by Cameron Hart
I like to think that I don’t scare easily, that I’ve endured enough by now to not give a fuck what others think about me. Turns out I’m a lot weaker than I think.
Cooper drapes a protective arm over me as we head to the table. My initial reaction is to shove him away and run for the hills, but this is Cooper, and I find I kind of like him watching over me. Caring for me. Bossing me around. Damnit.
We get to the table where Declan and Luna are already seated. I don’t have another second to feel awkward, because Luna stands up and throws her arms around me, pulling me in for a hug. I’m too shocked to respond at first, but then I soften a bit and pat her on the back. Aaaaand we’re back to me being awkward. I have no idea how to receive this kind of friendship and familiarity.
Luna, however, doesn’t seem to notice. She’s as bright and bubbly as ever, wearing a light green blouse paired with pastel pink dress slacks. The outfit is topped off with a glittery white belt. She’s freaking adorable and I look like a street urchin. I don’t even have makeup on. In fact, I didn’t pack any when I left my apartment to stay with Cooper.
With a reassuring hand at the small of my back, Cooper guides me to my chair before sitting down next to me. He keeps a hand on my thigh, squeezing slightly like he knows I’m feeling a little anxious.
“So,” Luna says, her eyes practically glittering with giddiness as she fixes her gaze on me from across the table. “Sienna, I didn’t get a chance to thank you for the cake. You ran away before I even noticed you were at the reception! You should have stayed for dinner.”
“She ran into Coop, so I can understand why she felt the need to head for the nearest exit,” Declan says.
“Hey, now. That was the best moment of my life,” he replies easily. He looks over at me and grins. “The running into you part. Not the part where you ran away,” he clarifies.
I roll my eyes but can’t help the heat that spreads to my face. “I liked the part where I slapped you,” I shoot back.
Luna coughs on her water, and Declan is right there to pat her on the back.
“She slapped you, huh?” Declan smirks at Cooper before turning his gaze on me. “I think you’ll be good for him.”
I don’t know what to say to that, so I sip my water, hoping no one sees my hand shake. Cooper must take the hint, the man knows how to read me inside and out, after all, and he changes the subject. We order our food and talk about Luna and Declan’s baby who is due in about eight months. Luna tells us about her college classes and her brother, Lucas.
Cooper pipes in every now and then, and Declan just looks at Luna like she’s the most beautiful, precious thing in the whole world. I know that look. It’s one Cooper gives me. Something about that makes my heart trip all over itself. Could I picture myself married to Cooper one day? Pregnant with his child?
“Sienna, how did you get into baking?” Luna asks, saving me from traveling down a dangerous path.
“My Grams. Taught me everything I know.”
“Aw, that’s so sweet! Does she love your bakery?” Luna asks excitedly.
“Um… Well, she passed away a while ago,” I say, sipping my water to try and swallow down the lump in my throat. Cooper squeezes my leg under the table in a reassuring gesture.
“Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry. My mom died a few years ago. I don’t know your whole story, but I can tell that loss was hard for you. I think I recognized your pain that first time we met.”
“Yeah,” I croak out, feeling exposed and awkward and unable to handle the attention and kindness from an almost stranger.
“But you have Cooper now, and us. Welcome to the family!” She reaches her hand out to squeeze mine and it’s too much. All of it.
I slip my hand from hers and dip my head down so my hair shields me from the overwhelming attention.
“Excuse me,” I mumble before abruptly scooting my chair out and dashing towards the restrooms.
I barely make it inside the single-stall room before I start hyperventilating. It’s like I’m on sensory overload, the lights are too bright, the hum of the other patrons’ conversation is too loud, even though it’s muffled by the bathroom door. And the kindness. It’s too much. Why do these people care about me? I’m nothing. I’m so far below them in every way imaginable. I want to leave. I want to run back to my apartment above the bakery and hide out in my bed for the rest of the day, possibly the rest of my life.
