Chapter 39
CHAPTER 39
W hen she’d decided to bring his frosting dream to life, Clementine hadn’t considered the sugar rush that would follow. So while Oakley chugged water, she whipped up grilled cheese sandwiches. She joined him on the floor and they ate their dinner between cracking each other up. They talked about his new tattoos, what he’d designed for her and then she gushed about the new shop space.
Until Gracie came to find them.
They pulled on clothes, ignoring their sticky skin, and took Gracie out for a walk and to relieve herself. They strolled hand-in-hand while the golden fur ball padded ahead of them. It was quite late, so they didn’t put the leash on her, allowing her to wander. Once she was done, they scooped up her poop and went back home. Gracie went right back to her bed as Clementine and Oakley cleaned up after their sex fest and dinner. After a second shower, they crawled under the sheets and fell asleep almost instantly.
Fixing broken hearts and wild sex would do that.
However, she was alone in bed in the morning. A note was sitting on the other pillow that read:
Be back soon, don’t go anywhere. Love you. xO.
Her heart fluttered at the ‘love you’ reminder, because after days of not sleeping and waking up without him, seeing that made her happy. Dressed in one of his T-shirts and shorts, she got started on coffee before figuring out what to make for breakfast. She yawned when Oakley stepped into the kitchen and she looked him over—light blue T-shirt hugged his chest and biceps, faded jeans were molded to his thighs, his signature glasses and his ball cap turned backwards.
“How dare you look this good first thing in the morning,” she grumbled and poured them coffee.
His arms slid around her waist, lips finding that spot on her neck instantly. “You look better, especially in my clothes.”
“This is the first thing I saw, no other reason.”
“Okay, sweetheart,” he whispered, humor lacing his voice.
She fought back a smile and strained one tumbler, then slid it to the side for Oakley. Turning in his arms, she sipped on her drink and followed the shape of his strong jaw, down his throat and as he swallowed, and pressed a kiss to his neck. A rumble started in his chest and Clementine smiled as she covered her mouth with her glass.
He cleared his throat, tilting his head to look at her. “What are we doing today?”
“Well I was going to tie my boyfriend to the bed and have my way with him.”
“Boyfriend?” His eyes widened, hearts practically popping out.
She rolled her eyes. “A little juvenile. But that’s what you are, right?”
“Baby, you can call me anything, as long as I’m yours.”
“Pretty sure we established that last night.”
“I like being reminded as often as possible.”
She hummed, aware that he wanted her to say the words, but she was going to be difficult for the fun of it. “So, where did you go this morning?”
“Really, brushing right past that?”
“Yes.”
“Clem.” She arched an eyebrow, draining the last of her coffee. “Please say it,” he whispered, eyes watery and soft.
“You’re mine.”
He exhaled loudly and pressed his mouth to hers. The taste of toothpaste and coffee hit her as their tongues danced, then he was pulling away with a wide grin. “Needed a change of clothes and food for Gracie. Thought about picking up breakfast, but realized it was already so late, so maybe we can do brunch?”
“What if I really did want to tie you to my bed?”
He opened his mouth, but was interrupted by his rumbling stomach. “Food first, then you can tie me up.”
A little over an hour later, he was whining as they got ready. “I should have ignored my stomach, because I thought we would be having brunch at home.”
Clementine shook her head and swiped mascara on, glancing at him through the mirror. His blond hair was dark from the shower and his torso was bare because he was attempting to seduce her back into nudity. He had managed to pull on his jeans, but refused to get fully dressed. The thing that really got her was the way he was watching her—green eyes dark and slowly moving over her body.
“Because,” she started, twisting her mascara tube shut, “we need to eat and I want to take you to another one of my favorite spots in town.”
His lips formed a cute pout. “And after…we can get back into bed together?”
“Maybe.”
She had a vague plan for the day. After all, it was her day off and she was back with the man of her dreams. Nothing was important, except food. Clementine fluffed her hair and turned to find him still half-dressed. “In the last twelve hours, you’ve consumed enough sugar to power a bakery, enjoyed two solid orgasms, and you’re still whining?”
If they hadn’t gotten a little frisky in the bathroom a few moments ago, she would fall for his pouting. The shower sex had been a little unexpected. But they made it work with one of her legs hitched up around his waist as he bent at the knees and fucked her. It had been impossible to come that way, so they touched and stroked each other until they had to wash themselves off again.
Warm hands cupped her face as he said, “When it comes to you, sex and orgasms, I always want more.”
“Greedy,” she teased.
“To bury myself inside you? Yes. To have your taste on my tongue forever? Yes. To watch this delicious mouth wrap itself around my cock? Yes.”
Then he was kissing her, fingers messing up her hair as his tongue plunged deep into her mouth. She moaned, her hands grabbing his sides to steady herself as she kissed him back. She’d never get enough, want enough or have enough of this man. Clementine understood his desire, because she felt it too. They couldn’t always lock themselves away. Sucking on his tongue, she growled and pulled away. His dark eyes blinked open, devouring her hungrily.
