20. Lark

Chapter twenty

Lark

As I stare around the disaster formerly known as my kitchen, my mood drops lower and lower. What the heck was I thinking, agreeing to bake eight dozen cookies for the Tridents’ staff holiday party?

When Candice, the administrator in charge of the party, called me in a panic saying their vendor fell through and she needed cookies at the last minute for the staff party tomorrow, I should have said no.

But everyone knows I love to bake, seeing as I often bring in extra to share. And Candice was so stressed about the kids not having cookies, who was I to deny children their treats?

So I said yes.

And now, less than twelve hours later, my kitchen is covered in flour and sugar, and my overwhelm is at an all-time high. I foolishly thought I could get this done and still go with Dan to the Christmas market tonight, but there’s not a chance of that happening.

Lifting my now-cold coffee to my lips, I take a sip and grimace. I hate having to cancel, but I don’t have a choice .

Pulling out my phone, I open our text thread.

LARK: I’m so sorry to do this, but I can’t go to the market. I’ve got a million cookies to bake for the staff party tomorrow, and there’s no way I’ll finish in time. Especially not since I discovered I’m out of kisses.

I drop the phone back on the counter and pick up my recipes, wanting to double-check I’m not missing anything else. When I went to the store last night, I was certain my list was accurate, and I could get started bright and early today. Instead, I pulled everything out this morning only to realize I was missing the key ingredient for my Grinch Kiss cookies.

Finally satisfied I only need the one thing, I pick up my phone and head to the front door just as it vibrates in my hand.

DAN: Don’t apologize, it’s all good. Except for the out of kisses part. That’s unacceptable. I’ll be there as soon as I can to rectify the situation.

His response makes me smile, breaking through the stress of my morning.

LARK: You’re sweet, but you don’t have to come. I meant chocolate kisses. ;)

DAN: Who says I can’t bring you both?

DAN: I’m on my way .

Sure enough, half an hour later, there’s a knock at my door. I turn off the mixer where I’ve started working on the peanut butter dough and dust off my hands before going to open it.

There’s no way to prepare for what awaits me. I burst out laughing as I take in the sight of Dan wearing a Santa hat and an elf costume apron. He’s holding a cloth bag in one hand, and in the other…

“Is that for me?” I ask delightedly. He grins and drapes the matching apron over my head.

“Sure is.”

I tie the red strings behind my back and model the apron for him.

“Cutest elf I’ve ever seen,” he says, leaning in and kissing me softly. “There. You’re officially no longer out of kisses.” He kisses me again, then holds up the bag. “I wasn’t sure which ones you wanted, so I bought them all.”

My eyes widen when I take the surprisingly heavy bag. Opening it, I see a lot of packages.

“Oh my God.”

Dan takes the bag from me and heads into the kitchen. I trail after him, finding him at the sink, washing his hands.

“Wanna turn on some tunes? Let’s get baking.”

His easygoing nature is such a welcome balm from the stress I was feeling just an hour ago. And so at odds with what I had grown used to with Baron and his family. Heaven forbid I change or cancel plans or need assistance of any kind. No, I needed to be independent, yet accommodating, all the time. Being with someone who cares about me and doesn’t make me feel like a burden when something comes up or I dare to have an opinion that goes against theirs is a refreshing change.

Dan looks over, catching me in my mental reflection.

“Everything okay?” He moves toward me, his hands coming to either side, resting on the counter at my back. I’m caged between his arms, and my own hands automatically lift to his shoulders before sliding around to toy with the hair at the nape of his neck. His eyes flutter closed, a small smile of pure delight creasing his features.

“Yeah, everything’s great,” I reply softly, leaning in to kiss the scruff on his jaw. “I was just thinking about how different it is with you than it was with Baron.”

His eyes open, flooding with concern. “Different in a good way, I hope?”

A laugh breaks free. “Oh my God, yes. So good, I promise.” I kiss his lips, once, twice, three times before continuing. “You make me happy. You care about me, just as I am. And you don’t make me feel bad for anything.”

