Chapter 16
Chapter Sixteen
LEO
It might have made me a bit twisted to get off on Danika’s snark, but God help me, I did. It wasn’t that I was a fan of attitude, because I certainly wasn’t. I’d been with Whitney enough years to know I fucking hated that kind of headache. But Danika wasn’t like that.
She didn’t have it in her to go full-on bitchy, even though I might have—definitely had—deserved it.
Even her brand of snark had been liberally sprinkled with sweet.
She didn’t get pissed and just go off half-cocked.
She’d made her point clearly and calmly, laying me out so well that, for the first time in a very long time, I didn’t have a single defense.
I’d been wrong, straight up. End of sentence.
However, even then, she didn’t hold a grudge. It had taken exactly two text messages for her to get over her snit. My first one asking if she was still mad at me hours after she rightfully laid into me in her parents’ driveway was met with a response of New phone. Who dis?
I’d waited a while longer before sending the next one telling her goodnight. I knew when I got Sleep well, honey back, she was over it.
It had only been about a month, and already, I was feeling things for this woman that I’d never felt before.
Not even when Whitney and I had been at our best, which wasn’t saying much.
None of the women that came after Whitney made me feel even a quarter of what Danika did in such a short amount of time.
Not once in our time together had she made me think she wasn’t happy with our arrangement or that she resented me for wanting to keep our relationship private.
But as more time passed, I started to feel like I was making a mistake by keeping us a secret.
She showed me every day in countless ways how amazing she was.
Because I had the kids I hadn’t been able to see her over the weekend after the scene at her parents’.
My plan was to go to the coffee shop to see her on Monday morning, but Micah and I caught another drug case almost as soon as we got to work that had taken up the whole day and bled into the following one.
By the time seven thirty rolled around Tuesday evening, I was exhausted and bone weary.
I’d texted Danika to see if she was home, but she was still at the shop, using the kitchen after hours to work on a new recipe.
It had been days, and I was craving the sight of her, so instead of heading home, I left the station and drove straight to Muffin Top.
The front door was still unlocked, and even though the Closed sign was lit up, a few of the interior lights were on, so I headed inside, following the sounds coming from the back.
I pushed through one of the swinging doors to the kitchen and instantly stopped.
“Smoke on the Water” by Deep Purple was playing softly from her iPhone sitting on the metal countertop close to her, and she was singing along softly.
Her long, thick hair was pulled up into a sloppy knot at the top of her head with several tendrils having fallen out to frame her face.
She had streaks of flour on her cheeks, forehead and neck, and cocoa powder on her nose.
Watching her then, I wasn’t sure if I’d ever seen her look more beautiful.
“Pomegranate. Pomegranate,” she muttered to herself, looking all around her station. “Where the hell did I put it?”
“Sweetness.”
She let out a little shriek and spun around, making her bun wobble precariously. “Oh God, Leo,” she said with a startled laugh, placing her hand on her chest. “You scared me. What are you doing here?”
I pushed off the doorframe, a smile tugging at my lips as I started toward her. “I missed you.” Her big gray eyes warmed and her lids grew heavy. She loved that answer, and I loved that I was the one to put that look on her face.
“Now who’s being sweet?” As soon as I was close enough, I grabbed her hips and pulled her against me. “Leo, I’m a mess. You’re gonna get flour all over your shirt.”
“I really don’t care,” I said, lowering my head and brushing the tip of her nose with mine. “What I care about is that I’ve been here for ten whole seconds and haven’t gotten a kiss from my girlfriend yet.”
She sucked in an exaggerated gasp and bugged her eyes. “How inconsiderate of me. I’m so sorry.”
“Mmm. I’m hurt, but I think I’d be willing to forgive if you make it a good one,” I teased as she wrapped her arms around my neck.
“That’s only fair,” she said softly as she lifted up on her toes. She pressed her lips against mine briefly and pulled back. “Am I forgiven now?”
I rolled my eyes. “Please. You can do better than that.”
She lifted up again, pressing longer. “Now?”
“Hmm. Nope. I’m still not feelin’ it.”
She giggled and moved back in. This time it was more than just a press. This time, her tongue peeked out and slid across my bottom lip. I parted to give her access, and she didn’t hesitate, slipping her tongue inside and sliding it against mine.
