'Tis the Season for Romance

by Kristen Proby

  She even kept quiet when he politely asked if she wanted him to grill up some steaks or chicken for dinner.

  But when Rocket asked if she wanted to talk now, or calm down a little before they talked, she lost it.

  “Calm down?” she asked in amazement. “You didn’t just say that to me.”

  Rocket crossed his arms over his chest, leaned a hip against his amazing marble countertop in his perfect kitchen in his perfect house, and had the gall to grin at her as if she was amusing as hell.

  “Just because you’re sleeping with me doesn’t give you the right to take over my life.”

  Jayme knew she was being dramatic, but his comment to Memaw’s neighbors had rubbed her the wrong way and she couldn’t stop thinking about them.

  “I know it doesn’t,” Rocket said calmly.

  For some reason, instead of making her angrier, his non-reaction actually helped Jayme rein in her temper. She brushed past him and got a teabag down from the cabinet.

  Rocket reached over and flicked the button on the tea kettle to heat the water. “Go sit, I’ll get this ready for you,” he told her.

  Nodding, Jayme headed for the couch. She watched as Rocket prepared her tea, just like he did every night. There were so many considerate things he did for her on a daily basis.

  She hadn’t been sure if being around him all the time was going to work in the long run. She was so used to living on her own. But Rocket had made the transition seamless. She hadn’t even consciously moved in with him, so much as she’d just kind of stayed after that first night. She enjoyed being with him, and even puttering around his house when he was at work just felt…right. She visited Memaw every day, but then came back here and made dinner for them both. And she baked—a lot. She enjoyed coming up with new recipes and concoctions for Rocket to try.

  She also appreciated that he didn’t always gush over every creation. There were certainly times when he’d suggested something wasn’t quite right. That a cookie needed more chocolate or less nuts or something.

  And she couldn’t deny how right sleeping in his arms felt.

  Jayme had never had a boyfriend she’d clicked with so quickly.

  Which was why his making decisions for her bakery without discussing it with her first had bothered her so much. It wasn’t as if what he’d told Memaw’s neighbors was written in stone or anything; she knew she could do whatever she wanted with specialty orders. But Rocket just acting as if what he said was law really bothered her.

  He headed over to the couch and held out a steaming cup of her favorite cinnamon-apple tea. Then, instead of sitting in the huge easy chair next to the couch, he sat next to her.

  Right next to her. His thigh touched hers from knee to hip.

  She frowned at him and scooted over, putting some space between them. But Rocket simply shifted with her, eliminating the space she’d gained.

  “Rocket, I’m still annoyed with you. Can you scoot over?”

  “No,” he said without hesitation. “I know you’re pissed, and I want to talk about it. I don’t want to give you space because there’s nowhere in the world I’d rather be than right by your side.”

  Okay, that was sweet…but Jayme was still annoyed. She blew out a breath and decided to just get it over with. “Fine. I’m still working out the details of my bakery. While I have a basic business plan that I worked on back in Seattle, I haven’t decided about things like inventory, inventory options, or what I’m going to do about specialty orders. So why’d you tell Aspen and Kane that I’d only take a few orders a day?”

  Rocket took a deep breath. “Right. I overstepped, I know that. But I did so from a good place.”

  Jayme waited, and when he didn’t continue, she raised her eyebrows. “And?”

  “The last two months, I’ve been happier than I can remember being in a very long time.”

  His words felt good, but they didn’t explain why he’d made it seem as if he knew better than she did when it came to her business.

  “Before you came into my life, I didn’t have much to look forward to every day. I enjoy my job, I like my coworkers, I get a rush when I discover a problem with an engine and fix it. But every day was the same. I’d get up, work out, grab something for breakfast, go to work, then come home, eat takeout, and maybe tinker in my garage for a while before going to sleep. I occasionally went out with friends from work, but since most of them have families, those times were few and far between. When I met Winnie at the grocery store, she gave me something to do other than hang around my house being bored.

