‘Morning,’ she said as she entered the kitchen. He had his back to her as he poured their coffees. He was wearing nothing but the silky black boxers and she had to strongly resist the urge to squeeze his firm bum cheeks. She giggled at the thought. He turned to face her, dropped the coffee spoon on the counter and swept her up in his arms, kissing her full on the lips. She blushed as it was so unexpected.
‘I didn’t hear you get up but I wanted to surprise you with breakfast in bed just like old times. Here, you take the coffees up and I’ll just be a couple of minutes.’ His hair flopped over his forehead as he mixed the eggs in a bowl. She could see he’d got all the utensils – pans and chopping boards – out which was something she used to tell him off for all those years ago. But when he’d gone she would have given anything to have him back and empty every cupboard and drawer in the house. She now knew what was important and it wasn’t the contents of her kitchen cupboards.
She made her way back upstairs and opened the bedroom curtains; they could eat at the window seat as it was definitely made for lovers. She decided to have a quick shower before he came back upstairs and as she stood under the hot water she remembered last night and how special it was.
After he’d escaped from a few of the touchy-feely women at the charity event, he had asked her to dance and she had melted into his arms.
‘I never thought I’d say this to you but my buttocks are killing me.’ He laughed. ‘There are a lot of ladies here with very long sharp nails.’
Camilla laughed too. ‘You were such a good sport for joining in with that and thank you so much for your generous bid for my cake. I don’t think Ged could believe it. You’ll have to let me know what cake you’d like and when.’
‘I was thinking maybe you could make one for the shelter where Angela and Tillie are.’
‘Oh yes, that would be perfect, maybe we could let the children choose the shape of it.’ A strand of hair had come loose from her barrette and fallen across her eyes. She blew it out of the way but it landed straight back in the same place. He gently swept it across her face and tucked it softly behind her ear.
‘I’ve been dying to do that since we rescued Bertie.’
‘Oh yes, the dragged through a tree backwards look.’ She chuckled. ‘I hope it’s not as messy now as it was then?’ Her hand instinctively swept across her hair, smoothing it down.
‘Not at all. I mean I just wanted to touch it again. It’s so soft and silky. I can’t believe I’m holding you in my arms again after all this time. And although part of me would say you haven’t changed, you most definitely have. You were a very beautiful girl when I left and now you have matured into a stunningly beautiful woman.’ Camilla had to drop her gaze from the intensity of his eyes. He was doing things to her that made her want to rip off what was left of his clothes and they were still in a public place. Then he said the words that clinched the deal for her.
‘I never stopped loving you, Camilla. I hope you’ll allow me to prove that to you now.’
She reached forward. Their lips met; her tongue searched for his. She could feel his heart thudding as fast as hers was. The years apart just melted away. They were together again; the dream she had long since given up on had somehow come true. She’d always said he was her soulmate, her one true love, and now they could begin their future together. Camilla felt as though she’d never stop smiling when Lucy appeared in front of them and held her phone up. Blake pulled her in even closer as they posed for the photograph.
‘Gorgeous,’ said Lucy showing them the image before searching out Gracie and Finn.
They spent the rest of the evening in each other’s arms, swaying to the music, and when it stopped she didn’t want to let him go. Blake had already danced with Auntie Edie and she was enjoying the attention from the other men including Ged, Finn and Dom who had all taken turns to twirl her around the dance floor. But she was getting tired now so Blake and Camilla took her home in a taxi. As soon as he had seen her safely into the house and heard her lock the door he was back in the taxi with Camilla and for the ten-minute journey they kissed non-stop, so much so that when the taxi driver asked for directions Blake just used his hands to point in the direction they needed to go.
At home they headed straight for the bedroom. Blake stood behind Camilla to slowly pull the zip down on her dress, kissing her neck as he did so. As it fell to her waist his hands reached round to her breasts stroking them gently. Her sharp intake of breath let him know that she was longing for him as much as he was for her; he continued to pull the zip down and she stepped out of the dress as it slithered to the floor. The sequins felt sharp on the underside of her feet. She reached around to him. Her hand stroked the smoothness of his boxers and as her fingers slid into the waistband, she felt something unusual and crinkly.