Family.
Luna said family. That word has only ever been empty and painful for me but being with Cooper and experiencing just a little bit of kindness from Luna and Declan has me wanting things, hoping for things that I don’t even know how to handle.
I get my breathing under control and splash some cold water on my face, grateful now that I don’t have makeup on. Small victories, right? Looking at myself in the mirror, I try to put some walls up. I try to harden my features and force out the weighty feelings of acceptance and hope. Those are dangerous things to get used to.
Except, I find that I can’t quite get to that place of indifference anymore. It’s like once Cooper invaded my heart and soul, I can’t go back to the cold, prickly persona. No, that can’t be right. I have to reach for it, have to protect myself, have to stop the flood of emotions welling up and threatening to choke me.
“Goddamnit!” I tell my reflection. “You’re stronger than this. You don’t need a family, you’re fine on your… own.” My voice cracks on the last word, but my gaze is fierce. I hate feeling weak. I just have to keep it together a little bit longer.
With a final deep breath, I steel myself for the rest of this lunch.
I open the door and run right into Cooper, who appears to have been standing outside the bathroom the whole time. I should walk out. I can’t deal with this, with him right now. But I stand there and let him press me against the wall of the hallway. I let him brush my cheeks with his fingertips and tangle them in my long hair so he can turn my face up towards his. I let him bend down and kiss me so sweetly, so reverently, my heart aches.
“You deserve to be loved, baby,” he whispers into my lips before kissing me again. “You deserve a family. You belong, right here with us. With me.”
“How…” I can’t even express my thoughts. How the hell did he reach into my head and rip out all of my insecurities and address them one by one?
“I know you, sweetness. You have my heart, you know. Which means I can feel when you’re hurting. When you’re scared. When you’re about to run.”
I squeeze my eyes shut and fight off a sob. It’s too intense, his confession. I’m all over the fucking place, wanting to hide but also wanting him to rip me open even more and tell me I’m going to be ok despite all of my flaws and doubts.
He kisses my forehead, my closed eyes, my nose.
“Cooper…” I whisper. I don’t even know what I want to say to him, what I need.
He just tucks me into his chest and wraps his arms around me like he knows he’s the only thing keeping me together. I find that right here, in this moment, I don’t need all of my defenses. Cooper is covering me, protecting me, filling in those empty parts of me I’ve tried to ignore for so long.
“I’ve got you, kitten,” he says softly. “You’re safe, baby girl. You’re safe with me.”
Damn if his words don’t make tears sting my eyes as he just holds me and lets me have this moment.
After a few minutes, or hours, who knows, he finally leans back and kisses me on the nose. “Let’s get out of here, yeah? Go back home?”
I nod against his chest. I fight the urge to correct him. We’re going to his home. But I can pretend for a little while that it’s mine too.
Chapter 8
Cooper
Sienna is a beautiful mess. She was all over the place yesterday, both from signing her business over and the lunch with Luna and Declan. I had known she was lonely before, from the way she melted into my touch like no one had gotten that close to her in years, to the way she let me hold her and comfort he
r when she finally broke down and let me in. But I didn’t know the depth of her isolation until Luna showed her genuine kindness.
I saw when it all hit her, I fucking felt it when she tensed and curled up into herself. I knew she wanted to hide, to run, to throw away everything we’ve been working towards since the day we met. But no fucking way would I let that happen.
After we left the restaurant yesterday, Sienna and I spent the afternoon alternating between going over details of her handing off her bakery and snuggling up on the couch watching bad tv. Turns out my kitten likes sappy romance movies, which pleases me to no end. She let me pick what to watch first, some action movie. But when I headed off to the shower, she switched the channel and was all curled up making puppy dog eyes at the couple kissing on the screen. It brought a stupid-happy grin to my face to know she secretly wants that in her life. I have no problem providing her a happily ever after.