  “Then, when I first saw you at Winnie’s house, something clicked inside me. You were funny, and gorgeous, and I couldn’t stop thinking about you from day one. Talking to you became the highlight of my days. I couldn’t wait to get home from work so I could check my texts or call you. And all that sounds pathetic, and I know it, but it’s the truth.”

  “I’m sure you had dates,” Jayme said quietly. Rocket’s words were getting to her. She had no idea what his confession had to do with what had happened today, but it was almost impossible to stay mad at him when he was being so sweet.

  Rocket shook his head. “Not really. Maybe I’m just picky in my old age, but I never felt a connection with anyone I met. Some were too desperate to be taken care of, others weren’t interested in anything serious. Some just wanted sex, and a few were simply bitches who thought any man they dated should get down on his knees and thank his lucky stars they were with her. You weren’t any of those things. You were shy, and slightly awkward, and nervous, and ambitious. You weren’t looking for a husband…or even a date.”

  Jayme chuckled. “Wow, that doesn’t make me sound very attractive.”

  He smiled at her. “It was. It is. Trust me. Anyway, now I get to wake up with you in my arms. See your smile. Hear your laugh. Savor your zest for life. I go to work in a good mood, and no matter what happens while I’m there, I know at the end of the day, I’m going to get to be with you. I walk into this house and it feels like a home for the first time since I first moved in. When I see you in the kitchen with an apron around your waist, I can’t believe how lucky I am. And I don’t mean just because you cook dinner and treats for me. It’s because of you. You could tell me you’re not making one more meal and I wouldn’t care, as long as I still got to come home to you.

  “And I love that you’re working toward your goal of opening your own bakery. I’m so proud of you, my heart can barely stand it. Warm Delights is going to be a hit, I know it. How can it be anything else with your enthusiasm and excitement? And…when Aspen asked if you were going to take special orders, I had an immediate vision of the future. Of you getting up at four a.m.…and not coming home until ten at night. Of you staying late every day because you had more cakes you had to bake for birthdays. Of one more batch of cookies you had to get done that someone ordered at the last minute for a retirement ceremony.

  “I had an immediate flash of jealousy. It’s stupid. I know. But the thought of you working day and night, of not getting to spend as much time with you…it hurt. I’m not being sexist; I know that I work all day, and I have no problem with you doing the same. But I want evenings to be ours. I don’t know what you’re thinking about as far as store hours go, but I hate the thought of you working fourteen hours a day. I just thought if you limited the special orders, you’d be able to leave the store to your manager and employees and come home at a reasonable hour.

  “Creating scarcity really is a good marketing strategy. If customers know that they can’t simply call in an order whenever they feel like it, the value of what you do will hopefully rise. But yeah…I was out of line with my assumptions, and of course you can do whatever you want with Warm Delights. But I said what I said because I love you and want to spend as much time with you as possible.”

  Jayme’s irritation faded away with every word out of Rocket’s mouth. How could she be upset that her boyfriend wanted to spend time with her? Yes, he had been out of line by telling Mem
aw’s neighbors how she was going to run her business. But he’d said it out of an emotional need…and, she had to admit, an acute business acumen as well.

  Then his last words registered. “You love me?”

  “More than I’d ever thought I could love anyone,” Rocket replied.

  And just like that, Jayme was glad he hadn’t let her put any space between them. She put her tea down on the coffee table in front of her and practically threw herself at Rocket. He caught her—of course he did—and held her tightly against him.

  “I love you too,” she said into his neck.

  She felt him tighten his arms around her before his lips nuzzled her ear. “Enough to forgive me for speaking out of turn?”

  Jayme pulled back so she could look into his eyes. “Of course. There’s nothing to forgive. Although I would like to request that maybe before you announce to others how I’m going to run my business, you maybe discuss it with me first?”

  “Absolutely.”

