Chapter 14
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
The bell over the bakery door jingled as Junie wiped down the counters a few days later. Her stomach dropped like a stone the second she looked up. Preston stepped inside wearing an expensive coat that probably cost more than her monthly rent.
Preston. In her bakery. In person. As if this day hadn’t started on a bad enough note.
He carried a small black box tied with a perfect silver ribbon, his smile smooth and confident, as if he had every right to stroll into her bakery—into her space—whenever he wanted. Did he really think she’d be happy to see him? Grateful, even?
“Juniper,” he said with a smile.
Smiling, she cringed on the inside. His voice was always warm on the surface, but carried a sharp, underlying edge that always made her skin crawl and her shoulders want to curl inward. And why the heck couldn’t he call her Junie like everyone else?
“I couldn’t wait for delivery this time. I wanted to give you this myself.”
Her fingers tightened around the rag until her knuckles ached.
What was with him? A nervous apprehension coursed through her, the same one she always got around him lately.
She forced a polite little smile even as her heart hammered against her ribs and every instinct whispered that she should take a step back.
Why couldn’t he just leave her alone? She’d tried so hard to be nice and yet distant. Time after time, she’d told him to stop bringing her gifts. Well, it was more of a strong hint, but still… the man wasn’t stupid.
That was it. She was going to tell him to go screw himself.
“Good morning, Preston,” she said, and decorated her words with a smile.
Argh! Why was she such a coward?
He set the box on the counter between them, his fingers lingering on the edges like he was reluctant to let go. His eyes stayed locked on her, studying her reaction with that entitled expectation that she would be jumping for joy at the sound of his voice.
“I came by to pick up a few of your delicious cupcakes for the office—”
For a split second, she relaxed. Maybe he was just there as a customer.
“—but I’m glad to see we’re alone. I brought you a little gift.”
“Preston… I’ve told you before,” she said softly, her voice coming out smaller than she wanted. “You need to stop this. I really can’t accept any more of your gifts.”
He tilted his head, that polite smile never wavering, but something colder flickered behind his eyes—something that made her stomach twist into tight, anxious knots.
“You say that,” he replied smoothly, “but I know you don’t really mean it.
Not deep down. Societal politeness is highly overrated, you know.
” He pushed the box a little closer to her, his fingers brushing the edge again like he was offering her the world.
“Open it. I picked this out especially for you. I think you’ll understand what it means. ”
Junie let out a huff of frustration staring at the box, her fingers trembling at her sides.
Part of her wanted to smile, to thank him, to be the sweet girl everyone expected her to be, so he wouldn’t get upset.
Another, quieter part of her wanted to shove the box back at him and beg him to leave her alone.
Tanner would want her to shove his pretty box in his face and toss him out the door. But Tanner wasn’t here, was he?
How small and trapped she felt. Why did she feel guilty about hurting anyone’s feelings, even when it was deserved? Maybe if she just opened it and then gave it back to him, he would finally get the message.
Her fingers trembled. Preston had really put her on edge, especially since, as he had so accurately pointed out, they were alone.
The knot felt impossible, like her hands had forgotten how to work.
When she finally managed to lift the lid, a heavy silver chain-link belt lay coiled inside like a sleeping snake.
It was beautiful. Expensive. And so very, very wrong.
For one desperate heartbeat, her brain tried to convince her it was just a decorative belt.
Something pretty she might wear on a special day if she ever felt brave enough.
But then her eyes caught on the small, sturdy lock on the clasp and the way the links were clearly designed to sit so low on the hips.
The horrifying realization slammed into her like a freight train. She put her hand over her mouth and gasped. Which was just as well because she had no words.
What. The. Hell.
The man had to have a death wish. He hadn’t given her a regular belt. He’d given her a chastity belt. Tanner was going to kill him.
“I know, I know. It’s beautiful, isn’t it? Kinda turns me on to see how much you like it.”
Wow. For such a smart guy, Preston had no idea how to read the room. Did he really think she wanted a chain link chastity belt? From him?
Heat flooded her cheeks, burning so hot and fast that her whole face felt like it was on fire. How in the world could he read her reaction so wrong?
