[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
.His shoes were gone, and so were his clothes.There was a note on the pillow.Had to go to work early this morning.I couldn t bear to wake you after keeping you up allnight, so I didn t.I ll see you tonight.Save me some red velvet cupcakes.StevenShe smiled down at the writing, which was messy and scribbled at best.Next to it, he d placed thetwist tie.Their promise ring.She snatched it up, rolled out of bed, and put it back in the jewelry box.As she closed the lid, she glanced at herself in the mirror.Her hair was a mess, and she looked likeshe hadn t slept in a week, but she was&Really, truly, happy.As she showered, she whistled and washed, smiling at all the sore spots she discovered.And whenshe got to work at ten minutes before seven, she smiled at every customer who came in a little morewidely than usual.Buying this bakery had been the biggest leap of faith she ever made up until theother night when Steven asked her to be his.That had been an even bigger one.But the thing about leaps was, if you landed safely on the other side, you looked over your shoulderat what you left behind on the other side, and then looked forward at the beauty of the new,undiscovered side.And then you started your life all over again.With the person or thing you took a leap with.And doing it with Steven had been the best decision she ever made. At six o clock on the nose, her phone dinged.It was a text from Steven.Her heart accelerated.When she read it, she laughed out loud.I need some sugar, baby.Red velvet, right?His reply was immediate.I meant you, but sure.That works, too.I ll take both.I m greedy like that.She laughed.Ha.You re funny.The bubble with three dots popped up instantly.Are you gonna leave me standing out here all night long, or are you gonna let me in?She lifted her head.Sure enough, waiting on the opposite side of the locked glass door was Steven.Oh.Hi.He held up a bouquet of red roses.Let me in?Maybe&He crossed his arms and smirked at her.Grinning, she opened the door and he came inside. Before you get any ideas, I already cleaned upfor the night.So no hanky-panky on the counter. Hanky-panky? he said, laughing.And that laugh? Yeah, it did things to her heart.Dangerousthings.If only she could spend the rest of her life making him laugh like that. Did you seriously justuse that in a sentence? I did. She tried not to smile& and failed. And I rocked it. That s a subjective statement.You rock those shorts.You rock being naked. He gave her a once-over. Hell, you rock pretty much anything you do but that sentence? Yeah, I m not so sure thatapplies. Hey. She smacked his arm. You better watch yourself, or you ll be sleeping on the couch. That smirk slid off his face real fast. Shit.You can hold that over my head now.No one s everbeen able to do that to me. Not even Rachel? I didn t like sleeping in the same bed as her. He shot her a quick glance and lowered his head. Ihad nightmares when I first came back, and she didn t& handle them well.Let s just put it that way. Nightmares.Of course he did.And of course little miss prissy Rachel couldn t handle them.She d never been the right girl forSteven.She was too soft.Too sensitive.Too childlike in her selfishness.Steven needed a real woman.One who could love him for his faults, not in spite of them.Whocould love him equally in his good nights, and his bad.Who would never give up on him, or ever stopfighting for him.Someone who would love him unconditionally for the rest of his life, no matter whathe said or did.Someone like& her.Lauren swallowed hard, but forced a smile. If you ever need me to be there, anytime, anyplace,I ll chase the nightmares away. He stared at her, as if he wasn t sure what to say or do.Then, without warning, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her, keeping it soft and short.Hishard lips on hers still made her knees weak, though. Thank you, he whispered, staring down at her.He still held the flowers in his hand. For what? she asked, her breath coming light and fast. For always being honest with me, and for being someone I can trust enough to let in. He skimmedhis fingers over her jawline. You have no idea what that means to a guy like me.If I didn t trust you,there s no way I could let you& that I could open myself up like this.So, thank you. She sucked in a breath and held it in.Those words were everything she d wanted to hear, and more.And she needed a second to really, truly let that sink in. Are you okay? he asked, his brow furrowed. Y-Yes, sorry. She smiled up at him, resting her hands on his chest. I was& thinking how happy Iam right now.With you. The feeling is mutual. He pulled back and handed her the flowers.She took them and lifted themto her nose, inhaling deeply. Will you go out with me? I thought we already were. She blinked at him over the bouquet. If not, these past few days I vespent rolling around naked with you are really confusing. A laugh burst out of him and punched her