Series: Paige Michaels
Total pages in book: 48
Estimated words: 45455 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 227(@200wpm)___ 182(@250wpm)___ 152(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 45455 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 227(@200wpm)___ 182(@250wpm)___ 152(@300wpm)
“Hot date?” the young woman questioned.
“With a man and a cupcake!” Kiki answered as she darted out the door.
“Lucky girl!”
Traffic was awful. Kiki didn’t dare send Terry a text and take her eyes off the surrounding cars. She crossed her fingers. Hopefully, he would wait. Reaching for her insulated glass of water she always carried, she discovered she’d left it at the salon. Shaking her head at her stupidity, Kiki resigned herself to being thirsty for the trip.
When she reached the parking lot, Kiki stashed her car in the first slot available and jogged into Little Cakes.
“Hi, Kiki! Welcome to Little Cakes,” Ellie called from the cash register.
Looking around, her gaze meshed with Terry’s. She loved his hazel eyes. Today, they were more green than brown because of his emerald shirt. “Hi. I’m sorry I’m late. Hair emergency,” she explained flippantly.
“Yours or someone else’s?” he questioned, as he took in what she knew to be tousled black hair that usually lay sleek and straight down her back.
“Mine now, but a new client’s earlier,” Kiki explained.
“No worries. I’m glad you didn’t use your cellphone while driving. I’ll always wait for you, Bumblebee. Let’s grab a cupcake before they put everything away for the night.”
Terry guided her with a warm hand on her lower back that felt entirely too good toward the sign announcing that day’s special feature. Fudge Crunch. The beautifully drawn treat looked incredibly chocolaty, with small crisps decorating the top.
“I’ll take one of those.”
Terry grinned. “That was a fast decision.”
Kiki shrugged. “That was the flavor Ellie gave me at the holiday party. It was delicious. I may never try another cupcake,” she shared.
“I like chocolate. Why not? I’ll try it, too.”
“Hey, guys. Have you decided?” Riley asked.
Terry nodded. “Hi, Riley. I think we’ll each have one of the featured cupcakes. Kiki says it’s amazing.”
“It is a current favorite. I don’t think we could get more chocolate inside the wrapper,” Riley laughed. “It’s for serious chocoholics.”
“That’s what I like!” Kiki exclaimed.
“You’ve levied a challenge. Something with more chocolate,” an incredibly deep, familiar voice called from the window that led to the kitchen.
“Hi, Tarson,” Kiki greeted the dungeon master from Blaze. He looked different in his chef’s garb, but there was no mistaking the bulk filling it out.
Remembering his correction for calling him Daddy, Kiki looked at him from the corner of her eye as she concentrated on Riley placing cupcakes on plates for them. Would he be angry with her? To her relief, his expression was warm and welcoming. Was that because he was a Daddy?
“Bumblebee? You’re lost in thought. Is everything okay?” Terry asked softly.
“Yes,” she rushed to assure him. “Just me spacing off.”
“Hmm,” he answered skeptically as if he knew there was more going on.
“Shall we sit over there?” she asked, pointing toward a table next to the windows that would be out of the way of the employees as they prepared to leave.
“Sure. Go sit down. I’ll bring this over.”
“I can pay for mine,” she added.
“My job.”
With a nod, Kiki walked to the table she’d selected and sat. Terry joined her a few minutes later with not only the cupcakes but two bottles of cold water tucked under his arm. He placed the chocolate treats on the table and then unfastened the lid on one of the bottles before handing it to her.
“Drink. I’m sure you don’t have a chance to grab more than a few sips during the busy day,” he suggested.
Greedily, she drank half of the container. “That’s so good. Thank you.”
“You need to drink more, Kiki, if you’re that thirsty.”
“That just makes me need to pee. I can’t take a break in the middle of highlighting someone’s hair,” she answered flippantly.
“I can see I’ll have my hands full,” he answered, looking at her directly.
“You really don’t want to take this on.” Kiki waved a hand over herself. “I’m a mess.”
“A beautiful, adorable challenge who needs a Daddy to take care of her.”
Terry unwrapped his cupcake and drove his fork down the side to divide a bite-size portion from the large treat. Holding it to her lips, he invited, “Here. You go first.”
Automatically opening her lips, Kiki allowed him to feed her the first bite. “Mmm!” she hummed in enjoyment as the chocolaty goodness filled her senses.
Terry forked off another bite. “Okay if I eat after you? I tested clean last month.”
“I get tested often because of my job,” she whispered, matching his intimate tone.
“Perfect!” Terry put the next portion in his mouth. His expression of pure delight made Kiki giggle.
Quickly, she slapped a hand over her mouth to muffle the sound. Grown women didn’t giggle. He wrapped his fingers around her wrist and tugged it away.
“Eat. I know you’re hungry. What do you normally do for dinner?”
“I microwave something. I don’t cook very much,” she admitted.