‘What’s this?’ she asked as she held what felt like a piece of paper in her hand. As they unfurled it Camilla threw her head back and laughed like a demented rabbit. ‘It’s a twenty-pound note,’ she exclaimed.
‘I’m going to kill Dom when I get my hands on him.’ Blake laughed. ‘I saw him whispering something to that handsy woman who kept pinching my butt. Quick, help me get them off so we can see if there’s any more money in there.’ As he slid them off he gently pushed Camilla back on the bed and the thought of money was soon forgotten.
Chapter 32
After breakfast they had returned to bed to rediscover each other all over again. She watched him whilst he slept, still not quite believing that he was back in her life. A delicious shiver ran through her body as she remembered how tightly he’d held on to her all night as if scared she might disappear as he had done all those years ago As much as she would have loved to have stayed in bed with him she very reluctantly peeled herself away and sneaked into the shower as she had a busy day of cupcake making today.
Even though they had shared such intimacy before she found that she felt very bashful around him now. Giggling like a silly schoolgirl if he so much as looked at her, and last night he had wanted to look at every inch of her as they rediscovered each other and reclaimed what they had both thought had been lost forever.
Whilst he had a sleep and a shower she made a start on cupcake making and the third batch had just gone in the oven. She made sandwiches and brought two mugs of coffee into the orangery as she placed them on the table, she felt his arms come round her waist and squeeze.
‘You are amazing,’ he whispered in her ear.
His hot breath sent shivers down her spine and she giggled as it tickled her ear.
‘You’re not so bad yourself actually, mister.’
He turned her round to face him, his skin still damp from the shower and his hair ruffled where he’d towel dried it. Her hands stroked down his smooth back stopping at the towel tied around his waist. He turned her face to him and his lips found hers, not as urgently as the night before, but more gentle, softer as if relishing every moment.
The smell of warm chocolate began to permeate through the essence of bacon and sausage in the air and mingled with the strong aroma from the coffee machine.
Blake took in a deep breath. ‘I don’t know what to devour first: coffee, lunch, cupcakes or you.’ He kissed her neck as he said it and pulled her close to him; she nuzzled into his neck but was interrupted by the dinging of the oven timer.
‘Why don’t you start with lunch and then make your way through the rest, if you’ve still got an appetite that is.’ She pulled out a seat for him and went into the kitchen, whipped the oven gloves from over her shoulder and took out the third batch of cupcakes before replacing them with the fourth lot. She twisted the timer on again for another twenty minutes and joined Blake at the table.
Tucking into his sandwiches he gestured to the rose bowl in the centre of the table. ‘Nice flowers.’
‘Thank you, they’re from the garden. I’m not much of a gardener but the previous owner obviously knew what they were doing. It’s still a bit over-run so when I find time I’ll
have to sort it out. It seems a shame to let all their hard work go to waste.’ She cut into her sandwich but wasn’t sure how she would manage to eat it as her tummy was flipping every which way. She could hardly believe he was physically here in her house after spending one of the wildest nights she’d ever had with someone. They had certainly made up for lost time. A shiver shook through her entire body at the memory of it.
He wiped his mouth with the napkin and screwed it up on his plate. ‘I’ll have a go of tidying it up for you and then get some of the guys round to finish it off sometime in the week if that’s okay with you.’
Camilla just about managed to squeeze the tiny bit of bread down her dry throat and had to wash it down with copious amounts of water before she could answer him.
‘Oh no, you really don’t have to do that. I’m sure you’re busy enough already.’
‘It would be my pleasure, and after all I intend to make it my mission that you are completely satisfied.’ He took her hand and gently pulled her to her feet. ‘In every way.’ He leaned down to find her lips and crushed them with his own. Her senses were overloaded. He smelt fresh like oranges, and tasted like coffee. His skin felt warm and smooth beneath her fingers. Hers was on fire from his touch; he began to undress her and dropped his towel to the floor.
