Total pages in book: 25
Estimated words: 23116 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 116(@200wpm)___ 92(@250wpm)___ 77(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 23116 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 116(@200wpm)___ 92(@250wpm)___ 77(@300wpm)
I’m about to text him that no one is at the bakery now so we it would be private, but another text comes through.
Clause: This isn’t a request. Be here at nine.
I glare down at my phone. Who does he think he is? I pull off my apron as I head up the stairs to my apartment to change. I don’t understand why he can’t text me what he wants and I could bring it over.
Me: If you’d tell me what you’d like I could make it fresh and bring it over.
Clause: I’d rather you make it here so I know I’m getting what I ordered. Besides, we have other things to discuss. Be here at nine. I don’t care to repeat myself.
No, I don’t think Clause is a man that ever has to repeat himself. And why is that so damn hot?
Chapter Four
CLAUSE
I’m staring out the window when I finally see headlights appear at the end of my driveaway. “It’s about damn time,” I mumble to myself as I check my watch.
I pace around and wait not so patiently as I hear her get out of her car and walk up the wooden steps to the wraparound porch. Just when I hear the sound of her small knuckles on the oak door, I swing it open and scowl.
“You’re late.”
“I’m sorry, I got turned around. You know you’re literally in the middle of nowhere, right?”
I grumble a non-answer as I open the door wider and hold out my hand for her to come in.
She’s got a few bags she’s holding on to, so I take them from her while she takes off her coat. After she hands it to me, she looks around.
“Your home is beautiful.”
“Thanks,” I mumble, turning around and putting her coat on the hook while secretly smelling it. She smells like vanilla and powdered sugar. “I told you I wanted you to bake here.”
“Those are the supplies.” She nods at the bag. “I wasn’t sure what you would have on hand.”
“Oh,” I say and then carry the bag to the kitchen. “You can follow me.”
I don’t know what it is about being around Frostie that makes me even surlier and more tongue-tied than I am normally. Something about her trips me up and makes me forget my words.
“Whoa,” she says and stops in her tracks when she sees the kitchen. “Are you kidding me with this?”
“You don’t like it?” My brows furrow, and I scowl at the space, trying to figure out what’s wrong. When I designed the house, I had it done with all the bells and whistles. I’m not a great cook, but I didn’t want to have to redo it because it was missing something.
“Like it?” She shakes her head while staring in awe at the bright kitchen. “This is love, Clause.”
Hearing her say “love” and “Clause” in the same sentence does something funny to my insides, and I have to clear my throat to get it to stop.
“I want a cake,” I say as I put her bag of magical instruments down on the center worktop. “A chocolate one.”
She comes over to where I’m standing and leans all the way back to look up at me. “All right, but are you going to tell me what it is you really want?”
She straightens her back like it’s taking a lot of courage for her to speak her mind. Does she not normally say what she feels? Is someone intimidating her? I’ll have to keep a closer eye on who talks to Frostie every day.
“You saw me buy boxed cake mix, but that doesn’t mean I used it.”
I stare at her and slowly raise an eyebrow.
“Okay, but you can’t prove anything.”
“I don’t need to.” My voice is a low rumble as I take a seat at the worktop and push the bag toward her. “I know what I saw, and I know what I can get for being quiet.”
“So that’s the blackmail, huh? One chocolate cake for your silence?”
I let that hang between us for a moment as she takes out the ingredients. “No,” I finally say, and her eyes snap to mine.
“Two chocolate cakes?” she offers nervously, and I shake my head. “Three?”
“I want you to come bake something for me every day.”
“What?” she snaps a little too quickly and then tries again. “You can’t be serious. I can’t drive out here every night and make you dessert.”
“Why not?”
“Well, I mean, you know.” She looks around like she’s thinking of an answer. “I don’t even know you.”
She doesn’t seem like she’s scared of me, so I don’t understand her reasoning. I can tell when people aren’t comfortable being close to me, but Frostie has never been one of those. She might not go out of her way to come up next to me, but she’s not scared.