right in the chest.Looking at him, she realized he wasmore than her friend and lover.He was the love of her life.She loved him. I mean, like out, he said, ripping her out of her frightening thoughts.But the thing was, theyweren t all that scary.They should have been, but for some reason, it just felt& right. Sitting at atable together.With each other. You mean, on a date? Yeah. He tucked her hair behind her ear for her. Our first real date. Setting her flowers down, she walked around the counter and pulled out a cupcake. I d love to&but first& you need to eat a cupcake. He smirked. I love eating& cupcakes. Oh my God, you re incorrigible, she said with red cheeks. Eat your dessert. He cocked a haughty brow. Before dinner? You d best get used to that, she teased, handing him a cupcake.He took it, his fingers purposelycatching hers as he tugged her back into his arms.It was as if he couldn t bear to have her out of them and, again, the feeling was mutual. I plan on giving my kids sweets whenever they want, too.Life s too short to wait for the good stuff. He stilled. & Kids? Well, crap.She was dating him actually dating him and she d mentioned the k word on theirfirst real date.But she already had deep feelings for this man.It wasn t a huge shock that she might gothere.If she could get that happy ending with anyone, with the kids and the dog and the fenced-in yard,it would be him.But that didn t mean he felt the same way.She stuttered. I-I-I mean, you know.If I have them someday.Which I might not.I d probably be ahorrible mom. His gaze dipped down to her belly, and when he studied her face, there was something that lookedlike& longing.As if he, too, thought about it, and liked the idea. I think you d make an awesomemother someday. Lauren forced a light laugh. Yeah, we ll see.So& dinner? Yeah.Right.Uh, I made reservations. He finished his treat, dusted off his hands, and held his armout for her.He still wore a suit from his day at the office, while she had on shorts and a tank top. Areyou ready? Depends.Do I need to change? Why would you do that? He frowned. You look beautiful already.You always do. Her heart skipped a beat at the compliment. Well, if we re going somewhere fancy, I need to weara dress. Nah, you re fine. He opened the door for her, and led her through it. Lock up. She did.The whole time, she felt his gaze on her.There was something there, buried in those hazel depths that made her heart race and her thighstremble [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl matkasanepid.xlx.pl
.His shoes were gone, and so were his clothes.There was a note on the pillow.Had to go to work early this morning.I couldn t bear to wake you after keeping you up allnight, so I didn t.I ll see you tonight.Save me some red velvet cupcakes.StevenShe smiled down at the writing, which was messy and scribbled at best.Next to it, he d placed thetwist tie.Their promise ring.She snatched it up, rolled out of bed, and put it back in the jewelry box.As she closed the lid, she glanced at herself in the mirror.Her hair was a mess, and she looked likeshe hadn t slept in a week, but she was&Really, truly, happy.As she showered, she whistled and washed, smiling at all the sore spots she discovered.And whenshe got to work at ten minutes before seven, she smiled at every customer who came in a little morewidely than usual.Buying this bakery had been the biggest leap of faith she ever made up until theother night when Steven asked her to be his.That had been an even bigger one.But the thing about leaps was, if you landed safely on the other side, you looked over your shoulderat what you left behind on the other side, and then looked forward at the beauty of the new,undiscovered side.And then you started your life all over again.With the person or thing you took a leap with.And doing it with Steven had been the best decision she ever made. At six o clock on the nose, her phone dinged.It was a text from Steven.Her heart accelerated.When she read it, she laughed out loud.I need some sugar, baby.Red velvet, right?His reply was immediate.I meant you, but sure.That works, too.I ll take both.I m greedy like that.She laughed.Ha.You re funny.The bubble with three dots popped up instantly.Are you gonna leave me standing out here all night long, or are you gonna let me in?She lifted her head.Sure enough, waiting on the opposite side of the locked glass door was Steven.Oh.Hi.He held up a bouquet of red roses.Let me in?Maybe&He crossed his arms and smirked at her.Grinning, she opened the door and he came inside. Before you get any ideas, I already cleaned upfor the night.So no hanky-panky on the counter. Hanky-panky? he said, laughing.And that laugh? Yeah, it did things to her heart.Dangerousthings.If only she could spend the rest of her life making him laugh like that. Did you seriously justuse that in a sentence? I did. She tried not to smile& and failed. And I rocked it. That s a subjective statement.You rock those shorts.You rock being naked. He