The concern turns into something darker, and I draw back slightly, impeded by the counter behind me. But Dan’s anger isn’t directed at me. I know this instinctively.

“I’m sorry, Birdie. If I had realized how unhappy you were, I never would have kept quiet. Fuck. I know I’m the one who said we need to look forward, not back, but hearing you say stuff like that makes me so angry at myself for not fighting for you.”

I fling my arms back around his neck and squeeze him tight. It’s still not enough, and obviously he feels the same way because his hands come to my ass, lifting me onto the counter. My legs wrap around him, and we’re as close as possible, and something in me settles with a happy sigh .

We stay like this, me wrapped around him, our breathing synchronized, for several moments. It feels so good, so right, being with him. As much as we both know we can’t dwell on the time we lost, it’s hard not to feel frustrated that we could have felt this happiness so much sooner, if only…

If only I hadn’t been so consumed with doing what I thought I should, trying to be who my family wanted me to be, and settling for so much less than I deserved.

After a while, Dan’s hold on me loosens. “Should we get those cookies baked?” he asks.

I nod, and when he steps back, I hop off the counter. “Okay. The dough is almost ready to be coloured green, then we just have to roll them into a ball and press the kisses on top.”

Dan goes to the bag he brought and pulls out several packages of chocolate. “Which ones should we use?”

I point to the red and white striped ones, and he gets to work opening all the chocolate. For a while, we work together in silence, having forgotten about putting on any music. I already feel less stressed about the job at hand, simply having him with me. Between the two of us, I know we’ll get all the cookies made and packaged in time.

Sure enough, several hours later, the kitchen is even more of a mess than it was this morning, but Dan is pulling the final tray of cookies out of the oven. He sets it down on the counter with a flourish before walking over to me with his hands in the air.

“Go, Team Cookie!”

I slap my hands against his, only for him to lace our fingers together and pull me in for a kiss. I let him because no way am I saying no to a kiss, but I wrinkle my nose when we separate. “ I’m covered in flour.”

He lets out a deep chuckle, looking down at his own dirty apron with a smile. “Yeah, same. Guess I should have brought some extra clothes.”

A little devil and angel appear on my shoulders as I consider my options. Do I say what I’m thinking, or not…

The devil wins.

“We could put your clothes in the laundry here.”

Dan gives me a confused look, and his innocence is so adorable I struggle to keep a straight face. “I don’t have anything else…” He trails off, his eyes widening as comprehension dawns.

I step forward, slowly sliding my hands around his waist to untie his apron. “We don’t have to do anything. I’m sure your underwear isn’t covered in flour.” With a wink, I lift the apron over his head and let it slip to the floor. “Washing your clothes feels like the least I could do to thank you for your help.”

I pull his T-shirt up, and he lifts his arms automatically, letting me remove it, baring his upper body.

“Or there are other ways I could thank you.” My hands go to his belt and pause. “If you want.”

His head bobs up and down eagerly as I slip his belt free of the buckle. “Lark,” he groans, dropping his forehead to mine. “I’m scared I’m gonna embarrass myself.”

The quiet statement is full of so much vulnerability, I freeze, moving my hands up to his chest before wrapping them around his body so I can hug him close. His arms squeeze me tightly, and his heart races beneath my ear.

“Please don’t feel like that,” I whisper. “You have no reason to be embarrassed. We go at your pace. I don’t want to pressure you.”

“You don’t understand.” His voice turns rough. “Me being embarrassed has nothing to do with us moving too quickly and everything to do with how desperately I want you.”

I barely get out my gasp before his lips are crushed to mine, his hands moving to grip my hair tightly as he plunders my mouth. His confidence in kissing me has grown rapidly, and he takes control, infusing our kiss with all of his built-up desire.

Which only makes that devil on my shoulder even louder. As much as I don’t want to end our kiss, I do. Because something better awaits. And then I take his hand and lead him down the hall to my bedroom. He lets me push him to sit on the edge of the bed, and then I take a step back. I untie my own apron and take it off before lifting my sweater over my head.