  God, she loved this man. She should’ve known he wasn’t trying to take over and make decisions about her bakery without her input. And she had to admit that it was probably a good marketing move to limit the number of specialty items she made each day. She knew she’d probably do just as he projected…stay at work until everything was done. “I’m not saying I want to make dinner every night for the rest of our lives, but for now, I like our routine. I like being here when you get home. I look forward to hearing your truck coming down the driveway. It isn’t exactly a hardship cooking in your kitchen.”

  “Maybe you could teach me some basics. That way I can make something more than just grilled steak and chicken.”

  “You’d like that?” Jayme asked.

  “If you were my teacher, I’d love it,” Rocket said.

  Immediately, easy recipes started flitting through her head. Teaching him to cook would be fun, she suspected. “Deal.”

  “But maybe not right this second,” Rocket said, lowering his head and licking the side of her neck before nipping her gently.

  “No? You have something else in mind?” Jayme asked with a huge grin on her face.

  “Maybe,” Rocket said. “But if you’re tired, or still irritated with me, we can pass.”

  “I’m not tired or irritated with you,” Jayme said, spreading her legs as Rocket’s hand made its way from her knee to her inner thigh.

  Without warning, he stood, then bent to haul her over his shoulder.

  Jayme shrieked with laughter and propped her hands on his ass as he carried her toward the stairs. “Don’t drop me!” she exclaimed.

  “Never,” Rocket vowed.

  An hour later, Jayme lay in bed feeling completely boneless. Rocket had outdone himself, showing her exactly how much he loved her. She’d come twice, and he’d made love to her in more positions than she could count. How he’d managed to last as long as he had before losing control and coming deep inside her body, she had no idea.

  They’d stopped using condoms recently, and she was on the pill. She loved that he didn’t have to pull out right after they made love. She wouldn’t have pegged Rocket as a man who enjoyed cuddling, but he always gathered her close and held her against his fiercely beating heart after he came, nuzzling the sensitive skin of her neck as they both calmed down.

  She was currently lying on his chest, his semi-soft cock still inside her body, enjoying the aftermath of their lovemaking, when her stomach growled loud in the silence of the room.

  Rocket immediately began to chuckle, which made his cock slip out of her body. Jayme lifted her head and mock-scowled at him, which only made him laugh harder.

  “Sorry, love, I’m not laughing at you,” he said.

  She enjoyed hearing him call her “love,” but she wrinkled her nose at him. “Um, I beg to differ. You most certainly are laughing at me,” Jayme countered.

  “Okay, true. You’re just too damn adorable. Stay here,” he ordered as he lifted her as easily as always and began to slip out from under her.

  “Where are you going?” she pouted, hating to end their cuddling time.

  “To get dinner,” Rocket said easily.

  “I’m not sure I want a steak right about now,” Jayme told him, completely serious, since it was about all he could make.

  “No steak. Trust me. I want to get back to your beautiful naked body as soon as I can. I’ll be right back.”

  Jayme watched as he strode toward the closet. In the last two months, most of her clothes had migrated into his closet and drawers. She’d lived out of a suitcase until Rocket had pointed at three drawers and said, “I moved my shit around so you can unpack.” And that was that.

  He pulled on a pair of boxers and nothing else, then gave her a small chin lift before heading out of the bedroom door.

  Falling back on the mattress with a sigh, Jayme stared up at the ceiling. It was almost scary how much she loved Rocket. Sure, he could be annoying at times, but she knew she wasn’t exactly Miss Congeniality all the time either. She thought they’d done an amazing job of learning to live together after both of them being single for so long.

  The ceiling fan above her head spun lazily, mesmerizing Jayme…and the next thing she knew, she was startled awake when Rocket returned. She had no idea how long she’d dozed.

  Sitting up, she watched him approach the bed with a large plate. Propping pillows behind her and pulling the sheet up to cover her nakedness, she smiled as Rocket placed his burden on the covers and got settled next to her.

  He leaned over and kissed her before gesturing to the plate. “I made one of those fancy hors d’oeuvre plates.”