When it came time for bed, I wanted nothing more than to haul her off to my room, and honestly, I think she would have let me. But it was an emotional day for her, and I knew if I had her warm body pressed against mine all night, I’d have given in to temptation and taken her right then and there. That’s not what she needed, though, and I never want her to feel like I took advantage of her vulnerability.
So, instead of ravishing and worshipping her the way she deserves, the way we both want, I lead her back to the guest room and then promptly took my second shower of the day, jerking off to thoughts of my kitten showing me her claws in a whole new way.
Today, we’re heading over to Mad Batter so Sienna can show me the ropes. After taking a good look at her expenses and profit margins, we decided to cut the operating hours of the shop and focus on the custom orders, which are much more profitable. The bakery will still be open for the morning and lunch rush, but then we’ll close down after about one-thirty. Sienna will stay at my place and bake her pastries and such in the morning and I’ll take them to the shop. Then she can focus on working on the custom orders during the day.
Sienna was concerned about leaving Mandy all alone while there’s a possibility of her mom and Derek showing up, so I told her I’d be there every morning. She of course protested, but I finally wore her down. I might have used tickling and a few kisses, but eventually she saw things my way.
Declan was on board for me spending the mornings in the bakery and the afternoons at the office. Asher, on the other hand, took a little more convincing. In the end, I told him we’re all three CEOs and owners of the company, so my telling him of my plans was entirely out of courtesy. He didn’t like that but had no way to argue with me. Especially after I hung up on him.
“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Sienna asks from the passenger seat of my car.
“Don’t you trust me, sweetness?”
She sighs. “I do, you know I do, it’s just this is… this is my life, you know? If I don’t have the bakery, I’m nothing,” she says quietly.
We pull into the small parking lot of the shop and I turn off the engine and look at her. “Baby, you’re not nothing, no matter what happens to the shop.”
“What am I then?”
I take a deep breath and hold her gaze, wanting her to hear me, really hear me. “You’re mine, Sienna.”
Her eyebrows shoot up her forehead as her eyes go wide. I can tell she’s contemplating what I just said, weighing each word and seeking the truth behind it.
“Why aren’t I upset with that? I should tell you I’m not yours to possess, but I…”
“You want to be mine. You trust me to take care of you, not to treat you like an object, but a treasure.”
Sienna blinks away tears and nods her head. I give her a tender kiss and then nip at her lips. She giggles, a sound I’ll never get tired of, and swats my chest.
“Come on, let’s get inside before you distract me even more with your smooth talk and sweet kisses,” she says, feigning annoyance.
Sienna starts to open the car door, but I grab her wrist and tug her into me for a passionate kiss. “First of all, kitten, it’s not smooth talk,” I tell her once we break apart. “I mean every fucking word I say and I’ll tell you all the damn time how much you mean to me, how precious and beautiful and mine you are.” I nip and kiss down her neck, making her gasp and fist the sides of my coat. “And second of all,” I growl into the side of her neck, “My kisses aren’t always sweet.”
I seal my declaration with a rough, possessive kiss. One that has her moaning into my mouth and pulling me closer to her. I fucking devour her lips, her tongue, her entire being. And she gives it right back to me. I can taste the same intensity, the same longing with each stroke of her tongue against mine.
With much self-control and even more regret, I pull my lips from hers. We can’t get caught up like this right here when she’s at risk. I don’t like her being around the bakery for any amount of time, though I know her showing me the ropes is necessary.
Sienna gasps for air, her lips swollen from our kiss, her cheeks rosy red. I can’t help but imagine what she looks like when she cums. Fuck, I want to see it, feel it, smell it. I take a deep breath and try to calm the hell down before I drive her back to my place and bend her over the couch and fuck her till she screams my name.
“Thinking dirty thoughts over there?” Sienna asks all breathily.
“When it comes to you, kitten? Always.”
She bites her fucking lip and I have to turn away. Jesus, everything she does has me ready to bow down and worship at her alter. This woman has me completely captivated, wrapped around her little finger, and she doesn’t even know the power she holds.