His hands fist at his sides, his eyes not leaving me as I slowly wriggle my leggings down, kicking them off to the side along with my socks. Watching him devour me with his gaze, I’m incredibly glad I put on a cute set of blue panties and a matching bra this morning.

“You’re so fucking beautiful.”

I beam at him, closing the distance, stepping in between his legs. “So are you, Dan.” I slide my fingers through his hair, tipping his head back so I can kiss him. “You’re a beautiful man, inside and out. I wouldn’t change a thing about you.”

His head falls forward, landing on my chest as his arms wrap around me again. This man loves his hugs. “How do you know just what to say?”

I bend down and kiss his head, inhaling the fresh scent of his shampoo. “The same way you do. I know you, and you know me. It’s that simple.”

“It’s that incredible.”

I smile against his hair, feeling his lips press against my skin. But when his hands start to travel, I draw back. “This is meant to be me thanking you for your help.”

His pout is adorable, but I don’t give in. Dropping to my knees, I raise my eyebrows as my hands land on the waist of his jeans. “Lift.”

“Oh. What? You don’t have to…” He stammers out, even as he lifts his hips so I can tug his jeans down.

“Trust me, I know I don’t have to. But I really want to, if you do.” He nods quickly, and that’s all I need to see. I toss his jeans behind me and run my hands up his muscled thighs. The large outline of his cock pressing against his boxer briefs has me licking my lips, even as I want to giggle at the bananas that are printed on his underwear.

“Bananas?” I ask, giving him a grin.

“I like fun underwear. Wasn’t expecting anyone to see them today, I must admit.”

“I like them, too. But I want to take them off. Can I do that?”

He chokes out a laugh. “Let me make one thing clear. You can do whatever the fuck you want with me. I want it all, Birdie. Every fucking thing. I might be terrified I’ll make a fool of myself, but that’s not enough to stop me from taking anything you’ll give me. I feel as if I’ve waited a lifetime for this. For you.”

I surge up to my knees and kiss him, surprising him at first but he recovers quickly, holding me in place as I pour everything I can into the kiss, trying to tell him without words just how much it means to me that he wants this. With me. And only me .

Settling back on my knees, I slowly tug his boxers down his legs, trying not to be too eager when his dick pops free. But dang, it’s beautiful. Long and not too thick, already shiny with a drop of precum at the tip.

I force myself to look up at his face, not wanting to miss a second of his reaction. When I slowly wrap my hand around the base, his eyes close and he lets out a small groan. I slowly drag my hand up and back down, fully aware that with no moisture to lubricate the movement, the friction might be too much for him.

But apparently not. His eyes fly open, burning with intensity now. His hands are gripping fistfuls of my blanket, and his shoulders are heaving with every breath.

Tilting my head down, I circle his tip with my tongue.

“Lark,” he breathes, that one word a benediction. And all the encouragement I need.

Opening wider, I slip my mouth around him

“Holy shit,” he curses.

I look up and see him still staring at me. Slowly, I start to bob up and down, applying some light suction, and moving my hand in time with my mouth. His musky taste isn’t so bad, and I find myself actually enjoying the act. Knowing I’m bringing him pleasure he’s never experienced before makes this less of a chore, like it used to feel in the past, and more of a privilege.

“Birdie,” he gasps, one hand moving to my shoulder. “Holy shit, I’m gonna…I’m gonna come. Oh my God.”

I don’t have time to decide what I want to do, much less think about what he might want, before warm jets of come are hitting the back of my throat. I quickly swallow, not stopping until I feel him shudder, and the tense muscles of his legs relax around me.

Only then do I draw back, releasing him from my mouth. Strong hands are under my arms, lifting me up and onto the bed where Dan cuddles me against his chest.

“That was… Fuck, I don’t even know what to say.” He lifts his head. “Was that okay? Are you okay?”

I kiss him lightly. “I’m more than okay. Thank you for your help with the cookies and for letting me do that.”

His head flops back down as he laughs again. “Woman, I will do just about anything for you. And I’ll do it all twice if you do that again sometime.”

I burst into giggles as well and nuzzle into his chest. “Deal.”

“But first, you have to teach me how to do that to you.”

“Well, if I must.”