16. Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Sixteen
Madison
S omehow I ended up in front of my sister’s bakery after that phone call with our mother. The sweet aroma of freshly baked goods enveloped me as soon as I walked through the door. The place was small but cozy. Bright. It matched Clem’s personality. The new one that is. The wife. The mother. I still couldn't believe how much she had changed from the time she was a grumpy, spiteful teenage girl that hated everyone.
I didn’t exactly miss her dark teen years, but I also didn’t know how to be a sister to this new version. And I think I envied her a little. She looked at peace with herself and with her life. Did I have that peace in my life? Didn’t think so.
I looked behind the counter and saw an unfamiliar face. I didn’t know what I came for, but not finding Clem here disappointed me. Just as I was about to leave, I heard her voice calling.
“Madison?”
I turned around and found my sister and Hannah sitting at a table in the back with Daphne perched on my sister’s best friend’s lap. I waved and walked over to them.
“What are you doing here?” Clem asked, surprised.
I didn’t feel a bad vibe to her question but it stung either way.
“I decided to come check your place out. Since I’ve never been.”
The day of the opening I had a wedding in a chateau in the south of France. I came back home on rare occasions and for short periods of time. Oh, and I didn’t eat carbs, so I never really cared to visit.
Clem’s face morphed from happy to see me to blank. “Check my place out? You mean judge it.”
“No, that’s not what I meant.” I sent her a stern look.
“Do you want to join us?” Hannah interrupted what would probably become a fight with her sweet and calm voice.
“I don’t want to intrude,” I answered with a smile.
“You’re not intruding. It’s just girl talk. In fact,” her eyes flashed with interest. “I have like a ton of questions about you and Parker.”
“Good luck with making her share anything with you,” Clem murmured and stood up. “Do you want anything?”
“Just water,” I said and Clem rolled her eyes. “Is there something wrong with water now?”
“Nothing. I’ll be right back.”
When did I become my sister’s enemy again? I thought we were past our issues and lately she was acting like a brat.
“Do you want to hold her?” Hannah asked as I sat down .
I glanced at Daphne, twisting and fussing in Hannah’s lap. Her red face suggested she was crying not so long ago.
“No, thanks. How are you feeling?”
“Good, but sleepy. I barely make it until eight. The doctor said it’s normal. I should have more energy soon.”
“And how is the wedding planning going?” I asked, remembering Tyler’s reaction when my mother offered my help. Then I felt goosebumps rising on my skin again at the memory of Parker’s hand on my neck and how he tried to defend me.
“We haven’t done anything yet. Besides Tyler booking the vineyard. But there’s plenty of time. We’re focused on the baby.”
In other words, they didn’t want to include me in the planning. I shouldn’t be offended and yet I was.
“Yes. You have plenty of time.”
Clem returned with my water and a plate filled with an array of cookies, each one unique in shape and color. Aromas of cinnamon, chocolate, and vanilla made my mouth water. Apparently spending an entire day around carbs wasn’t good for my control.
“So. You and Parker?” My sister took a bite of a chocolate chip cookie. “How did that happen? I definitely didn't see that one coming. I was under the impression you two hated each other.”
“You and Lucas hated each other,” Hannah shot Clem a half-smirk, then bounced Daphne a little to calm her down and focused on me. “He seems distant and emotionless, but when you get to know him, it quickly becomes clear that he’s definitely not.”
“Didn’t the pot in Beauty and The Beast say something similar about The Beast?”
“It was the armoire,” my sister answered with her mouth full.
I cleared my throat. “We’re still getting to know each other. ”
“But you like him, right?” Clem asked, the slight tilt of her making her look like she didn’t quite believe the story I was selling.
“Of course. He’s handsome. Smart. What’s there not to like?”
The words slipped out of my mouth so easily, I realized they weren’t a lie. He really was handsome and smart. And unfortunately I had begun to like him.
“What about his evil side?” Clem quoted me. I might have bad-mouthed Parker in front of her a little too much.
Hannah saved me from having to answer that by asking a safer question. “Is it weird? Him being your boss?”
Stick to the truth as much as possible. That's the easiest way to lie.
“No one knows about us at The Gemstone.”
“Okay, but...” Hannah covered Daphne’s ears. My niece’s eyes widened a little. “Do you have clear boundaries? Or is he treating you like a boyfriend at work? Or like a boss in bed?”
“I’m getting bossy vibes from him,” Clementine added.
My armpits started to sweat. And it wasn’t entirely because of the inquisition here. I blinked and straightened up in my chair. “That’s private.”
Hannah removed her hands from Daphne’s ears and placed a kiss on the top of her head.
“You make this thing between Parker and me sound way more serious than it actually is. We are just trying it out and seeing where it goes.”
“You don’t bring a boy home to Sylvia Hartley if you’re just trying him out,” Clem said.
“He’s not a sweater,” Hannah scolded us both. “He’s a human being. ”
Clem smiled. “The sweater analogy is so not hot. How about a test drive?” Then she shot me a grin. “You don’t bring the shiny sports car home if you’re just taking it for a test drive.”
“Someone’s buying a sports car?” A familiar low rumble startled me.
