The Delicious Series: The First Volume

by Stella Starling

  Mace flicked his eyes toward the box holding Gavin’s new proofing cabinet, still sitting on the dolly just inside the door. “You’re done.”

  Tad’s chest puffed up as he held the paperwork in front of him like a shield. “I still need a signature.”

  “Too late,” Mace said, ignoring Tad’s squawk of protest as he grabbed his arm and proceeded to frog-march him outside.

  Brandon came out from the prep area as the bakery door closed behind them, letting out a low whistle. “Shit, dude, that was intense. That UPS guy is a real ass, isn’t he? Thanks for letting me go to the back when he was all up in my face.”

  Danny snorted back a laugh, a weird giddiness rushing through him like some sort of post-adrenaline high. Apparently, Brandon wasn’t as clueless as he acted.

  The bell sounded again, and Danny whipped around, his body instantly tensing up. It was just Mace, though. Alone.

  Danny is mine.

  The words bounced around Danny’s head like a loose pinball, lighting him up inside.

  “Nice job on handling the dickwad,” Brandon said to Mace with an easy grin, leaning on the counter. “So you’re Danny’s new boyfriend, huh?”

  Mace froze, and so did Danny. He held his breath, waiting.

  Mace scrubbed a hand over his face. “I’m, uh…” He huffed out a breath, a muscle ticking in his jaw as he totally failed to respond to the question that Danny would really like to hear the answer to, too. It was one thing to walk Danny home, even kiss him on the sidewalk in front of strangers, but words, please. It was where the rubber met the road. Where the princess found out if the frog was just a frog, or…

  Danny swallowed, so damn tired of throwing frogs back.

  “Oh, or not?” Brandon said into the awkward silence. “My bad, dude.”

  Mace shot Danny a worried look, but before Danny could figure out what that was supposed to mean he wiped all expression from his face, settling it into the unreadable calm that used to be his default expression.

  Danny pressed his lips together tightly. Oh, nuh-uh. That wasn’t going to fly.

  “Can I talk to you for a minute, Mace?” He jerked a thumb toward the prep area behind him. “Back there.”

  It wasn’t exactly soundproof, but at least it was a little bit more private than trying to have a conversation in front of Brandon and anyone else who happened to walk in.

  “I’m sorry, Danny,” Mace said as soon as they rounded the corner.

  Danny’s heart sank. “So, what are we, then?” Because even if they’d never said it, it had definitely started to feel a lot like boyfriends to Danny. And then, the way Mace had swooped in with Tad just now and claimed him....

  “Shit, I know I was out of line, baby,” Mace said, scrubbing a hand over his face again. “I just couldn’t stand to hear that guy talk to you like that. I didn’t mean—”

  “You said I was yours,” Danny interrupted, his pulse starting to race as he realized maybe Mace wasn’t denying him after all.

  “I… ” Mace’s ears turned red, and he rubbed the back of his neck, glancing away for a second. “Uh, yeah? That was probably a little much, though,” he finally said, looking back at Danny sheepishly.

  Ohhhhhhhh.

  Something inside Danny relaxed. Mace wasn’t trying to weasel out of admitting they were together the way so many men had before him, he actually thought he might have overstepped. He respected Danny, and the tight knot of Danny’s distrust unravelled, replaced by the fluttering certainty that this was what it felt like to fall in love.

  Mace’s instinctive reaction had been to claim him. Protect him. And sure, Danny would love to be the princess who didn’t need protecting, but the idea that Mace wanted to wasn’t “a little much.” On the contrary, it was a perfect mix of sweet and hot that made him believe happily-ever-after might just be in the cards for him after all.

  “So, you’re saying you didn’t mean it?” he teased, wrapping his arms around Mace’s waist now that he’d gotten his kneejerk doubts out of the way and could see that he’d been right. Mace was the one he’d been waiting for, and Danny couldn’t even regret all the frogs he’d kissed before him, because Mace was worth the wait.

  “I’d like to mean it,” Mace answered, the tension going out of his shoulders as he gave Danny that slow, sexy smile that Danny loved.

