Chapter 11 Madeleine
Chapter eleven
Madeleine
“Miss Alarie, welcome to Taste This.” Elena, the CEO of this luxury bakery, extends her hand for me to shake. Her long, dark hair falls in waves, meeting the pastel pink apron tied around her slender waist.
“Thank you for fitting me into your busy schedule.” I remove my coat, offering it over to her assistant’s outstretched hands.
Elena smiles. “I must say, I was quite surprised to receive a request for a cake tasting so close to your big day. However, it would be an absolute honor to have one of my cakes at your wedding.” Her warm, brown eyes trail behind me. “And you must be Alastor.”
Chills dance up my spine as Eli’s dominating presence approaches from behind.
Delicious memories from a few nights ago flash in my mind.
I tighten my thighs together, trying but failing to ease the pulse blooming in my core.
I haven’t spoken to him since then and didn’t have the nerve to say more than four words to him this morning—I have an appointment—before I walked out the door and threw myself in the back of my waiting car.
What we did shouldn’t have happened.
Purely because it left my body desperately searching for another orgasm that it would never find.
But now that I’ve had a taste of it, a delicious reminder of what we used to be like together, I can’t help but crave more.
“This is my bodyguard, Eli,” I answer before he can correct her.
He extends a hand around my waist, and I suck in a breath, his closeness sending me over the edge of any sanity I might have left.
“Lovely to meet you,” he says, his hand enveloping hers.
“Do I detect a hint of an English accent?” Elena asks, her cheeks tinting a soft shade of pink.
I internally scoff. Oh, please.
“Yes.” Eli grins. “I’m from Surrey.”
“Ah! I thought it sounded familiar—”
“I’m here!” Alina rushes inside, brushing snow off her shoulders.
She quickly unwraps her scarf and takes off her gloves before sliding her coat down her arms. “Sorry. I couldn’t find any parking nearby.
” The same assistant from earlier takes her things, glancing down at the wet mess around her boots with dismay.
I quickly embrace her. “I told you we could have picked you up.”
She waves a dismissive hand. “Don’t worry. I’m out of the way anyway.” She smiles and greets Eli before looking around at everyone. “So, what did I miss?”
“Nothing yet,” I reply, taking a step back and accidentally bumping into Eli. He steadies me by gripping both of my arms. “Sorry,” I say, jumping out of his touch as I smooth a hand down my white blouse.
He looks at me with one eyebrow raised. “Someone’s a little on edge.”
I lift a shoulder. “I haven’t really been sleeping well.”
“Really?” He grins. “I’ve been sleeping like a baby. Best nights of sleep I’ve had in a while, actually.”
My cheeks flush as I quickly look away.
Elena gestures toward the back room. “I have everything prepared in the back if you’d like to follow me.”
The three of us trail behind with the scent of chocolate wafting through the air.
Taste This has won countless awards over the years, establishing itself as the best bakery in the northeast. And while I may not be particularly looking forward to my wedding, I knew that if Taste This made my wedding cake, I could at least be guaranteed a piece of delicious cake to help ease the pain that day would bring me.
“I think I might be in heaven,” I murmur as we settle around a circular white table.
An employee approaches with a tray of samples and places them on the center of the table.
“In order, we have our vanilla cake, dark chocolate cake, carrot cake, lemon cake, red velvet cake, spice cake, and our signature ginger chai.” Another server appears, placing a second tray before us.
“And here, we have the lemon curd, vanilla buttercream, vanilla buttercream with a hint of lavender, raspberry preserves, a salted caramel filling, a ganache, and an apricot filling.”
Three glasses of water are positioned in front of each of us.
“Wow.” My eyes travel across each sample. “This is going to be a difficult decision.”
“If you have any questions,” Elena begins, “please don’t hesitate to let me know. I’ll be back shortly to check on you.” She exits gracefully, disappearing around the corner.
After several minutes of consuming more calories in one sitting than I think I ever have in my life, I lean back in my seat, placing a hand on my stomach. “I don’t think I can look at another piece of cake for as long as I live.”
“Well, good thing we all know what flavor you’re probably leaning toward,” Alina teases, bumping my shoulder. She takes her fork, digging it into the decadent chocolate cake.
And she would be correct if Alastor hadn’t explicitly told me no chocolate. Normally, I wouldn’t ever let a man tell me what to do, but with Alastor, I need to learn which battles to fight.
And having a chocolate wedding cake isn’t at the top of that list.
“Actually, I thought the vanilla cake with the buttercream would be nice.”
Alina chuckles, licking her fork. “Right.”
I give a slight shrug.
“Wait.” She drops her fork, her eyes blinking. “You’re serious?” She looks at Eli. “Is she serious?” Her phone on the table in front of her vibrates, stealing her attention.
He leans back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest as he regards me. “You’re not going with chocolate?”
“Is that a problem?”
“Not at all. It’s just that for as long as I’ve known you, chocolate has been its own food category.” He smirks, placing his hands behind his head. “I never took you for someone who liked vanilla.”
