Sweet Addiction: A Meet/Cute Romantic Comedy

Chapter 22

"Okay, so this is where I spend my time whipping up my fabulous creations and trying desperately not to eat them, which I usually fail at miserably." I motion around the room and hear a soft laugh from his direction. "Storage, fridge, freezer, and oh, shit." I spot a vat of icing that I'd made earlier this morning when I was testing out a new recipe. Grabbing the bowl I'd placed on the shelf, I stick my pinky finger into the hot pink frosting and slip it into my mouth.

"Mmm, yummy," I say as I flick my eyes up to Reese who is perched against the wall. His arms are crossed over his chest and he's watching me with concentrated interest, which I'm beginning to notice is a pattern of his. "Oh, I found this recipe for chocolate peppermint frosting and had some extra time this morning to play around with it. Until I realized I didn't have extra time, and I stupidly left it out." I lick my lips and his eyes widen. "Wanna taste?"

"Sure," he answers, moving toward the workstation. I hop up on top of it and wait patiently for him to stand in front of me, as his hands rest lightly on my thighs.

I dip my finger into the frosting. "Open," I command, holding my finger in front of his now slightly swollen lips. They curl up into a small smile before he opens his mouth, his tongue wrapping around my finger and pulling every last bit off. Jesus, he could probably get me ready for sex just by licking an envelope in front of me.

"Good?"

"Very, especially coming off you."

"I love mint chocolate. I think it's the perfect union of flavors." I dip another finger into the frosting and pop it in my mouth as he licks his lips.

"I think you're the perfect union of flavors," he responds, causing me to grin even wider.

"Want some more?" I go to reach my finger into the bowl when he grabs it, taking the bowl out of my hands, and placing it next to me on the workstation. Dipping his own finger into the bowl, he runs his tongue along his bottom lip as he swipes the hot pink frosting down the side of my neck to my cleavage. I whimper as his tongue licks off the line of frosting he's drawn, paying extra attention to the dollop that is now dripping between my breasts.

"Lift your arms," he whispers, grabbing the hem of my shirt and tugging it over my head after I obey him. His eyes enlarge and flick from my face to my shoulders, his face hardening instantly. Oh, fuck.

"What the hell? What happened to you?" His fingers trail the small fingertip-sized bruises that graze over my shoulders and I wince at him. Moving my hair out of the way, he leans around me and I hear a soft grunt as he discovers the bruises on my upper back. Shit. I meant to keep my clothes on. This conversation could have been easily avoided. Damn him and his ability to cloud my judgment.

"Why the hell are you covered in bruises?" He moves back in front of me and eases in between my legs again, commanding my attention.

"Uh..." Do I tell him? What would he do? Would he go after Justin? Is that something your casual sex partner would do or is that strictly a boyfriend move? Did I want him to care?

"Dylan."

My case of word vomit suddenly rears her ugly head again. "Justin came by when I was loading Sam today to go deliver a wedding cake and he came on to me. He'd been drinking and he wouldn't let go of me even though I was screaming at him, and then he threw me up against Sam." I watch his expression shift right in front of me to anger. His teeth clench tight, causing the muscles in his jaw to quiver and his nostrils flare. I move back a bit. Damn. Angry Reese is intimidating and sexy as hell.

"That asshole put his hands on you?"

"Yes, but—"

"And who the fuck is Sam? Did he bring another guy with him?" He slams his hand down on the worktop next to my thigh and I jump. "They're both fucking dead," he says, turning away from me. I grab his shoulders and prevent his escape.

"Don't, just wait a minute." His eyes meet mine and he raises his brows. "Sam is my delivery van. Yes, I named it. It's stupid, I know. And yes, Justin did this, but he's never put his hands on me before. I don't think he would've actually forced himself on me. He was probably just upset that his wife cheated on him." What the fuck? Now I'm making excuses for that asshole? I run my fingers down his arms and pull his hands into my lap, squeezing them gently.

"Are you fucking serious?" His voice booms throughout the kitchen. "I don't give a shit if he was drunk, upset, or whatever the fuck. He touched you; he's dead."

"Reese, please, what would you do? You can't hurt him. He could press charges against you. I mean, it's not like it's self-defense or something. Please, just let it go. It really looks worse than it feels." That is a complete lie. It hurts like hell. But I am absolutely terrified Reese will end up getting into trouble over this, and that will hurt a hell of a lot worse than the bruises.

He runs his hands down his face before he reaches out and holds mine, his expression softening. "You should have called me. Why didn't you?" His thumbs stroke my cheeks as he studies me.

I shrug. "I had to go deliver the wedding cake and I was already running late. Besides, I wouldn't want you to do something that could get you into trouble. He isn't worth it." I reach up and hold his hand to my face. "Promise me you won't do anything."

He steps closer to me, bringing our bodies only inches apart and allowing me to wrap my legs around him. "I'm sorry, I can't do that."

"Reese."

"No, love." He kisses me quickly, shutting me up before he continues. "I can't and I won't let anybody hurt you. He'll never touch you again. That I can promise you."

I nod slightly. The truth of the matter is, I like that he cares about me enough to want to protect me. And Reese is smart. He won't do anything that could fuck with the career that he's worked so hard for. I shouldn't worry about this.

"Okay, but can we go back to the frosting now?" I ask, seeing his eyes light up at the memory of it.

He nods slowly, the desire sparking back into the green pools that glare at me.

Oh, this is going to be fun.