‘How long have we got before that bloody dinger on the oven goes?’
‘At least fifteen minutes,’ she replied as she led him up the stairs.
Half an hour later she took the burnt offerings out of the oven and threw them straight into the outside bin; the oven timer had long since given up trying to call her attention. Today it didn’t matter about burnt cupcakes. They were replaceable and as she’d discovered since losing Blake and finding him again, he wasn’t.
She’d tried to make it work with other men and they’d been very nice and decent people but it had never felt as right as it did now with him She’d finally got all she’d ever wanted. She had Blake and he seemed just as deliriously happy to be back with her.
Blake arrived back in the kitchen wearing the trousers and shirt from the night before. He breathed in deeply. ‘This house tastes amazing; God knows how many calories are in the air here.’ He laughed. His phone rang and he answered it. ‘Right, the taxi is here. I’m off home to get changed and to leave you in peace for a little while.’ He drew her into him and kissed her firmly on the lips. She gently pushed him away.
‘Oh no, look, you’re covered in icing sugar now from my apron.’
‘I really don’t care.’ He pulled her back into his arms and kissed her again. ‘Now then what do you fancy doing tonight? We could go out for a meal or I could bring us back a takeaway, what do you think? Also as I have to leave early for Canada tomorrow I wondered whether you wanted me to stay over again? I don’t want to be presumptuous.
‘Yes of course I want you to stay, I really wish you didn’t have to go so soon though.’
‘I know but the good news is it should be the last time for a good while and I’ll be back before you know it.’
Camilla thought that if they went out for a meal then she would have to share him with waiters and other customers and the rest of the world and she felt greedy tonight; she wanted him all to herself. She stroked her finger gently along his lip before kissing him gently. His beard tickled her face.
‘There’s a lovely new Thai restaurant just opened up in Bramblewood high street; maybe you could pick up a takeaway from there,’ she said.
‘Sounds perfect. What would you like?’
‘The mixed starters are nice and they—’ his lips touched hers softly ‘—do. a. lovely. lamb. massaman. curry. with. coconut. rice.’ As she spoke, he punctuated every one of her words with a kiss to her lips.
He squeezed her hand and laughed. ‘I don’t want to leave you even for a second, Cami; I love you so much.’
‘I love you too,’ she replied, breathing in his warm breath as though it were the only thing she needed to make her thrive. ‘I simply can’t believe you’re really here. Let’s forget the takeaway and live off nothing but cupcakes for the rest of our lives.’ She giggled.
‘I won’t be long, I promise.’ His hand held her cheek softly as he pulled himself away from the kiss he didn’t seem to want to end. They were rudely interrupted by the taxi driver beeping his horn outside.
‘See you soon.’ She reluctantly closed the door after him. She felt like her insides turned to buttercream every time she was with him. She soon had to snap back into reality when the beeper on the oven called her back into the kitchen. Her phone pinged with a text from him.
She took the cupcakes out of the oven, replaced them with the next batch then replied to his text.
She began weighing for the next load. These ones were brownie cupcakes: brownie mix with chopped nuts and a succulent fondant centre with chocolate and vanilla swirls of buttercream on top, sprinkled with tiny cubes of fudge. As she made them she became lost in concentration. She was putting the final touches to them by drizzling chocolate sauce over the top of them when her phone pinged with another text.
She pressed the button on her phone with her knuckle, the only part of her hand that wasn’t covered in something sweet, and a smile rose up from her heart as she read it.
Using the piping bag full of chocolate sauce, she piped straight onto the table, ‘I love Blake,’ which she then surrounded with a chocolate sauce heart. She took a photograph with her phone and sent it to him as a reply.
She spent the rest of the afternoon packing the cakes into the various boxes and loading up the cupcake van ready to make her deliveries.
