t really looked at me. No one had, but I thought he was different. Instead, I learned that night he was like everyone else.

Not that I was a skinny minnie, I would always have tits and an ass, and I liked it that way. I loved my body. It had taken me a long time to reach this point. To be comfortable in my own skin and not uber self-conscious if I took up more space.

But I’d not realized until Evan’s untimely interruption that Aiden hadn’t recognized me.

Because I’d lost all that weight. It meant he was superficial and only attracted to what was on the outside.

When to me, the outside was only ten percent of what made up a person.

I found being a good person with depth and varied interests the other ninety percent.

Because looks faded or were surgically enhanced.

But even that couldn’t outrun the passage of time.

Blowing out a frustrated breath, I cracked two eggs into a mixing bowl. Added a pinch of salt, pepper, and heavy cream, then whisked it all together while bacon finished cooking in the oven.

For his trouble, I would ensure Aiden had a hardy breakfast. My croissant breakfast sandwiches were always a hit.

I made them with scrambled eggs, either bacon or sausage, and some gruyere cheese.

Then there are the alternative varieties with prosciutto, goat cheese, roasted red pepper and spinach.

There’s a ham and swiss. A vegetarian with sauteed onions, roasted red peppers, and gruyere.

But I knew Aiden enough from his time spent at our house years prior. He was an avowed meat eater and leaned towards bacon.

My mind wandered while I scrambled the eggs.

When he first approached me over coffee, I thought he was going to kiss me. I’d like to say I would have remained firm and pushed him away. Except the moment my palm touched his chest, even with the material of his shirt and leather jacket beneath it. I felt like I’d touched a hot stove.

My entire body sizzled to life at the small contact. I wasn’t even sure what to feel. Or whether he had kissed me if I would have been capable of pushing him away.

Because if I was being honest with myself, after all this time, I had a thing for him. A part of me wondered if the universe was giving me—giving us—this chance, so that I could purge him from my system once and for all.

The thing was, I couldn’t seem to move on while I continued to hold Aiden up as the be all end all when it came to men. Maybe I should let him kiss me again or even take him to bed and work him out of my system that way.

It wasn’t the worst idea I’d ever had nor was it the best.

I added the cheese while the eggs were in the pan to get it all melty and withdrew the bacon from the oven.

Then put the breakfast sandwich together with a side of the hash brown medallions.

They were a combination of potatoes, cheese, sour cream and chives all whipped together, battered and then deep fried.

Yes, they were artery cloggers, but customers loved them.

We always ran out, even when I doubled and tripled the batches.

There was a local fire station who loved stopping in mid-morning two or three times a week. And they always bought whatever was left of the hash brown medallions.

“I’m all finished in the office.”

I jumped. Twirled around with my hand against my chest. “You’ve got to stop sneaking up on me like that, especially in a kitchen,” I scolded.

“I didn’t mean to.” He chuckled, the corners of his eyes crinkled.

“And I think you’ve been in Special Forces far too long. Good gracious, make a little noise next time. I think you scared five years off my life.”

His gaze landed on the tray with the breakfast sandwich and hash browns. “Is there more where that came from? It looks delicious.”

“It’s for you, actually. I just made it fresh.”

“You made me breakfast?”

“Well, you are helping me out of a pickle. It’s the least I can do.” I handed it over.

“Oh man, this looks amazing.” He took it. And popped one of the hash browns into his mouth. He moaned as he chewed. His gaze lowered and ecstasy stole across his features. “Jesus Christ, Beth, these are good.”

The praise washed over me. I hated that it made a difference.

That I craved the praise like a junkie needing their next fix.

It was one of the reasons I became a bakery chef.

People love bakery items when they’re done right.

And I’d even ventured into the health consciousness arena with some of my offerings, like my sugar free, almond flour chocolate chip cookies.

Or my vegan banana nut bread and zucchini bread.

He took a bite of the breakfast sandwich and groaned. The deep rumbling masculine sound churned tingles in my low belly. My nipples tightened into hard points, and I wanted to fan my face.