gave her a once-over. Hell, you rock pretty much anything you do but that sentence? Yeah, I m not so sure thatapplies. Hey. She smacked his arm. You better watch yourself, or you ll be sleeping on the couch. That smirk slid off his face real fast. Shit.You can hold that over my head now.No one s everbeen able to do that to me. Not even Rachel? I didn t like sleeping in the same bed as her. He shot her a quick glance and lowered his head. Ihad nightmares when I first came back, and she didn t& handle them well.Let s just put it that way. Nightmares.Of course he did.And of course little miss prissy Rachel couldn t handle them.She d never been the right girl forSteven.She was too soft.Too sensitive.Too childlike in her selfishness.Steven needed a real woman.One who could love him for his faults, not in spite of them.Whocould love him equally in his good nights, and his bad.Who would never give up on him, or ever stopfighting for him.Someone who would love him unconditionally for the rest of his life, no matter whathe said or did.Someone like& her.Lauren swallowed hard, but forced a smile. If you ever need me to be there, anytime, anyplace,I ll chase the nightmares away. He stared at her, as if he wasn t sure what to say or do.Then, without warning, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her, keeping it soft and short.Hishard lips on hers still made her knees weak, though. Thank you, he whispered, staring down at her.He still held the flowers in his hand. For what? she asked, her breath coming light and fast. For always being honest with me, and for being someone I can trust enough to let in. He skimmedhis fingers over her jawline. You have no idea what that means to a guy like me.If I didn t trust you,there s no way I could let you& that I could open myself up like this.So, thank you. She sucked in a breath and held it in.Those words were everything she d wanted to hear, and more.And she needed a second to really, truly let that sink in. Are you okay? he asked, his brow furrowed. Y-Yes, sorry. She smiled up at him, resting her hands on his chest. I was& thinking how happy Iam right now.With you. The feeling is mutual. He pulled back and handed her the flowers.She took them and lifted themto her nose, inhaling deeply. Will you go out with me? I thought we already were. She blinked at him over the bouquet. If not, these past few days I vespent rolling around naked with you are really confusing. A laugh burst out of him and punched her right in the chest.Looking at him, she realized he wasmore than her friend and lover.He was the love of her life.She loved him. I mean, like out, he said, ripping her out of her frightening thoughts.But the thing was, theyweren t all that scary.They should have been, but for some reason, it just felt& right. Sitting at atable together.With each other. You mean, on a date? Yeah. He tucked her hair behind her ear for her. Our first real date. Setting her flowers down, she walked around the counter and pulled out a cupcake. I d love to&but first& you need to eat a cupcake. He smirked. I love eating& cupcakes. Oh my God, you re incorrigible, she said with red cheeks. Eat your dessert. He cocked a haughty brow. Before dinner? You d best get used to that, she teased, handing him a cupcake.He took it, his fingers purposelycatching hers as he tugged her back into his arms.It was as if he couldn t bear to have her out of them and, again, the feeling was mutual. I plan on giving my kids sweets whenever they want, too.Life s too short to wait for the good stuff. He stilled. & Kids? Well, crap.She was dating him actually dating him and she d mentioned the k word on theirfirst real date.But she already had deep feelings for this man.It wasn t a huge shock that she might gothere.If she could get that happy ending with anyone, with the kids and the dog and the fenced-in yard,it would be him.But that didn t mean he felt the same way.She stuttered. I-I-I mean, you know.If I have them someday.Which I might not.I d probably be ahorrible mom. His gaze dipped down to her belly, and when he studied her face, there was something that lookedlike& longing.As if he, too, thought about it, and liked the idea. I think you d make an awesomemother someday. Lauren forced a light laugh. Yeah, we ll see.So& dinner? Yeah.Right.Uh, I made reservations. He finished his treat, dusted off his hands, and held his armout for her.He still wore a suit from his day at the office, while she had on shorts and a tank top. Areyou ready? Depends.Do I need to change? Why would you do that? He frowned. You look beautiful already.You always do. Her heart skipped a beat at the compliment. Well, if we re going somewhere fancy, I need to weara dress. Nah, you re fine. He opened the door for her, and led her through it. Lock up. She did.The whole time, she felt his gaze on her.There was something there, buried in those hazel depths that made her heart race and her thighstremble [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]