Once parked outside the Signal Box Café she turned on the chimes to alert Lucy that she was there. Lucy came out of Railway Cottage with the keys, hugged her and brought a large trolley rack from the Signal Box, which they loaded the cupcakes onto and wheeled back into the kitchen. Lucy opened one of the boxes with the brownies in and inhaled deeply, a look of sheer pleasure on her face.
‘I’m afraid I’m taking a box of these home for Dom and Jackson – and me, of course. They smell far too delicious though. I might have to start going to Cupcakes Anonymous if you keep coming up with these amazing flavours. Have you got time for a quick coffee?’
Camilla checked her watch. ‘Just a quickie then as I’ll burst if I don’t tell you what happened with Blake.’
Lucy’s eyes lit up in anticipation. ‘Oh my God, you’re blushing. What have you been up to?’
Camilla covered her cheeks with her hands and went to speak but Lucy stopped her.
‘Hold on wait a minute I want to give you all my attention. You get comfortable in one of the booths and I’ll bring the cappuccinos out.’ She ushered her through the door and gestured to one of the comfy seats in the booth at the window. ‘Do you want choccy sprinkles on yours?’
‘Ooh I don’t know. Are you having any?’ She settled herself into the booth, which was exactly like sitting in a train carriage.
‘Hell yeah,’ Lucy replied as she burst through the swinging kitchen door, ‘after all this is a celebration.’ She placed the tray on the table and offloaded the drinks and a plate of assorted biscuits. ‘I thought you might need a change from cupcakes.’ She laughed.
Camilla smiled, picked up a pink wafer and took a bite. Lucy took a chocolate bourbon and dipped it deeply into her frothy cappuccino. ‘Right then spill before one of us bursts. What happened?’ She settled back and chomped on the soggy biscuit.
‘Well, we kind of got together a little bit at the charity do,’ she began.
‘Yes I saw you dancing and you looked stunning together, especially as he was almost naked. What a good sport he was for joining in with the fun and I noticed he was very popular with the ladies.’
‘You won’t believe how popular. His bum cheeks are covered in bruises from all the pinching.’
Lucy shrieked with laughter. ‘And how do you know this?’
Camilla’s face was a deep shade of beetroot and she almost choked on
her pink wafer. ‘That’s nothing, I also found a twenty-pound note down his boxers. Apparently Dom gave it to that woman who couldn’t keep her hands off Blake. It was so funny.’
Lucy was holding on to her belly and laughing deeply. ‘That’s hilarious. Oh poor Blake. So how was it then? Are you in luuurve?’ she teased.
Camilla had a faraway look in her eyes as she remembered his arms around her in this very room. She shivered.
‘It was amazing, Lucy, and the truth is I never stopped loving him, not ever. Our sex life was always good but those years apart and I suppose the fact that we’re both a lot older has added another dimension to it. I’ve never known anything like it before.’
Lucy smiled at her and sipped from her large cup as she relished the details. ‘What – not even with Freddy?’
Camilla blew some froth from the top of her cappuccino and sipped from the warmth below it. ‘Poor Freddy, to be honest I always felt like I was short-changing him. He was always second best in my heart, the runner-up to my affections. I feel really mean saying that but it’s true. I can’t help it. Blake was always on the winners’ podium in my eyes but I never ever would have thought that I would see him again. It’s like a crazy dream come true.’
‘You know me; being a wedding planner I just love a happy ending – and look, you’re giving me goose bumps.’ She lifted her arm to provide the evidence.
Camilla smiled at her and checked her watch again. ‘I’d better get back as he’ll be on his way back round soon and then he’s off to Canada for a week.’ She drank another mouthful of coffee and wiped away her cappuccino moustache with a napkin.
‘Oh no, that’s bad timing. You’d better make the most of him tonight then.’ She winked and collected the coffee cups onto the tray. ‘I’ll see you during the week anyway but call me if you’re lonely and we can get together.’
‘Will do but I’m so busy that I don’t think I’ll even have time to think this week. I’ve been getting so many orders in from far and wide. Luckily I have Angela to help out as she’s been a godsend.’
The Cosy Little Cupcake Van: A deliciously feel-good romance Page 23