He winks at me, rekindling that pulse between my legs that I thought I had managed to extinguish. I quickly cross my legs, which doesn’t go unnoticed by him. His grin grows wider, his eyes darker, and I’m thankful that Alina is too busy staring at her phone to notice.
She abruptly stands from her chair, glancing down at her phone in her hands with furrowed brows. “Sorry, I have to take this. I’ll be right back.” She heads toward the entrance, leaving Eli and me behind.
Alone.
Silence fills the room. The only noise I hear is the clock ticking above the giant oven.
Where’s Elena? Shouldn’t she be checking on us by now?
I tap a steady finger on the table, my leg bouncing in rhythm.
“Something on your mind?” Eli asks, crossing his arms over his chest.
“Actually, yes.” I clear my throat and say, “I think we should talk about what happened the other night.”
He leans forward, rubbing his jaw as he gazes down at the table. “Yeah, you’re right. Let’s talk about it.” His eyes meet mine. “Which part did you want to talk about, though? The part where you watched me jerk off to the thought of you? Or the part where I had my face buried in your—”
I jump across the table, slamming my hand over his mouth. My eyes dart around the room to ensure no one is nearby. I look him dead in the eye. “I meant,” I say calmly, “we need to talk about how that can never happen again.”
He mumbles against my palm, so I let my hand fall as I sink into my seat.
“Tell me you didn’t enjoy yourself,” he says, arching a brow and waiting for me to defy him.
“I didn’t,” I grit out.
He tsks. “Look at you. Lying again.”
“I’m not—”
“I still taste your orgasm on my tongue.”
Heat creeps up my neck as I look away, biting the inside of my cheek. “We shouldn’t have done that,” I say softly. I glance back at him. “You have no idea…” I stop myself from finishing that thought, shaking my head.
He truly has no clue as to what we’re risking.
“No idea about what?” He sits up straight, his attention focused entirely on me.
“Nothing.” I scan the room, brushing an irritated hand through my hair. “Where is Elena?”
Eli picks up the sample of the chocolate ganache and swipes his finger through the rich filling, coating the tip of his finger in the decadence. He eyes me like a predator, a coy smile spreading on his face as he holds it toward me and says, “Taste.”
I swallow hard. “I already tried it.”
He shakes his head. “Don’t think you did. In fact, I believe this is the only one you haven’t tried, which is odd considering how much you love chocolate.”
I groan internally. He’s right, of course. But I purposely didn’t try it because I didn’t want to know what I would be missing out on.
Coincidentally, it’s the exact same reason why we shouldn’t have fooled around a few nights ago.
He arches a brow, challenging me.
And because I’ve clearly lost my mind and all sense of reason, I lean forward and part my lips. His chocolate-coated finger rests on my tongue as I suck off the contents, my eyes closing. A moan flees me as the decadent flavor erupts over my taste buds.
“Fuck, Princess,” Eli breathes harshly.
My eyes open, finding him staring at me like I’m the most important thing in his world.
But that can’t be right.
Can it?
“Hey, Angel. I miss you.”
One letter—Four words.
“Would that be such a bad thing?”
Abruptly, I pull back and grab the closest napkin, patting it against the corners of my lips. Warmth blooms across my cheeks as I tuck a lock of hair behind my ear, staring down at the table.
What the hell am I doing?
Nothing can happen between me and Eli.
Not anymore.
Two fingers hook under my chin, tilting my head up until my eyes meet his.
“You feel it, too,” he says. “I know you do.”
It doesn’t matter what I feel.
My lips part, a lie sitting on the tip of my tongue.
“Don’t,” he insists, shaking his head. “Don’t say anything.
” His hand glides along my skin, gently covering my cheek.
“I know you still feel it—that thing between us. I’ve never been able to explain it.
But there was always something there, like a magnetic pull I could never see.
It’s a force bigger than either of us could ever comprehend, and you’re fighting it with everything you have.
I just can’t figure out why.” A sad smile pulls at his lips.
“But I’ll be here when you’re ready to stop fighting it. I’ll always be here.”
He drops his hand, a chill coating my skin.
It feels like he just chiseled away a considerable chunk of the stone that surrounds my heart.
And for the first time in a long while, it beats not because it has to but because it wants to.
Which leads to a dangerous thing… Hope.
Because for the first time, I look at him and think that maybe I should tell him. Maybe I should explain everything and hope that he’ll be able to save me. Save himself. Save us.
So, without thinking, I part my lips. “Eli, I—”
“So, what do we think?” Elena enters the room with a bright smile, oblivious to the tension swirling in the air between us.
Her interference at the exact moment I would have confessed is the only sign I need to keep my damn lips closed.
I show a smile and abruptly stand. “Everything was delicious. I think my top choice would be the vanilla cake with the vanilla buttercream.”
She claps her hands together. “Lovely! I’ll have the contract prepared and sent to you later today with all the details.” She extends her hand, and I take it. “Don’t hesitate to reach out at any time.” Her beautiful smile widens. “I’m so excited for your wedding.”
At least that makes one of us.