Chapter 11
Lonnie pulled his car up outside of the bakery just as the shop closed. He walked up to the door and waved at Alexis, who waved back. She let him inside and swept her eyes over the street before closing the door behind him.
“Everything okay?” Lonnie asked.
Alexis smiled up at him. “Yes.”
Lonnie followed her into the kitchen, where Melissa was pulling on her coat.
“All right, you two, I’m out. Don’t get into too much trouble,” Melissa said.
“Bye, Melissa. Have fun with your mysteriously convenient plans,” Alexis said.
Melissa laughed and let herself out the front door. Alexis locked it behind her.
Lonnie held up a takeout bag from an Italian restaurant down the street. “Care to have some dinner before we get started?”
“I’d love that.”
A small table sat in the corner of the kitchen, and they sat down with the meals.
Lonnie loved Italian food and always ate it anytime he got a chance.
He had already eaten at this restaurant four times since coming to Cupid City, and he suspected he’d go there at least a few more times before he left.
Before he left.
The intrusive thought had him pausing mid-bite.
He was falling for this woman, but he knew he couldn’t stay. At least not without giving up a job he loved.
“You okay?”
Lonnie looked over at Alexis and smiled. “Of course. So what’s on the agenda tonight?”
“A lot of orders.”
“Do you enjoy baking? What got you into it?”
Alexis chewed on a piece of garlic bread as she mulled over his question. “I don’t know, honestly. A long time ago, I used to bake for fun, and people always joked I should open my own bakery. That seemed daunting. But cupcakes are fun, and fairly simple. So I thought I would try it.”
“I think you've found your calling.”
Alexis smiled softly. “Was working in security something you always wanted?”
“Not really. I got really into martial arts as a kid and got good at it. I met other people who had worked as bodyguards or security detail, and they invited me to help on a few jobs with them. At no point did I expect to enjoy it, but I do. Even more so now that I get to work with friends.”
She nodded. “I bet working with friends all day is enjoyable.”
He smiled. “Seems like we’re both lucky.”
“I suppose we are.”
They finished their meals and then cleaned up the area. Lonnie planted his hands on his hips and looked around the kitchen. He knew nothing about baking, so this was all foreign to him.
“Okay, boss. Where do I start?”
Alexis smiled. “How about you start by eating this cupcake and giving me an opinion?”
“Now that’s the kind of job I like.” He bit into the chocolate cupcake and groaned. “Now all I need is a cold glass of mi—”
Before he could finish his sentence, Alexis was setting a glass of milk in front of him.
“Delicious, huh?”
Lonnie nodded and took a long drink from the glass. “I think this is my new favorite.”
“So, does that mean you’re ready to help me make eight-dozen of them?”
“Did you say eight-dozen?”
She pulled an apron off a hook near the back wall and handed it to him. “I sure did.”
He pulled the blue apron covered with pink cupcakes over his head and tied it around his waist. “How do I look?”
She giggled. “Perfect.”
“Tell me what to do.”
She pointed him toward the different ingredients they needed, and he worked on gathering everything while she set up a few different mixers on the long stainless-steel island.
Then they worked beside each other as he copied her instructions for ingredients to add to the mixers.
“So when those are combined, we’re going to slowly add the dry ingredients into the mixer.”
Lonnie picked up the bowl of dry ingredients and tilted it into the mixer before flicking the switch. The speed turned on full-blast and flour shot into the air, coating his face.
Alexis burst out laughing and shut his mixer off before handing him a hand towel. “Um. You shouldn’t have turned it on that fast.”
“It was a slip of the finger.” He brushed the towel over his apron and clothes before wiping down his arms.
She stood to the side, amused. “You missed a spot.”
He raised an eyebrow at her, and she giggled. Without a second thought, he lunged forward and took hold of her. She squealed loudly as he rubbed his cheek against hers, smearing flour across her face.
“Okay, okay! I won’t laugh!”
He swiped his other cheek across hers for good measure before leaning back to inspect his work.
She looked up at him, and her laughter subsided.
He could feel her heart beating against his chest as her body pressed into his.
With his arms still wrapped around her, he leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers.
She gasped against his mouth, but then deepened the kiss. There was something familiar about her lips, as if they had done it several times before. He grabbed her waist and hoisted her up onto the counter. Then, he stepped between her legs and continued the kiss.
She moaned into his mouth. This was getting out of control fast, but Lonnie wasn’t sure he could stop himself unless she wanted to. He wanted this. He had been dreaming about her since the moment they met.
A loud beep chimed through the kitchen and echoed off the walls. They pulled apart, and it took Lonnie a moment to realize it was the text sound he chose for the security group chat he had been added to earlier that day in case he was needed while in Cupid City.
“Shit,” he muttered, pulling out his phone to read the number 214 across the screen. “I’m sorry. I hate to do this, but I’m needed at work.”
Disappointment flitted across her face before she smiled and slid off the counter. “It’s okay. Duty calls.”
He pulled her into his arms and held her tightly. “Can I get a do-over tomorrow night? I won’t be on call.”
“Sounds fun.”
He pulled back and looked down at her before pressing a kiss to her forehead. He wanted to mute the chat, but if someone needed help, he couldn’t let them down. So instead, he slid into his car and made sure she locked her doors before he pulled away from the curb.