  “So, would that make you my new boyfriend then?” he asked, repeating Brandon’s question from earlier because he still wanted to hear the words.

  Mace ran a hand up Danny’s spine, cupping the back of his head and pulling him in for a kiss that was better than words after all. But then, even better, Mace gave him those, too.

  “I hope so,” he finally said, long after Danny had forgotten what he’d originally asked. He cupped Danny’s face, swallowing hard but holding his eyes like it was important. “I’d really like to be, Danny, because I…”

  Mace turned the faintest shade of pink, the words seeming to freeze in his mouth as Danny’s heart do a slow roll in his chest.

  “You what?” he prompted breathlessly, the fluttering excitement inside him reaching a crescendo. Because the way Mace was looking at him made him think he might already know the answer, and that it might just be the same one he’d discovered for himself.

  The tips of Mace’s ears turned bright red. “Because, Danny, I love you. I’m” —he swallowed, but didn’t look away— “in love with you. So yes, I’d really like to be your boyfriend, if you’ll have me.”

  Danny blinked, his heart stuttering.

  If.

  If?

  He suddenly wanted to giggle, or maybe shout. Instead, he just wrapped himself around his boyfriend and said yes… not even daring to pinch himself because if he was asleep, he was more than happy to let this particular dream just go right on ahead and keep coming true.

  Danny felt like he was walking on air after his lunch with Mace, but when he got back to the bakery he could tell something was off. Totally unfair, since he was in love and the world should, by all rights, be celebrating with him.

  “Gavin’s in the back,” Brandon stage-whispered as he walked back in the door. “I tried to call you, instead, but you didn’t answer.”

  Danny grimaced in embarrassment. He’d finally found his phone the other day, but then he’d been so caught up in the wonder of Mace’s swoon-worthy declaration that he’d left it here at the bakery. God, he was hopeless.

  “Sorry,” he said, pushing aside both his embarrassment and the happy flutters he still couldn’t shake, because Gavin was his friend and he could tell by the lack of Brandon’s usual easy-going expression that it was bad. “What’s going on?”

  Brandon made a face, his eyes darting toward the back of the shop. “Right after you left, a couple of cops stopped in. They had a bunch of questions that I didn’t know the answers to, so I figured I should call one of you guys.”

  Danny’s eyes widened. Cops? Jesus.

  “Good call,” he said, feeling even worse about Brandon having been on his own and having to deal with that. But God, what about Gavin? Gav already treated worrying into an art form, and Danny rushed back to the little office area Gavin had claimed, hoping that whatever the heck was gong on, he’d be able to help.

  “Brandon said the cops were here. Did something happen?” he blurted, noting to his dismay that, as expected, Gav now looked even more worried than usual.

  “They’re investigating the robberies,” Gavin said, closing down a website on his screen as he turned to face Danny. “I’m just reviewing the security logs for the alarm system to see if there’s been any sign of someone poking around Delicious.”

  Danny nibbled on his lip. True, he’d almost forgotten to set it that day he’d been worried about Mace’s lunch with Kelsie, but he was sure he’d been on top if it ever since.

  “And?” he prompted, trying not to feel guilty. After all, Mace had caught his slip that one time and set it for him, so the bakery should be fine.

  “Nothing,” Ga
vin said, not looking reassured by that fact for some reason.

  “There haven’t been any more robberies in the neighborhood lately though, right?” Danny asked, sure that Sherri would have let them know if something had happened.

  “The yarn store was robbed a couple of days ago,” Gavin said, bursting that bubble. “I don’t know the owner, so I didn’t have a clue it had even happened until the officers told me.”

  “You mean Lila?” Danny asked, remembering the soft-spoken woman who liked the vanilla bean cupcakes that Gavin had perfected. “She usually comes in during the afternoons, but I don’t think I’ve seen her at all this week. God, Gav, I wonder if that’s why. What did the cops have to say about it?”

  He leaned against the doorjamb, crossing his arms over his chest.

