Page 47 of Burning Embers
He quickly turns off the stove and struts over to me. Grabbing my face between his hands, he sucks my bottom lip into his mouth and bites it softly before pulling away. An instant want pools in my lower stomach.
“I’ll hold you to that, but first, breakfast.” He returns to the task at hand, and I can’t remember the last time I felt like this—if ever.
Chapter Thirty-One
RACHEL
I can’t stop humming to myself as I ready the tables for opening.
“Someone’s chirpy this morning,” says Sophie, leaning against the counter, watching me. “Anything you want to divulge?”
“Maybe,” I reply.
She stands up straight. “Rachel-Mae, did you and Olly have some sexy time?”
I laugh out loud and nod, unable to prevent the grin that splits across my face. “Yep, we had alotof sexy time,” I say, wriggling my eyebrows.
“About time you got some.” I throw the dish towel at her. “I mean, you look happy, or happier. It’s nice to see,” she says, catching it in her hand, the diamonds of her engagement ring sparkling in the light.
I can’t control the blush that spreads over my cheeks. “Thank you,” I reply, not sure what to say in response but understanding what she means nonetheless.
My phone pings with a vibration in my pocket and I pull it out.Have a nice day xo
I quickly type back.And you xo
“Awe, that was him, wasn’t it?”
I nod and sigh, slipping my phone back into my jeans, aware I’m already counting down the days to when I’ll see him again.
But to my surprise, I don’t have to wait days because about an hour before closing time, Olly makes an appearance.
“Sophie,” he says in greeting.
“Olly,” she replies, giving him one of thoseI-know-what-you-didsmirks.
“Hi,” I breathe out.
He beckons me forward until I’m leaning over the counter to meet his lips for a chaste kiss. “Hi beautiful.”
I can’t hide my blush. Without him asking, I cut a slice of lemon drizzle cake and load it into a takeaway box. I know he has a shift tonight—he told me when he dropped me off at home. “You know, I mainly come in here for the view rather than the cake,” he says with a cheeky wink.
Coughing from the kitchen catches our attention. “I heard that,” says Sophie, but I hear the smile in her voice.
“The cakes are a bonus,” he calls back.
“Smooth,” I say and pass him the box.
After he pays, he graces me with a soft smile. “Thank you, I’ll text you later.”
I nod, biting on my bottom lip. “Okay, have a good shift.”
“I willnow,” he says over his shoulder, the door chiming on his way out.
“Now, there is a man who is smitten.”
I almost choke, spinning to Soph. “Don’t be daft—he’ll get bored in no time.” He never asked for a ready-made family, but for just a little while, I want to enjoy his touch, how he always manages to make me laugh. The way he looks at me in a way that makes me feel.
Sophie shakes her head. “I can’t see it myself,” she says.