The thought made her feel tiny and exposed, like she was standing completely naked in the middle of her own bakery while Preston watched her with that calm, entitled smile of his. Shame, fear, and fury tangled together so tightly in her chest that she could barely breathe.
How was she ever going to make him understand that she didn’t want any of this? How did you talk to a man who wouldn’t listen to you?
She slammed her hands down on the counter, welcoming the sharp sting against her palms. The little burst of pain helped clear her mind.
Preston’s smile widened, slow and satisfied, like he’d just given her the most romantic gift in the world. “I know you’ve been… distracted lately. With him.”
His voice stayed warm on the surface, but that assumption of understanding made her even angrier. “I’ve been more than distracted, Preston. Tanner is my—”
He raised a palm, cutting her off. “I agree. He is a nuisance. Did you know he came by to see me? But don’t worry, Juniper.
I’m not that easy to scare away. And you already know what a very patient man I am.
I’ve waited years for you. I can wait a little longer.
” He leaned in slightly, his gaze locking onto hers in a way that felt far too intimate for the middle of her bakery.
“But not forever. Sooner or later, you’ll see we belong together.
And when that day comes… I’ll make sure you never want anyone else. ”
The words were pleasant. If Tanner had said them, she’d be thrilled.
Coming from Preston, they sank into her like ice, sending a fresh wave of fear and nausea rolling through her body.
For the first time, she was truly afraid of Preston.
Before, she’d always thought of him as persistent, insistent, and clueless about how she saw him, but this was different. This was dangerous.
He straightened, still wearing that polished, entitled smile, and gave her a small nod like he’d just sealed a business deal. “Let’s go to the back, and I can help you try it on.”
Junie was backing away in fright, and he had started moving around the counter when the door opened. The bell over the door jingled, and it was the most beautiful sound she’d ever heard. Three teenagers stumbled in laughing, not noticing the drama unfolding at the counter.
Junie put on the best smile she could and waved over Preston’s head. “This customer was just leaving. What will you kids have?”
Preston had never even turned around to see who it was. His eyes remained locked on Junie. “I’ll see you soon, Juniper,” he said, then he turned and walked out, the bell jingling cheerfully behind him as if nothing at all was wrong.
Junie stood frozen behind the counter, the shiny silver chastity belt gleaming up at her from its box like a trap waiting to snap shut. The man really did have a death wish.
Junie glared at the box, repulsed, as if the heavy silver belt might suddenly come alive and wrap itself around her like some shiny trap. It then occurred to her that Tanner had mentioned he might drop by this morning. Oh no… oh no, no, no.
She had to get rid of this ridiculous, terrifying thing before he saw it, or, for that matter, these teenagers standing at the counter saw it. She could just imagine one of the girls saying, “I’ll take one of those.” Or worse yet, asking her what it was.
If the teens saw it, she would be mortified. If Tanner saw it, Preston would be dead within the hour, and she would lose her Daddy to the state police. She’d lost him once. She wasn’t doing it again.
Stuffing the box under the counter, she quickly filled the teen’s orders. Fortunately, they were picking up a birthday cake to go.
When she was alone again, she snatched the gift up, but some icing on her fingers made the box slip, knocking off the top and spilling the belt out on the floor.
Damn it!
Heart hammering against her ribs, she wiped her fingers with a napkin, set the box back on the shelf, and squatted down to retrieve the lid and belt. Just as her fingers closed around the belt, the bell over the door jingled brightly.
Dear lord, please don’t let that be Tanner.
She eased up just enough to see over the counter and jerked back down.
It was Tanner.
Her stomach dropped straight through the floor.
He was going to be so mad. And not only at Preston.
Hadn’t he told her to quit accepting gifts from Preston?
The thought of his disappointed Daddy face made her bottom crawl with nervous dread.
She could already picture the stern look in his eyes, hear the low, commanding tone of his voice, and knew there was a very real possibility that she’d end up over his knee with her panties around her ankles before the day was through.
She stayed crouched behind the counter for one panicked second longer, clutching the lid like a shield, hoping against hope that she could put it away before he saw it.