I let out a groan, squeezing her hips harder before wrapping my arms around her and pulling her close. I took over, using my head to tip hers to the side so I could get deeper, tasting chocolate and sugar and something pleasantly tart.
When we finally broke apart, her breathing was erratic, her eyes were glazed, and her fingers were tangled in my hair.
“Am I forgiven now?” she asked breathily.
“Yeah, baby. You’re definitely forgiven.”
Her fingers began toying with the strands of hair at my neck as she graced me with that smile I loved so damn much. “Hi.”
“Hi, back.”
“You called me your girlfriend,” she said on a whisper, her voice sounding giddy.
I held her tighter, my chest shaking on a chuckle. “I take it from your reaction, you liked that.”
She didn’t hesitate to confirm, “I did. Very much.” Just like that, she gave more. There were no games or manipulations with her. No jumping through hoops or trying to guess what she was thinking or feeling. If it wasn’t written on her face, she shared almost immediately.
“So, what are you in here experimenting on?”
She pulled away, blowing the hair from her forehead as she looked around her crowded, messy workstation.
“I thought up a new recipe for a chocolate pomegranate soufflé that I wanted to try out.”
My head jerked back in surprise. “Those are really complicated, aren’t they? Are you gonna be able to make somethin’ like that in bulk for customers?”
“Oh, I’m not making it for the shop. This is for Macie. I think she’ll get a real kick out of baking this, so I need to get the recipe just right before she gives it a go.”
My body locked up as something hot and not the slightest bit unpleasant moved through my chest.
Catching the look on my face, her brows arched down and her head cocked to the side. “You okay?”
“You created a new recipe for Macie?”
“Well . . .” She looked around the kitchen nervously. “Yeah.”
“You created a recipe for my baby girl,” I semi-repeated, letting that heat in my chest spread throughout the rest of my body.
“The ingredients aren’t that complicated, and she’s got the chops for it. I think—”
“Do you have any clue how amazing you are?”
Her lips parted in surprise as her gray eyes filled with something that was all Danika, sweet and warm and packed with emotion. “Leo.”
I grabbed hold of her again, locking my fingers at the small of her back. She wasn’t very tall, about average height for a woman, but she fit me perfectly, like she was made to be right here in my arms.
“What’s your schedule look like for tomorrow?”
“I—what?”
“Tomorrow. Are you working the kitchen or the front?”
“Um . . .” she looked up and to the side like she was flipping through her mental calendar. “Kitchen. Why?”
“Good, so you’ll get off at four. Means you’ll have time to get ready so I can take you out.”
It was her turn to lock tight. “W-what do you mean? Like, on a date?”
“Exactly like a date,” I murmured, bending my head to get close and inhale more of that vanilla and sugar scent. “I’m takin’ you to dinner. Tomorrow night.”
“But I thought . . .”
I knew what she thought, and it made me feel like an asshole. “Been together almost a month, darlin’. And it’s been nothin’ but great this whole time. I think it’s time to start discussin’ where this is going, don’t you?”
“Honey,” she whispered, bracing her hands on my chest. “I really like hearing that, but are you sure? What if someone sees us?”
“Don’t worry about that. I’ll take care of it. But I want us to talk tomorrow night and see if, together, we can think of a good way to tell the kids you’re a part of my life in a bigger way than they already think you are.”
She hesitated for a second, but then her lips split into a blinding smile. “Yeah. Okay. Definitely. So, where are you taking me?”
I chuckled and pulled her up, speaking against her lips as I answered, “That’s a surprise. All you need to do is be ready when I pick you up.” I gave her a hard press of the lips before taking a step back and turning for the door.
“Wait. You can’t just say something like that and leave. I need to know so I can plan the right outfit.”
I pushed open the door, but didn’t step through, stopping to look over my shoulder. “You got another dress like the one that had me fightin’ a constant hard-on when I picked you up from Whiskey Dolls, then you’re set.”
She let out a little squeak. “So you’re taking me somewhere fancy?”
I shot her a wink. “Have a good night, sweetness. I’ll see you tomorrow. Seven o’clock.”
Then I left with the sound of her excited squeal in my ears and a smile on my face.