“When we get back, you can worship me on your knees.”
He nodded, throat bobbing as he swallowed. “Okay.”
With a gentle shove, she stepped out of his reach and reapplied her lipstick. She could still feel his eyes on her as she moved around her bedroom, putting things away, but she also heard the rustling of clothes. Looking over her shoulder, he was tugging on a plain white T-shirt. He stepped in front of the mirror to comb his fingers through his hair, his eyes meeting hers as she smiled at him.
“Like what you see, melor?”
“It’s okay,” she teased, earning a loud laugh in response.
Grabbing her cropped leather jacket and handbag, she walked out of the bedroom. She was tugging on her sneakers when he joined her, jacket and boots in his hands.
“Still staring, baby.”
“I’m allowed to look at the man I love.”
He growled, walking over to her with purpose. “I will never tire of hearing you say that.”
“That I love you?”
“Once more.”
She pulled on her jacket and flicked her hair over her shoulder, dragging it out as Oakley watched her. At his raised eyebrows, she grinned. “I love you.”
“I love you more, sweetheart.”
“It’s not a competition.”
“Just a fact, my love,” he countered with a grin. “Now, take me to lunch. Otherwise I’m going to eat you right here.”
Clementine prided herself on always finding fantastic new restaurants. Which was how she stumbled across Catching Fillings, a family-owned dumpling spot that had no signage and relied heavily on word-of-mouth. She’d found it with Mack one afternoon and had become a regular. Located in a nondescript building with an unmarked door, it was hidden away perfectly.
The look on Oakley’s face as she led him down the long hallway was the same one she knew she’d worn the first time she’d visited. Pushing the final door open, Clementine glanced back at him and saw his eyes widen as he took in the place. The restaurant was packed, staff ran between tables dropping off food and taking orders. People of all races and generations filled the space, adding to the noise levels. For someone who often struggled with sensory overload, being there was weirdly comforting. There was something about knowing that once you sat down and food was set in front of you, nothing else mattered.
“Chef Kinney!” a squeaky voice called out and she steadied herself as a small body slammed into her. “It’s been so long.” The words came out muffled against her stomach and Clementine laughed as she ruffled the top of the kid’s head before pulling her back.
“It’s good to see you too, Zoe.”
“Why didn’t you come back before?”
She pouted, but made sure to smile at the little girl. “Been really busy. But I’m here now.”
“Happy to see you. And your friend .”
Rolling her eyes, she stepped aside and reached for Oakley’s hand. “Zoe, this is Oakley. This is Zoe, her parents own this place.”
“Nice to meet you, Zoe.”
“Are you Chef Kinney’s boyfriend?”
Oakley nodded, seeming to puff out his chest as he said, “Absolutely. Lucky me, huh?”
“Duh,” Zoe said with an eye roll that rivaled Clementine’s. “Your table is free,” she called back as she vanished out of sight.
“Always feels like I’m hanging out with someone famous,” he said as he linked their fingers.
“I am famous.” She led the way to her usual table by the large picture window looking into a garden. “Most of the vegetables in their food are grown here. It’s one of the things that fascinated me when I first came by.”
“This is incredible.”
“It was meant to be the first stop on our food tour. But now it’s our last.”
His eyebrows dipped. “We’re done?”
“The other places we go to can be dates.”
"They’ve always been dates, Clem.”
Her heart soared at the words, because as much as she tried not to think of them that way, she had also admitted to herself that they were dates. It was always the two of them, being silly and cute like when they were naked.
“Maybe next date night, we can make dim sums together.” He smiled, looking through the paper menu on the table.
“Chef Kinney can make cake, but she can’t make dim sums,” a deep voice said and she laughed as she glanced at Li Huáng.
“Oakley, this is Li. He’s the owner of this establishment and Zoe’s father. He’s also a dim sum expert and gave up on teaching me how to make them the right way.”
“Good to meet you, Oakley. If you want dim sums, you come see me. Don’t bother this fumbling young lady. There are some things she cannot do.”
She rolled her eyes, but caught Oakley’s beaming smile as he talked with Li. While they were busy, she filled out the menu card using the pencil on the table. While she had a standard list of dishes she usually ordered, she picked a few new ones to experiment with. Then handed it over when Zoe came by, dragging her father away at the same time.
“You make some really good friends, chef.”
“Food brings people together and I like food,” she said with a shrug, because it wasn’t like she could take credit for any of this.
He smiled and settled back in his seat. “So it was meant to be our first stop?”
“Yup. But we got distracted.”
“If I remember correctly, you distracted me with that kiss.”
He wasn’t wrong. She remembered that first kiss vividly—the way he gripped her ass and how his tongue swept into her mouth, the feeling of his hard body pressed against hers.
“You didn’t seem to be complaining.”
“Nobody in their right mind would complain about being kissed by you.”
“Would they complain about anything else?”
Oakley pretended to think about it and she gasped like she was shocked by his response, which made him smile. But his expression turned serious and he tilted his head as he spoke.