I get out of the car and adjust myself in my jeans, willing my cock to go down.
Sienna is by my side in a second, smirking at me like she’s pretty pleased with my state of misery. Maybe she does know the power she has over me. Little minx.
“You already know the basics,” she says once we’re inside. “The register, helping the customers, keeping the lobby clean. You should know about Mr. Harrelson.”
“Oh?”
“He’s always the first customer in the morning. No doubt he’ll be upset that I’ve been closed for several days. He gets a croissant, warmed in the oven, along with a cup of half decaf, half regular coffee. He also gets the newspaper I have delivered every morning.”
“You get the newspaper?”
She nods. “At first it was a mistake. They guy kept delivering it even though I didn’t pay for a subscription. Mr. Harrelson always picked it up on his way in and said if I didn’t want to read it, he would. Then one morning, the paper didn’t show up. He was not happy. So, I got a subscription that afternoon. The paper has been coming ever since, and Mr. Harrelson has been a happy camper. Well, a grumpy camper, but an endearing one, at least.”
I grin at her. I knew she was a softie underneath her prickly exterior.
“What?” She says.
“Nothing,” I smile. “You just… You’re a good person.”
She rolls her eyes and waves me off, heading towards the back of the shop.
“Okay, so over here is the supply closet where I keep…”
I stand behind her and grab her hips, lightly, pulling her close to me, her back to my front.
“What do you keep in here, kitten?” I ask as I nuzzle her neck. I can’t help myself. She’s a fucking siren and I just want to feel all of her all the damn time.
“Uh… Um, there are cleaning supplies, and…” she gasps as I suck the sensitive spot where her neck and shoulder meet, pulling her skin between my teeth and biting down softly.
“And what?”
“And…”
My thumbs graze the hem of her shirt and then slip barely underneath, stroking the silky soft skin above her hips.
She clears her throat and steps away from me. “And you really need to stop doing that.” Sienna glares at me, but I see the playful grin tugging at her lips. She likes it. She likes knowing I can’t resist her. But, she’s right
. I really do need to pay attention. Play time can come later.
We go over cleaning out the case, mopping and sanitizing the back room, proper hand washing procedure, and how to turn the ovens on and off.
“You know, for a billionaire, you don’t seem to have any issues rolling up your sleeves and getting your hands dirty,” she comments sassily as I wipe down the bakery case and she supervises.
I turn around and grab her by the waist, tugging her into my chest. I bend down so my lips graze her ear. “You want to see how dirty my hands can get?”
She moans softly. “I shouldn’t find your cheesy line so sexy, but… Everything you do seems to turn me on,” she all but whispers, rubbing her body up against mine in the most exquisite torture.
“Fuck,” I groan, guiding her backwards and lifting her up so she’s sitting on the metal prep table.
She loops her arms around my neck and pulls me down for a kiss, widening her legs so I can grind my hard cock against her pussy. One of my hands rests on the small of her back, keeping her hot little body pressed against mine, while the other tangles in her hair, pulling her head back and exposing her neck to me.
I softly bite down on her pulse point and lick away the sting, loving how she gasps and digs her fingernails into my scalp.
“There are so many things I want to do to your sexy fucking body, kitten,” I growl into her neck before kissing her there.
“Oh yeah?” She moans, squeezing her thighs around my hips.
“Yeah, but not here.” In my second greatest feat of strength today, I pull away from Sienna, getting some much-needed space.
Sienna pouts, fucking pouts, which doesn’t help the sorry state of my cock. I help her down off the counter and kiss her forehead, looping my arms around her waist and holding her close.
“When I make you cum for the first time, I need to be able to take my time exploring your perfect little pussy. I can’t do that here,” I tell her. Sienna’s eyes are closed and she’s still breathing heavily. “Plus, it’s probably unsanitary, right?”