  Gavin sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Same as all the rest. Petty cash and some valuables gone. This time though, poor woman, she hadn’t done her bank deposit, so she lost a whole day’s earnings, too. The two officers who were here were questioning me about you and Brandon. The lack of forced entry has them thinking it could be an employee thing, even though that doesn’t make sense to me, since it’s happened to so many different businesses.” Gavin lifted one shoulder in a weary-looking shrug. “Anyway, they wanted me to double-check our security system and keep an eye out.”

  “Does it look okay?” Danny asked, his eyes flicking to Gavin’s computer screen.

  Gavin cocked an eyebrow at him. “Why, is there something I should know about?” he asked sternly, but then he laughed to let Danny know he was teasing. “Don’t look so worried. That’s my job,” he added, winking. “And besides, it looks fine. The logs show that you’ve been setting it like clockwork, and Brandon doesn’t even know the code. I told the police that no one else has access, but…”

  He sighed again, sinking down into his chair as the moment of humor drained out of him.

  He looked tired, and Danny frowned. “Do you really think the robbers will hit Delicious?” he asked.

  “I don’t know, Danny. And I have insurance, but… ugh. Even if it’s not an employee thing, the cops are convinced it must be someone local. Maybe another business owner, or at least someone who knows the neighborhood. I just… I worry.”

  Understatement, Danny thought, his lips quirking up a bit. But still, his friend had every right and it really wasn’t a laughing matter. Gavin had always thrown his all into everything he did, and Delicious was no different. The bakery already took the majority of Gavin’s time and energy, and Danny hated to see him take on any more stress.

  “Do any of our regulars seem suspicious?” Gavin ask him. “The cops were asking me about that, but I couldn’t think of anyone.”

  “Annoying?” Danny asked, thinking of Tad. Not a customer, but God, he was in almost as often as some of their regulars lately. “Yes. But suspicious? Not really.”

  “Are you two talking about the robberies?” Their friend Jeremy poked his head around the corner. “I just had a visit from the officers who were looking into mine at the bookstore.”

  “They were here, too,” Gavin said, nodding. “Jesus. This is not what I need right now.” Then he grimaced, looking embarrassed as he sent the bookstore owner an apologetic glance. “Sorry, Jeremy. I know you didn’t, either.”

  Jeremy shrugged. “You’re right, though. None of us needs this. And you know what? I’m sick of worrying about it. For all the poking around that the cops are doing, I’m going to assume they’ll catch the guy eventually, but it’s Friday.” He grinned. “I’ve officially decided we should go out for that drink we’ve been talking about and get our minds off it tonight.”

  “I should go over these reports again,” Gavin said, sighing as he tapped a stack of paper in the printer. “The alarm company sent them over, and I want to make sure I haven’t missed anything.”

  “No,” Jeremy said, shaking his head firmly. “I know Delicious is your baby, Gavin, but you need to relax. And if it will make you feel any better, we’ll call it a business meeting. We can talk about all our hot customers and call it ‘research into suspicious persons.’”

  Danny laughed. Jeremy was undauntable.

  Gavin hesitated, but then he laughed too, giving in. “Fine. You’re right. I don’t even remember the last time I went anywhere but here, home, or the bank.”

  “I do,” Danny said, rolling his eyes. “It was when you dumped James, right after my birthday.”

  “Six months ago?” Jeremy asked incredulously. “Okay, we’re definitely doing this then. Danny, you’re coming too, right? We’ll go to Renegade.”

  Danny hesitated. Of course he wanted to go out with his friends, but God, even though they hadn’t made plans, he’d just assumed he’d see Mace tonight.

  Mace, who he was seriously getting addicted to.

  Mace, who’d said he loved him.

  “Oh my God,” Jeremy said gleefully, eyes widening as he looked at Danny. “That look has got to mean a man.”

  “Danny’s got a new boyfriend,” Gavin guessed, winking at him.

  “Well, clearly I need to meet him if he puts that look on your face,” Jeremy said when Danny nodded, blushing. “He should come, too.”

  “Yeah…” Danny agreed, his mind going in all sorts of deliciously dirty directions at the word. “He should definitely come.”

