She waved her hand in the air. “I shouldn’t.” She continued to stare. Bull swore he saw her salivating. “Oh, why not. I’ll take a cupcake to go.”
He turned, giving Ben a quick peck on the cheek before he escaped to the back to resume his baking. Bull didn’t miss the smile on Ben’s face as he stepped away.
Grabbing a sheet, Bull plucked one of the bite-sized treats from the display. He held the cupcake up to the customer. “Did you want me to pack this up or did you want to sink your teeth into it now?” He waggled his eyebrows, smiling at the younger woman dressed in a business suit.
She scoffed. “I swear, you’re evil. It’s no wonder you work here. Give me that,” she said, extending her hand to take the cupcake. She popped the small dessert into her mouth and closed her eyes. “Put two more of those in the box for me.”
He rung up her order and thanked her, not missing the way she snuck her hand into the box and popped another cupcake into her mouth as soon as she stepped outside the door. After finishing with the last customer, he strolled to the back area and spotted Ben setting the timer and making a note. He crossed his arms and leaned against the wall, his eyes tracing every line of Ben’s body.
Ben glanced over his shoulder and smiled. Straightening, he walked over to Bull and gave him a quick kiss. “Lunch rush over?”
Bull nodded as he snaked an arm around Ben’s waist. He tugged him close, smiling at the sigh that escaped Ben. Every kiss and touch at the shop had pulled an uninhibited sound.
He shouldn’t have held back.
That just meant he had a lot of making up to do.
After a final kiss, he tore himself away and walked toward the front of the shop. He glanced over at Nat as she wiped the fingerprints from the display case.
“Leaving?” she asked, peeking up at him.
“I’ve got a project I’m working on.”
She straightened as he approached. He took the paper towels and glass cleaner from her and set them aside. He had kept his distance over the weekend while battling with what to say to his sister. But he couldn’t take it anymore.
“What did you say to him last week?”
“What are you—”
“Father’s Day dinner.”
She snapped her mouth shut and raised her eyebrows. Those pleading puppy-dog eyes weren’t going to work. “I don’t know—”
“Stop it. I’m not playing around.”
She sobered. “He’s our dad, Gabe. I’m just asking you to try.”
“Try?” He scoffed. “That’s all I’ve ever done! He’s the one who won’t budge.”
“Please,” she said, grabbing his arm. “For me. You two are the only family I have. I don’t want to lose either of you.”
His chest heaved with a deep exhale. “We’re going to the dinner.”
A huge smile split her face. “I’m so—”
He raised his hand, stopping her before she basked in her win. “You didn’t leave me much of a choice.” He gritted his teeth and clamped his mouth shut. His jaw muscles clenched as he turned and headed toward the front door to get to his bike parked out front.
He had to get out of there. Now.
“Thank you,” she called out. “It’ll be great. You’ll see!”
He closed his eyes and tried to calm the simmering anger. A pointless quest he had attempted whenever the memory of Ben’s pained expression came to mind. He tightened his grip on the doorknob. “Nat…”
“Yeah?”
He turned, pinning her with the glare he reserved for those behind enemy lines. “Don’t ever make Ben feel that way again.”
“Wh…” She gaped at him. “What did I—”
“He respects you. Hell, the man practically worships you. And you manipulated him.”
Nat’s eyes filled. “I didn’t…I…”
“You hurt him.” His entire body shook. Fuck. He needed to escape.
He swung the door open and stormed out of the shop, ending their conversation before he said something he might regret.
He loved Nat. He loved his father.
But his heart belonged to Ben.
= ♥ =
Ben stalked the timer as it neared zero. Nat was supposed to help keep tabs on the buzzer, but she was taking too long to wipe down the front and he couldn’t risk anything overbaking.
The moment the timer hit zero, he sprang into action, pulling out the baking pans with colored cake from the oven and setting them on the cooling rack. With the buttercream chilling in the cooler and his tools ready, he was anxious to get started. He