  He’d cut up some cheese, sliced some summer sausage, included some grapes, cantaloupe, watermelon, and black olives, and placed Cheez-It crackers all around the outside of the plate. “It’s a charcuterie board!” Jayme exclaimed, laughing.

  Rocket shrugged. “If that’s what you want to call it. I hope it’s okay?”

  Jayme immediately turned to him. “It’s perfect. Thank you.”

  “Well, it’s not worthy of Chef Jayme Caldwell, but I’ll get better.”

  “You can’t get better,” she told him seriously. “You’re already perfect.”

  “Far from it, but I’m going to do my best to try to never let you down.”

  “You won’t,” Jayme whispered.

  “I will,” Rocket countered. “But I’ll apologize when I do and promise to try harder. Like I did today.”

  “I love you,” Jayme told him.

  “And I love you back.” Rocket picked up the plate and balanced it on his lap, putting an arm around her waist and pulling her against him. “What would mademoiselle like to try first?”

  Giggling, Jayme reached for a grape and popped it into her mouth. She didn’t know what the future held for her and Rocket, but she hoped they’d always be as happy as they were right this moment. She never wanted to go to bed mad and was glad he’d insisted they talk as soon as they got home.

  She needed this man in her life…and was so thankful Winnie had set them up.

  Chapter 8

  Rocket leaned against the wall of the soon-to-be-opened Warm Delights and smiled as he watched Jayme point out things to the contractor she’d hired. The closing for her store had gone off without a hitch three weeks ago, and she’d be opening her bakery after Christmas. She’d been busy setting up vendors, advertising, and getting the store designed exactly how she wanted it.

  He loved witnessing the enthusiasm Jayme had and mentally swore to do whatever it took to make sure he cultivated it. She’d interviewed a few people earlier that morning and told him she was almost ready to make a decision on who to hire. Rocket had been able to get off a bit early so he could take her out to dinner to celebrate all her hard work.

  Thanksgiving had come and gone, and she’d been working extremely hard lately and he wanted to give her some time to sit and relax. Rocket couldn’t help but smile when he thought about the night she’d signed the paperwork for the store
. She’d been over the moon excited, and he couldn’t remember when he’d smiled or laughed more when making love.

  Jayme was the woman he’d dreamed about in his lonelier days. When he’d thought about the kind of person he wanted to spend his life with, she was it. She didn’t let things get her down, was always upbeat, fun to be around, sensual, and considerate. Rocket was damn lucky, and he knew it. He wanted to be her rock, the person she looked to when she was happy, sad, frightened. He wanted to be everything to her.

  So he’d talked to his boss and managed to get the afternoon off so he could be here when Jayme met with her contractor. He’d done some work already, and they’d both been pleased with it, so now Jayme was discussing the second phase of her vision for the bakery.

  She looked over and caught his eye and smiled at him. Rocket grinned back and waited for her to finish her overenthusiastic explanation of what she wanted where, and which paint colors she wanted the man to use.

  Twenty minutes later, the contractor said he’d get some drawings made up for her to look at within a week. She shook his hand and walked toward Rocket as the man left. She walked into his personal space and lay her head on his chest.

  He wrapped his arms around her and asked, “Happy?”

  “Extremely,” Jayme replied, but then, strangely, she pulled out of his arms and headed for the door.

  Standing up straight, wondering what was wrong, Rocket watched as she merely locked the front door and came back toward him.

  When she got close enough, Jayme grabbed his hand and started to tow him toward the back of the space, into the kitchen area. Frowning, Rocket asked, “You all right, love?”

  “I’m great,” she said perkily, stopping in front of the huge countertop she’d had installed. It was big enough for several people to roll dough at the same time. Someone could decorate a cake on one side, while someone else prepared cookies or cupcakes or whatever. It was gray marble, and Rocket couldn’t help but be flattered it mirrored the counter in his own kitchen. Jayme had told him she loved his kitchen so much that she couldn’t imagine anything better than copying the design here in her store.