“All those people from your past, the ones that didn’t see you for who you really are…I hope they can see you now. See the incredible businesswoman you’ve become, see the beautiful woman you are and see how fucking talented you are. That’s what drew me to you and what makes me honored to even be in your presence.”
She blinked back tears at the sincerity of his words and smiled, looking at the garden. It was easier than staring Oakley in the eyes and seeing his love, desire and affection reflected back at her. She appreciated him for all of those things, but to hear the words always shocked her.
“We’ve been through enough, melor. Together and apart. We’re going to keep doing this . Together.”
She nodded and looked back at Oakley. Now he was smiling, the same kind of smile he flashed at her when they first met. The kind of smile that would render just about every person useless in his presence.
Lunch, as she expected, was fantastic. Because the food was so good, they barely spoke, other than to groan about how amazing everything was. When they finished, she hopped into the driver’s seat of his Jeep and grinned. It was the first time she’d even attempted to drive it, but she was excited at the prospect. There was a little protesting, but once he handed the keys over, she didn’t hold back. She pulled up in front of her house and sent Oakley in to retrieve Gracie. Then drove them to A Fine Needle and hopped out before he could refuse. He climbed out reluctantly and had barely set Gracie down before she was charging into the shop as Clementine opened the door.
“On my day off, babe, really?”
“This is important,” she countered and winked at Carin who was keeping Gracie busy. “We’re doing tattoos.”
“ We? ”
She hummed. “I know you’ve designed a tattoo or two for me. Show me and I’ll get one done today.”
“Clem…”
“Seriously, Oak. Mark me up.”
His eyes darkened at the words and she smirked, because she knew that it was similar to what she’d said to him in bed.
“Your work station is all set up,” Carin called out and Clementine looped her arm through Oakley’s, dragging him over.
“You’re serious.”
“Until you, I never really thought about getting a tattoo. But I seriously want one. And I want you to do it for me.” She shrugged out of her jacket and set it along with her purse on the side, then hopped onto the table.
He stared at her a long moment before sitting on his stool and rolling it closer. “Do you trust me to give you the right tattoo?”
“Like a surprise?”
“Yeah.”
“Absolutely. I trust you.”
He cupped the back of her head and brought their mouths together. She sighed softly into the kiss, brushing her hands down his arms despite how awkward the position was. But that didn’t matter. The kiss was scorching and burned through every inch of her. She pulled back and licked her lips, watching as his eyes refocused.
“Be right back.”
She looked around the space, taking in details she hadn’t noticed before and then he was back, paper and marker in hand. Even though she wanted to see what he was drawing for her, Clementine kept her eyes off his work.
“All right, lie down,” he said and she followed his instructions, crossing her sneakered feet at the ankles. The curtain rustled and someone handed things to Oakley before leaving. He sat down on the stool again and snapped on his gloves, the whole thing way hotter than she realized.
“I think I get the tattoo artist kink now.”
“The what?”
“See you in work mode. You’ve got this look in your eyes and those gloves.” She fanned herself and he snorted, shaking his head.
“Behave or I’ll never get this done.” Once he was done setting up, he said, “Where do you want it?”
“Forearm. Like yours.”
He smiled and held his hand out, so she stretched out her right arm. “Do you need anything before to distract you?”
“My phone?”
He retrieved it from her purse and handed it over. Not that she ever spent that much time on her phone, but she took it and scrolled through Instagram and then her Notes app. Since she had only one hand, she couldn’t type up ideas. All the while, Oakley talked her through what he was doing.
“Cleaning your arm so I can trace the stencil,” he said and she grunted to acknowledge that she’d heard him. He explained the next few steps and when she felt the first prick of the needle, she hissed. Her pain threshold was pretty high, so she had no worries about that, but the insistent buzzing and poking was uncomfortable. However, it seemed like he was working pretty quickly.
“Gonna shade it in now. You doing okay?”
“Yup. Just want my arm back.”
He chuckled and kissed her wrist. She took a picture of him bent over her arm and sent it to the girls, captioning it with: I think I might keep him . The texts came in instantly and she grinned, setting her phone to vibrate and closing her eyes. She didn’t know how long he’d been working, but when he said her name, she blinked her eyes open like she’d been asleep.
“Ready to see?”
“Fuck yes.” He helped her sit up and she lifted her arm, breath catching in her throat at the tattoo. “Oak.”
In the center of her forearm was a piping bag, shaded in a rainbow of colors—pretty much all the ones she’d spread on her body the night before—and one thick line flowed out and down the side of her arm.
“From the day I saw you, frosting has been part of our relationship. I thought this would be a good dedication for that.”
“It’s beautiful.” Looking up at him, she blinked back tears. “I love you.”
“I love you too, Clem.”
Then he launched into aftercare instructions, but she wasn’t listening. He’d be with her through it and he’d help her with it whenever she fucked up. Because all she could focus on was the fact that she’d found someone who loved her, prickly edges and all. Someone who thought she was worth the trouble. Someone who looked at her and saw her worth.
Someone who saw all of her and put it into a simple, yet beautiful, tattoo that was now forever on her skin.