A Sweet Mess - Jayci Lee Page 0,7
her bra and crawled over to the coffee table to retrieve it. En route, her knees collided with her shoes. Aubrey pulled on her lacy white bra and grabbed her champagne-colored ballet slippers while scanning the room. She found her shirt and jeans by the armoire, and she slipped her top on with shaky hands. Where the hell are my panties? Getting more nervous by the second, she gave up on her favorite pink undies and pulled on her jeans without them. Ugh.
Aubrey stuck her shoes in the back pockets of her jeans for extra stealth and tiptoed out of the room after a lingering look at Landon. She slipped on her shoes at the end of the hallway and crept out of Lola’s like a cat burglar, careful not to run into anyone. Her clammy skin prickled in the early-morning chill, and she wrapped her arms tightly around herself. She wasn’t ashamed of spending the night with Landon, but she also didn’t need any town gossip.
The Eastern Sierra Nevada towered beyond the rooftops of Weldon, and Comfort Zone waited for her in a sleepy corner of town. It wasn’t far from the inn, but she picked up her pace so she wouldn’t be late.
She unlocked the rear door at four o’clock, right on schedule. She sighed as she tied a long, white apron around her waist, wondering what delicious mess would end up on it. She soaked in the warmth and security of her kitchen. This is it. She had everything she wanted—a quiet, solitary life doing what she loved most.
Landon’s sleeping face sneaked into her thoughts, and Aubrey shook her head to scatter the image. She was probably still high from the multiple orgasms. Their night together had been amazing, but it was over. She had work to do.
Aubrey dug her hands into a mound of pudgy dough and sighed. She was home. When she baked, nothing could break her concentration. She lost herself in a cocoon of cinnamon, cocoa, and butter. Morning dawned as the sweet aroma of pastries filled the bakery, and Aubrey poured herself a cup of coffee and soaked in the moment.
Just as she unlocked the door to open shop, Tara marched inside. Damn it. It was too early for the Spanish Inquisition.
“Spill it, Bree.” She hopped onto the nearest stool and pinned Aubrey with her don’t-bullshit-me stare. Tara was still in her clothes from the day before. She must’ve closed shop and then brewed all night. “If I were a gambling sort of gal, I’d bet my mom’s Korean fried chicken recipe that you went home with that smoldering sex-on-legs last night.”
“Your mom would turn over in her grave if she knew you were throwing around her secret recipe like common poker chips. But wait. She’s alive and well. What kind of daughter are you?”
“You are dodging the question,” Tara said, pointing her index finger at her. Then her eyes widened, and her nostrils flared like they smelled blood. “You did take him home. You slept with him? You finally ended the longest drought in the history of Weldon…”
“Oh, shut up.” Aubrey’s cheeks caught on fire. “It hasn’t been that long.”
“Yeah, right. I was worried your girl parts would close up like neglected pierced ears if you didn’t get some soon.”
“Can you be more explicit, please? Your subtlety confounds me,” Aubrey said with a pointed look at Tara. “I didn’t take him home and sleep with him. We went to his room at Lola’s, and I didn’t sleep much at all. Though I did watch him sleep for a while before I sneaked out.”
“I beg your pardon. I was way off the mark.” Her best friend had the eye roll down to an art. “You went to a hotel with a gorgeous stranger and made love to him all night, then you stared creepily at him instead of sleeping.”
“I won’t see him again.” She shrugged, her blush deepening. “I was just getting my fill.”
“So you let him fill you all night?” Tara grabbed the counter so she wouldn’t fall off her stool. She was laughing so hard she had tears in the corner of her eyes.
“You have the maturity of a twelve-year-old boy.” Aubrey bit the inside of her cheek to stop herself from cracking up. She’d say her maturity level was on par with her best friend’s.
“Then why did you run out on him without so much as a so long, sucker?” Tara inhaled shakily, her arms wrapped tightly around her ribs.