Chapter 17 Sunny
SUNNY
Irested my head back against the luxurious leather interior of Linc’s car and watched the scenery go by.
Mission Cove faded from view, the landscape becoming more urban, the highway active with traffic.
Ahead was Toronto—one of the busiest cities in the country.
I hadn’t been there in years, and if it weren’t for Linc, I wouldn’t have been heading toward its towering skyscrapers and overcrowded boundaries.
I rolled my head, peeking over at Linc. He was driving with one hand on the wheel, the other wrapped around mine, resting on the console that separated us. His car smelled of rich leather, cedar, and ocean. Of Linc. It was a scent I would always associate with him.
I could scarcely believe I was here, with him.
The day he walked back into my life was one I would never forget.
Seeing him standing in front of me was a shock.
The boy I had loved had grown into a man who was a stranger—yet the moment he breathed my name, he became Linc again.
He had lost his gangly, awkward gait and the boyish shape to his face.
His stride and movements were confident and sure, his face all sharp angles, his jaw covered with scruff, no matter how closely he shaved in the morning.
But it was his eyes. His eyes still looked at me the same way, with fierce devotion and fire.
As in the past, I could sense when he was close.
And when he pulled me into his arms and kissed me, it was as if I had finally come home.
All the years we were apart, a piece of me was missing.
I learned to smile and pretend, to hide my pain away so nobody saw it.
To act as if what we had shared had been a teenage love, when in fact, it was so much more.
I knew I would carry it with me for the rest of my life.
Carry him in my heart. I had tried to get over him, date other men—but it never worked.
The closer they wanted to get, the more I pulled away.
It was as if my heart refused to let him go.
And now he was here.
“Hey.” His voice broke through my musings.
I startled. “Hi?”
He smiled, lifting our entwined fingers to run his knuckles over my cheek. “You okay, Sunny-girl? You’re awfully quiet.”
“Just thinking.”
“Are you worried about the bakery?”
“No, I know Shannon, Mack, and Lori will take good care of it. I’m only a call away, if needed.
Now that the rush of the weekend is over, they can handle it.
” I smiled as I thought about the busy weekend and how Linc and Abby had pitched in to help.
“You were awesome. So was Abby. That girl has some serious baking skills.”
He checked over his shoulder, then changed lanes. “I know. She kept that hidden all these years. I’m not sure why.”
“I told you—it was something personal. She told me she would bake and take whatever she made to a shelter or her neighbors,” I explained. “It was something she did just for herself. She wanted to be a strong woman in your eyes,” I reiterated.
“She is. She always will be—I know what she went through. I think she is incredible.” Linc smirked. “And it seems I am not the only one who does.”
I squeezed his hand. “Michael is a good guy. He’d treat her well. Isn’t that what you want?”
“Of course. It’s just that he lives in Mission Cove, and she lives in Toronto. Long-distance relationships are hard. And her lifestyle is very different.”
“It’s the same for us, Linc,” I reminded him, my heart in my throat.
“No. We’re different.”
I had to say it. “Linc, I have no desire to live in Toronto.” I indicated the huge city we were engulfed in, the traffic flow heavy around us, and the crowds of people. “I don’t like big cities.”
“We’ll work it out, Sunny. All of it. My business is transportable. And despite my wealth, I don’t think we’re that different. I’m still Linc under my fancy suit.”
“A suit you look hot in,” I teased, making him grin. Then I became serious again.
“I love Mission Cove. Despite our past, despite everything, it’s still home to me. I don’t think you feel the same way.”
He glanced my way with a frown. “Where you are is home, Sunny. You always have been, and you are that again. I was lost for years without you.”
“I felt the same way.”
“You’re my compass, Sunny. My true north. I swear, we’ll figure it out.”
His words warmed my heart. He was so serious and confident. Certain we would work things out. I wanted to believe him, to trust that he wanted this as much as I did. I smiled at him, letting the subject drop for now. I covered my mouth as a yawn escaped.
“We’re almost there.” He chuckled. “I’m going to take you to my house. You can have a nap while I’m at my meeting, then we have the rest of the day together. I’ve made dinner reservations for tonight, and I have tickets to a show.”
“That sounds wonderful. I hope the dress I brought is okay.”
“You’ll be beautiful.”
I felt my cheeks warm at his sincerity. “I think you’re biased,” I mumbled as we pulled into a quieter neighborhood.
The houses were all tall, with garages on the main floor and a long flight of steps leading to the front door.
Huge windows and spotless brick exteriors glinted in the morning sun.
The street he turned onto was wide and circular with a fountain in the middle, an unexpected sight.
Linc hit a button, and the garage door on a house with charcoal-gray brick, trimmed in glossy black, slid open.
He parked the car, the door shutting behind us.
He stepped from the vehicle and came around to open my door.
I loved the fact that he still did that for me.
He held out his hand, pulling me from the passenger seat.
Bending down, he brushed a kiss to my mouth. “Welcome to my house, Sunny.”
Ilooked around in awe. Linc’s house was stunning.
We climbed the steps inside from the garage.
I spied a workout room on the lower level and some other areas, but when we reached the main floor, my jaw dropped.
Glossy marble floors, dark hardwoods, and light were all around me.
