Unblinking, he watched her take the last of it. Swallowing hard, she ran her tongue to the corner of her mouth, licking the cream from her lips. Deftly inserting each frosting-coated finger into her mouth, she sucked slowly, eyeing him, challenging him, arousing him. She watched the tell-tale signs of her imminent victory: his pupils dilating, pulse throbbing, and chest lifting. Trying to hide his arousal, he clenched his chest tight, willing himself to breathe calmly. Lacey's lips curved into a smile as she heard his unmistakable panting.
"I know when you're fake calm," her voice purred as she stalked closer to him, gliding her fingertips up the base of his neck. Winding her fingers around the stray curls, she grasped and tugged, pulling his head back. Like a good little predator, she exposed his jugular. Like a sweet little vixen, she pressed her lips to his throat. Rising up onto her tiptoes, she crooned into his ear.
"Don't you want to know how I know?" It was her turn to tease. He smiled, enjoying how she could turn tables expertly.
Nipping gently at his ear, she continued to toy with her prey. "Because you breathe differently."
Before she could react, he spun in her arms and lifted her onto his waist. Her legs wrapped involuntarily around him as she tried to use leverage to gain control. Surrendering momentarily, she allowed him to carry her into the kitchen.
With slightly jarring force, he set her down onto the counter.
"You don't play fair, Lady Lacey."
"Fair is relative, Sir Dex."
"Is it, now?" Closing the distance between them, he backed her against the cupboard. "Well, then I say it's fair that I take you away from all this and make you my little kept woman."
"Not on your life," she grunted, pushing his chest away from her and angling to hop off the counter. Unfortunately, he had her pinned with her legs still around him. Moving off the counter was giving him more of a play than she was willing to sacrifice.
She was so easy to antagonize when she was feisty; it was almost too easy. "Well, my sexy kitten, we weren't talking about my life, were we? We were talking about yours." Amused arrogance darkened his eyes as he maneuvered into a better position. Grabbing behind her knees, he pulled her towards him, hoping to catch her off-balance, physically and mentally.
Sniffing in indignation, she growled, "My life is mine, and yours is mine too! I built my empire and I'm not giving it up." Countering his attack, she slipped her leg out of his grasp and drove her foot against his chest, sending him backwards. "You give up yours!"
He grabbed her ankle to keep from stumbling back, but her words impacted him more than the shove. She had never asked him this before. At any time, he would have willingly sold off his business and traded everything in for her, but she had always retreated when he had pursued. Was she serious? Is this really what she meant by wanting it all? Would she have him? He felt shy, awkward, and vulnerable. Like a pimple-faced, sixth grade boy asking out the junior prom queen, he quivered. All that he had amassed, all his confidence and bravado melted away; his bones liquified to jelly and his joints morphed to goo.
But he appeared sexy, strong and cocky. The sarcasm dripped from his lips, and his laughter had a bite to it. "Give up mine? Ha! Become your trophy husband? ha- HA! What makes you think that I'd trade it all my fortune in for you?" He realized too late that it was too much. Seeing the quiver in her lips and the sheen in her eyes, he regretted his defensive techniques. Now he just wanted to crush her in his arms with love and make sure that nothing ever hurt her, ever again.
Lacey held his gaze. She was terrified, but mentally acknowledged that to truly have it all she had to be willing to make bold moves. This was just another merger and acquisition, right? She only had to provide a strong enough offer for the merger to be a win/win proposition. But what? He was right. What did she have that would want to make him be with her? Why choose her when he could have anyone? She didn't know. She had no answers. She spied the final cupcake from the batch and giggled.
"Because," she scooped a glob of sweet cream off the tiny cake, sending a blueberry rolling away from its cushioned pillow of frosting. "I'll be the best cupcake you've ever had."
He leaned forward to capture her finger in his mouth, snickering with pent-up, giddy, silly, life-altering, world-changing laughter. "The only cupcake I'll ever want again?"
"Your final cupcake," she nodded obediently.
"With chocolate drizzles?" he beamed.
"I'll even give you the cherry," she retorted, fire renewed in her eyes.
Barking with laughter, he felt his world shift into a whole new orbit with her as the center of his universe. Grabbing her face with both hands, he planted his mouth against hers, both claiming her as his and surrendering himself to her.
"Miss Lacey, will you really?"
"My dearest Dex, I most certainly will."
This is the final portion of my 3 part serial fiction for Scholar and Scribe/Dreemport Challenge! This was SUCH a wonderful challenge to get my creative juices flowing hehehe!!!
Cupcake edited by me from two photos cupcake 1 and cupcake 2