  Gavin groaned. “Stop with the innuendo. It has been way too long since I’ve gotten laid.”

  Danny laughed, hunting up his phone. “Let me ask him about tonight,” he said, tapping out a quick text:

  Gavin and Jeremy want to go out for drinks tonight. Want to come?

  The answer came back instantly, making him grin:

  With you? Always.

  Danny sent another message.

  Meet me here when I get off? We’re going to Renegade.

  Mace didn’t answer that one as quickly, and Danny kept glancing down at his screen as he half listened to Jeremy and Gavin talk about some guy Jeremy had met recently. Jeremy always had “some guy he’d met recently.” but at least he’d managed to get Gavin’s mind off the robberies. Finally, Danny’s phone pinged again.

  Actually, I can’t. Sorry.

  Danny stared at the terse message, willing himself not to take it the wrong way. Renegade was a gay bar. Was Mace not comfortable with that? Did he only want to be Danny’s “boyfriend” in private? The one time Danny wanted to go out in public together—well, besides the park and all that—and now Mace suddenly couldn’t be seen with him?

  Danny took a breath. No. That’s not necessarily what Mace’s message meant. Mace had never acted that way toward him, and wasn’t this just round two of all the same insecurities that Danny had beaten back before lunch?

  But still, God, the man was maddening enough when he didn’t talk in real life. In text? There was just way too much room for misinterpretation.

  Danny hit the call button.

  “You’ve suddenly got other plans?” he asked as soon as Mace answered, forgetting to say hello since he was still a little busy holding those old insecurities at bay. “Plans that you didn’t bother to mention when I saw you this afternoon?”

  “I do,” Mace said. “Sorry. I totally forgot until just now.”

  Danny took a breath, reminding himself firmly that Mace was his boyfriend, not some dick who was going to disappear on him now that they’d hooked up. Not a frog. Not. A. Frog. And no matter how out-of-character the sudden evasion seemed, Danny really, really wanted to believe in him. And if he were being honest, Mace had never given him a reason not to.

  Okay, decision made. He was going to trust. Trust, and not push.

  “Maybe you can come out after your… plans?” he suggested, determined not to ask for details that Mace hadn’t volunteered. He wasn’t the needy boyfriend who had to know what his man was doing every minute. He was not.

  “I’d love to, baby, but I wouldn’t count on it,” Mace said. “I’m helping out a friend, and it sounds like it might run l
ate tonight.”

  “Okay,” Danny said, swallowing his disappointment but feeling a little proud of himself for not giving in to all the voices of past exes dancing in his head. “Will I see you tomorrow?”

  “Absolutely,” Mace said. “It’s already the best part of my day.”

  And the sweet heat in his voice burned away the last of Danny’s doubts. The man had been nothing but wonderful to him since day one, and he loved him.

  And Danny… Danny trusted Mace not to let him down.

  16

  Mace

  It was almost midnight when Mace got back from helping Helen move, and even though he suspected that Danny might still be out with his friends, Mace was too tired to join him. Too tired to do anything, really, other than take a quick shower and fall into bed. Helen and her Chris—another woman, a fact which had caught him off guard and then made him laugh at his own assumptions—had turned out to be much better at organizing the whole moving project than actually doing the moving, and Chris’s brother had ended up with a work emergency that had meant he hadn’t arrived until almost nine o’clock. The result? Mace and his muscles had been the primary source of strength, and Helen had been right, a couple could accumulate quite a bit of stuff over the years. Mace had definitely been put to work.

  He grinned, remembering the two women’s effusive thanks. Even with Mace’s help, they’d been hard-pressed to get all the bigger items moved in just one night, and their timetable really would have been screwed if he hadn’t shown up. It had felt good to help out, even though he knew his lack of availability had disappointed his boyfriend.

  Boyfriend.

  Mace knew he was smiling again. Before Danny, it wasn’t a word he’d ever expected to use in that context, but now he found himself looking for any excuse to say it, even when it was only in his own thoughts. And ever since he’d met Danny, that had been true: Danny was always in his thoughts.