This man could do more to my body and hormones with a simple groan than most could do in the bedroom. It wasn’t fair. Because while I had been besotted with him since I was fifteen, he hadn’t even remembered me.

There was only one way over him. It might be the dumbest thing I have ever done. But I was so tired of playing it safe ever since…I shook my head. I wasn’t going to think about that horrible night.

Instead, I smiled and murmured, my voice huskier. “I’m glad you like it. You deserve it for all your help. And if you’re still hungry when you’re done with those, I have these maple bacon long John donuts that are to die for.”

He licked his lips and eyed me. “Maple bacon? Like it’s been dipped in maple sauce?”

“Here, let me grab one for you. You’ll love it.” I grabbed a fresh one from the large pan in the cabinet where we store all the extras to keep them fresh. This place had such a following that we were always running out of stock. I tried to plan ahead and make extras of all the most popular items.

I selected one for Aiden and turned around. But he was right there. Eyeing me with hunger and it wasn’t for my food. Or not only for my food. Swallowing my nerves at his nearness, I lifted the heavenly yeasty pastry up. “Here you go.”

His gaze dropped to the pastry before gliding back up, stopping at my lips for an extra heartbeat before his eyes met mine. “Appreciate it.”

He took the donut and ate a huge bite. His eyes went heavy lidded. And I wanted to jump the man’s bones in my kitchen.

“Oh man, you are a wonder in the kitchen.”

I glanced at the time and winced. “I’ve got to finish getting everything ready to open. You can eat the rest of your breakfast back here before you leave.”

“Do I make you uncomfortable, Beth?”

“I don’t know what you mean.” But he did, because I wanted him in ways I never had another man. And that made him dangerous. I wasn’t a woman who enjoyed the dating scene. It was all so fake. And I liked the hookup culture even less.

“Hmm.” Was all he said. “I’ll eat and get out of your hair. Then will hunt down the tech you’re going to need. What time does the bakery close?”

“At five. We’re only open during the daytime. Although I have been toying with a dinner menu for Friday and Saturday nights.”

“After tasting this,” he held up the last bite of donut, and that’s when I noticed he had already finished all the hash browns and a good portion of the breakfast sandwich, “I have no doubt you would hit it out of the park.”

“Uh, thanks.”

He popped the rest of the donut into his mouth. And I knew I should move. I had things to do to get the bakery ready to open. I couldn’t stand around and watch Aiden eat. But he ate with relish and a hearty appetite.

I hated when people acted like they didn’t like food. We had to eat to live. And while I understood the need to be health conscious, the extremes some people went to in order to be thin was unhealthy in my mind.

Food was meant to be enjoyed, even the health conscious stuff. There were so many spices that could be added to take a meal from okay to oh man this was the best thing I ever put in my mouth.

“I’ll get out of your hair, unless there’s something else you need from me.” His low bass slid like a caress down my spine.

The air became suffused with heat and not just from what was pumping out of the ovens. It took everything in me not to tell him what I really wanted—his hands all over me—but I somehow found the strength. I cleared my throat.

“No, there’s nothing else I need, other than to finish getting the bakery ready to open.”

“Uh huh, well, you let me know if you do need something else.”

“Yep.” I sidestepped away from him.

“I already looked for a local store that should have everything we need. I’ll go pick everything up.”

“I should give you some cash.”

“I’ll give you the receipt and you can reimburse me then. With the number of cameras needed I can’t give you an estimate. It’s easier this way.”

“All right, if you’re sure. Thank you. I can walk you out.” I grabbed another tray of eclairs and headed into the front of the shop. Laying the tray on the front counter, I felt him behind me every step of the way.

I unlocked the front door and held it open.

He walked across the threshold and turned at the last minute. “Hey Beth, you should be proud of yourself. You’ve done well for yourself.”

Pleasure burst through me at the unexpected compliment. And I watched the most gorgeous man I’d ever known stride to his motorcycle and climb on, while my heart quivered with longing.

His innuendo wasn’t lost on me. The question was, did I want to grab what happiness I could, before he left my life again, most likely for good this time?

As I watched him drive away, I was no closer to an answer.