Total pages in book: 24
Estimated words: 21850 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 109(@200wpm)___ 87(@250wpm)___ 73(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 21850 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 109(@200wpm)___ 87(@250wpm)___ 73(@300wpm)
Maggie’s just as flustered, her fingers fiddling with the edge of her purse. Frank watches us, chuckling and pouring coffee we didn’t ask for. “Donuts are on the house for my two favorite customers!” he declares, giving me a nudge on my shoulder.
I’m aware of every inch of Maggie, her scent, her presence, the way she chews her bottom lip like she used to. It’s been so long since we’ve been face to face, and I’m thankful Frank’s relentless meddling put us this close. A shiver runs through me, electrifying everything.
I’m already flushed, already battling the heat she’s got me worked up to. My cock stirs, then swells, going rock-hard under the table. I shift in my chair, desperate for relief, but there's none to be found. The jeans I’m wearing do nothing to hide my situation, and I try angling my body, adjusting, and fidgeting. I wonder if she notices. I wonder if she cares.
Frank’s as oblivious as ever. “Now, when did you blow back into town?” he asks, clearly loving every awkward moment he’s orchestrating.
"Last night," I manage to say, my voice strained and sounding as ragged as I feel beneath the weight of exhaustion. I didn’t get in until after midnight, and my eyes popped open at six am out of habit. Frank lets out a hoot as if I've just shared the funniest joke, and then gives my back another hearty thump. "I thought I'd come by and get donuts for my nieces," I explain, trying to muster a smile.
"How are the girls doing?" Frank inquires, his eyes twinkling with genuine curiosity.
"They're growing up too fast," I reply with a weary sigh, imagining their bright eyes and infectious laughter that seem to transform with each passing day.
Frank chuckles, a deep, resonant sound that fills the cozy bakery. "Ciara and Garrett are trying to repopulate Silver Spoon Falls," he jokes, a mischievous glint in his eyes.
I laugh, shaking my head in amusement, picturing the bustling household. "They're going to keep going until Garrett gets his boy," I say, envisioning the determined look on Garrett's face as he dreams of adding a little boy to their lively brood.
Frank nods as he takes both our orders, jotting them down with a swift flick of his pen before walking away to prepare them. The air between us becomes electric, charged with a palpable tension that feels as if it might spark at any moment. It's an uncomfortable sensation, heavy and intense, yet undeniably real, as if the very atmosphere is alive with unspoken words and emotions.
She tucks a loose strand of hair behind her ear, and the movement is so simple, so achingly familiar, that I’m hit with another wave of nostalgia and intense hunger. The tightness in my jeans only makes it worse.
We’re both quiet, the space between us filled with the pounding of my heart and Frank’s off-key humming. I fight to find words, any words, to fill the gaping silence. “How have you been?” I finally blurt, my voice coming out embarrassingly weak.
"Great.” She glances around before giving me a fake ass smile. “I didn’t expect to ever see you again," she says, her voice trailing off as her eyes dart down to the ground before meeting mine once more. Her cheeks are tinged with a rosy hue, perhaps from the embarrassment of the unexpected encounter or the undeniable chemistry that crackles between us, reawakened as if it had never dimmed.
"I'm like a bad penny," I murmur, my voice carrying a self-conscious laugh, aware of the irony and truth in my words.
I’m lost in those eyes, the memory of them haunting every bad decision I’ve made since I walked away. Her mouth opens like she’s about to say more, then closes again as she watches me squirm in my seat.
It’s pure torture, sitting this close, wanting to reach across and drag her into my lap. Wanting to kiss her until we’re both breathless and everything else just fades away. My pulse is going nuts, and it’s taking all my self-control not to jump up and claim her right here in the local donut shop.
I gulp, clutching the coffee mug, which is damp from my sweaty hand.
Every nerve’s on high alert, singing with anticipation and uncertainty. Each second stretches longer than the one before, and I know if we weren’t in public, I wouldn’t be able to keep my hands to myself.
Maggie watches me with that unreadable gaze, one part suspicion, one part surprise, and it’s everything I didn’t know I was missing. She starts talking, her voice both new and familiar, the words tentative but real.
“Congratulations on the championship,” she says, the corner of her mouth twitching into a smile that loosens every knot in my chest.
“Thanks,” I mutter, realizing the championship means nothing without the woman who owns me, heart and soul.