All three of us glanced up and found Parker standing two steps away, Tyler right behind him.
“No,” I said firmly, glancing at Clem and Hannah, who both tried unsuccessfully to hide their smiles.
“Hi, Parker,” they both chimed in like one.
He looked between us three and narrowed his eyes. Then he settled his gaze on me. “Am I missing something?”
“We’re just talking about boys,” Clem explained.
Parker raised a brow my way and smirked.
“Any particular boy?” He took the last two steps that separated us and leaned closer. I looked up at his beautiful smiling face. “Hi, cupcake.”
He used that nickname because he knew I hated it. And God, had his mouth ever been so close to mine?
My lips parted slightly. I tried to inhale but I felt like my lungs were on pause. They simply didn’t expand. He leaned a little closer. His minty breath fanning my lips. He was about to kiss me. There was a part of my brain that still worked properly, reminding me that it was what couples did. They kissed hello. They kissed goodbye. But we weren’t a real couple and we hadn’t discussed the level of intimacy we would show while fake dating.
He waited, his mouth an inch away from mine, giving me the opportunity to deny him somehow. I didn’t. I just continued staring up at him, while he slowly erased the last inch of space between our lips. His brushed against mine with a feather-light touch. So soft and brief, and yet heat spread all over my body.
Parker leaned back a little, his eyes narrowed, assessing me.
I blinked up at him and he straightened. I finally made my lungs work again and inhaled deeply, the scent of his cologne invading my nostrils.
“How is the most beautiful girl in the world doing?” He asked, not tearing his gaze away from mine.
“Great,” I said a little out of breath. “Thanks.”
“I was asking about Daphne,” his lips lifted in the corners and embarrassment mixed with anger replaced the inappropriate feelings his kiss stirred in me.
Clem burst out laughing. “I think she might have her aunt’s attitude problems. She’s been screaming at me the entire day.”
“Tell me if you find a way to deal with that. I will gladly try it with this version over here."
He sat down next to me and placed his hand on the back of my chair, his fingertips slowly drawing circles on my shoulder. I wore a long sleeved dress today, so at least that wasn't skin to skin contact. It still affected me though. So much so that I willed my body to stay as still as possible and not to betray me.
“Do you want something?” Clem asked, looking between Parker and our brother.
“I want to sit next to my fiancée, if that’s okay with you,” Tyler said and Clem moved, leaving him the chair next to Hannah. The kiss my brother gave his future wife was not as sweet and gentle as the one Parker gave me. I saw more tongue than I needed to.
“What are you having?” Parker asked, his lips almost touching my ear .
I turned to face him, our mouths inches away, and whispered. “I don’t eat carbs.”
“And you never surrender to temptation?” His gaze fell to my lips. “Haven’t you ever craved something so much that you just couldn’t resist? Something you just had to taste?”
My mouth was dry but I managed to sound unaffected when I answered. “I guess some people are strong-willed while others are not.”
A feline smile curved his mouth. “Is that a challenge, cupcake ?”
“Stop calling me that. It gives me the hives.”
“Is it?” His gaze traveled up and down my body. “I don’t believe you. Maybe you should show me.”
I rolled my eyes and he laughed. His fingertips still caressed my shoulder and I pretended I hadn't noticed.
“How did your day go?” He asked, his voice a little louder now, including the others in our conversation.
“Good. I think I found a baker I could work with.”
I forced myself not to look at my sister as I said that.
“And have you tasted anything she made?”
“No.”
He took one of the chocolate chip cookies on the table and offered it to me. “Want to take a bite?”
I made a disgusted face. “I like my spotless skin.”
“Chocolate causes you hives too? Do you have a skin condition I should be aware of?”
“Hives?” Clem asked. “Do you have a food allergy?”
“No.”
“Are you sure? Have you been tested? Allergies can be hereditary.”
“I was just messing with her, Clem,” Parker offered with a soft tone. “It's a private joke.”
“You have a private joke about a rash? ”
“We are weird that way,” he said.
“We should go,” Tyler said to Parker and they both stood up.
“But you just got here,” Hannah protested. “Where are you off to?”
“I’m helping Parker with something,” Tyler said. “I just wanted to come and give you a kiss.”
Tyler leaned in and kissed Hannah again. My heart started hammering in my chest. I looked up at Parker, his eyes were already on my mouth. All the air I had in my lungs left my body with a whooshing sound. By the way his eyes snapped up to mine, he had noticed. He didn't give me time to deny him. He leaned in, grabbed the back of my neck and pulled me closer. The softness of his first kiss was gone. Confidence and desire had replaced it. I gasped against his mouth and he caught my bottom lip between his and sucked hard. I squeezed my thighs together just as he broke the kiss and pulled away, leaving me breathless.
“I’ll see you later, cupcake,” he whispered, as he brushed his thumb across my cheek before turning to leave.
I watched him walk away, the taste of chocolate and mint on my lips, unable to tear my gaze from his retreating figure, because…What. The. Hell. Was. That? Not just the kiss, but my reaction to it. There was no way I was having a crush on my fake boyfriend who was also my boss , or was there?
“Told you,” I heard Clem speak. “Bossy vibes.”