A spacious living room, an elegant dining room, and a massive kitchen took up the entire level.
The furniture was masculine and large. The walls a warm white, offset with colorful artwork.
The kitchen was sleek and modern, and I may have squealed at the Keurig built into the fancy refrigerator.
The floors were warm under my feet, and I gazed longingly at the massive gas stove.
“Do you cook?” I asked, running my fingers over the glossy surface.
“No,” he replied, sounding amused. “I have a housekeeper. I can do the basics, but she handles the rest.”
“Oh.”
He held out his hand. “I’ll show you upstairs.”
I followed him, studying the framed images on the walls, marveling at the thick carpet on the stairs. He waved toward the left. “My home office and a guest room.” He opened a set of double doors.
“My room.”
My eyes widened as I took in the expansive room.
A king-sized bed faced the large windows that overlooked the fountain on the street.
The walls were a rich blue, the molding a crisp white, giving the room a cozy, warm feel.
I peeked into a massive walk-in closet, then followed Linc as he entered the bathroom.
I stared at the large shower with multiheaded jets, then in longing at the gigantic tub.
Linc stepped behind me, wrapping me in his arms. “Maybe you can have a bath. You used to love soaking in the tub.”
“I still do,” I replied quietly, feeling overwhelmed as I looked around.
He spun me in his arms. “Hey, what is it?”
I shook my head, but he refused to let me go, tipping up my chin to make me look him in the eye. “What?” he demanded. “Tell me.”
“I’m embarrassed,” I admitted. “Having you stay at that little apartment. You seeing my place—compared to this, it’s a hovel,” I admitted.
“Stop it,” he growled. “I love the little apartment, and your place is not a hovel. It’s yours—it’s you.
The fact that you’re in it makes it special.
” He indicated the room. “They’re just walls, Sunny.
It’s a place I sleep, eat, and work. It’s always just been a house.
” He bent down and kissed me. “With you standing in it, it feels like a home now.”
He always said the right thing. His words were like a soothing balm over my heart.
I stared up at him, his blue eyes sincere and warm, darkening with intensity as he met my gaze.
His hands, resting on my hips, tightened, and the air around us bubbled with heat.
My breathing picked up, and before I could stop myself, I flung my arms around his neck and kissed him.
If I shocked him, he recovered fast, yanking me close and taking control of the kiss.
His mouth dominated mine, his tongue pressing in, stroking over mine with long, sensuous passes.
I gasped as he wrapped his large hands around my thighs, lifting me to the counter, stepping between my legs as he continued to work my mouth.
I whimpered as he tugged me close, and I felt his erection trapped between us.
He slid his hands under my shirt, gliding them up my back, spreading his fingers wide, his touch warm and sure.
He dragged his lips down my neck, across my cheek to my ear, his voice raspy.
“Fuck, Sunny. I want you.”
I wrapped my legs around his waist.
He hissed and cursed. “Baby, I have a meeting.”
“Okay.” But I offered him my mouth again, and he took it.
He devoured me, trailing his fingers up and down my back, sliding them under the fabric of my camisole, feathering them over the sides of my breasts. My nipples hardened, and I felt the pulse of desire grow in my core. “Linc,” I whimpered.
“Jesus,” he panted. “I want to spend hours with you, Sunny. Kissing you. Holding you. Making love to you,” he added with a low growl.
“Not fuck you in the bathroom and leave you alone right away.” He rested his head on my shoulder, then raised his chin and met my eyes.
His were dark with desire. “You are too beautiful. I can’t resist you. ”
I cupped his face in my hands and kissed his mouth. Then his cheeks, nose, and finally his forehead, peppering light kisses on his skin. “Then go and do what you have to do. I’ll be here when you get back.”
He stared at me, a wondrous look on his face. “How did you do that?”
“Do what?”
“Make me feel…adored,” he breathed out, his voice incredulous.
“You are.”
Our eyes locked, a moment of clarity and silent conversation happening between us.
He nodded as if answering a question, then scooped me into his arms and carried me into his bedroom.
He set me on the bed gently as if I was the most delicate of sculptures.
He kissed my forehead. “Sleep while I’m gone.
It’s Mrs. Ellis’s day off, so you won’t be disturbed. ”
“I’m not sure I can sleep. I’m not used to morning naps.”
He grinned so widely his eyes crinkled. “Then have a bath. Snoop around, Sunny-girl. Open my drawers and find a shirt you like and wear it. Dig through my closet. Bake some biscuits. Whatever you want. Just relax.”
I understood what he was telling me. His life was an open book, and I was to make myself comfortable in it.
I snuggled into the cradling mattress with a contented sigh. Turning my head, I inhaled the scent of Linc on his pillow. Suddenly, I felt exhausted.
“Maybe just a few moments,” I murmured, shutting my eyes.
Linc pressed his lips to my forehead again, and I felt a soft blanket being drawn over me. I burrowed back under the warmth, the pull of sleep hitting me.
“I’ll be back soon,” Linc promised.
“M’kay,” I mumbled.
I heard the sound of his camera phone, then his footsteps as he walked away. He paused at the door, his breathing the only sound in the room.
“What a beautiful sight,” he muttered.
I was asleep before he reached the main floor.