Chapter Thirty-Two Madison

“ C ar. Now," he commands, his voice sending chills across my skin as I climb into the back seat of the car. I don’t know what I truly expected from our little interaction at the skydiving place, but the moment the door closes, all bets are off.

Fisting my hair, he pins me to the back seat, forcing my eyes to meet his. My lips are swollen, and I let a soft breath escape as I try to contemplate what’s running through his mind. The driver, hidden behind the black plexiglass that separates him from us, probably hears every bit of what’s going on.

“What was that about me needing to start acting like you’re mine?” Jaxson whispers against my ear. My heart races, and my core aches with the need to come. His teasing fingers against the inside of my thigh do nothing to ease the ache. If he honestly thinks this will get to me, he’s sadly mistaken .

“Well, when you introduce me as your friend to people or simply say that it’s something like that , when you damn well know I’m more than that, how do you expect me to act?”

His eyes darken with mischief as he chuckles. “So, you’re upset?”

“No,” I snort. “Do whatever you want.”

“Don’t act like that,” he replies. His fingers slide up to find my sensitive clit beneath my clothing, causing me to gasp at his touch. “Is that what you want? To be officially mine?”

Do I ?

The thought runs through my mind briefly before being overtaken by the pleasure he creates. A soft cry of pleasure escapes my lips as I try to focus on the conversation at hand. Every part of me wants to scream yes, to tell him that I do want to be his, but at the same time, I don’t know what it will mean if I do.

Before the thought can continue, I cry out, coming undone harder than I have before as the pressure of his finger against my clit causes my eyes to roll to the back of my head. I want him. I want him more than anything right now, but before anything can go further, his phone rings, stopping us both. An aggravated groan escapes him as he checks who's calling and answers it, leaving me once again needing and unfulfilled.

“Hello?” He grumbles to the person on the other end of the phone. “What are you talking about? We made sure that was taken care of days ago.”

“Fucking hell… no–I’ll be there in a minute.” He groans, his forehead creasing as his lips curl back into a sneer.

“What’s wrong?” I ask, the mood completely over as he hangs up the phone and sits back in his seat.

“There’s a wedding that’s supposed to take place in the morning at the restaurant. Travis just called and told me the baker has pulled out. Among other shit going on… So now, I have to head over there to figure out how to fix it.”

Baker? As in the wedding cake has issues? That’s not good .

“Well,” I reply softly, fixing my clothing. “Let’s go then.”

“No,” he shakes his head. “I’ll have the driver take you back. I don’t want to ruin your vacation.”

Vacation ?

Nothing about this trip is supposed to be a vacation. It’s supposed to be about me spending time with him, and yet he still can’t see that my life revolves around being in the kitchen, just the same as his. “Jaxson, stop. I’m not going back to the apartment. I’m going stir crazy being in there right now. So, tell the driver to make his way to your restaurant and let’s get back to business… with cooking that is. This…” I point to the sexual arousal he created within me and my disheveled appearance. “Can wait until later tonight.”

He takes a moment, considering what I’m saying before a breath escapes him and he nods, turning towards the driver as he raps on the small window with his knuckles.

“Take us to Skyline.”

***

Twenty minutes later, we walk into the back kitchen entrance of Skyline. The place is in utter chaos as cooks shuffle around preparing different dishes, calling out things they need to others who seem to be running around from all directions. My curiosity takes it all in as I admire how the other side of the kitchen works.

“Oh, thank God you’re here,” a petite woman sighs as she makes her way toward us. Her brown hair is pulled up into a low bun that sits above the collar of her white chef coat. “I don’t know what you want to do, Jaxson, but we better figure something out quick.”

Jaxson’s eyes gaze around the kitchen before he gestures for me to follow him, the woman hot on our heels as he moves through the kitchen toward a brown door that opens into a decent-sized office.

The moment we’re inside, the woman closes the door while Jaxson hits the light on his desk, setting off an amber glow across the room. “What happened, Vicki?”

“Well,” she starts, her eyes sliding to me for a moment before meeting his gaze again with a raised brow. “The baker that the planner for the client hired pulled out supposedly. But when I contacted them to find out what was going on, she claimed she never got an order. So now the planner is trying to put it on us, saying we were supposed to call. It’s a complete clusterfuck.”

“I told them not to go with that damn company…” Jaxson mutters, irritation evident.

I don’t miss the irritation flowing off Jaxson over the matter. My eyes scan the kitchen, landing on the woman who’s been talking to Jaxson. Her eyes shift to me every few seconds as she opens and closes her mouth as if wanting to say something, but choosing not to.

“I’m Madison,” I finally pipe up after a moment. “I’m one of Jaxson’s friends from Willowcreek. I’m here on vacation.”

“Friend?” Vicki murmurs, before glancing at him. “You mean… the Madi? As in baker extraordinaire?”

The Madi ? Well, I don’t think anyone has ever made that kind of comment before. Guess that means Jaxson has been talking about me.

“Yes, she is the same.” Jaxson finally speaks up. “Sorry, Madi. This situation is… less than desirable.”

“Seems like it,” I quickly reply. “May I ask what the cake was supposed to be?”

Vicki looks off to the side, opening her mouth before her hand digs into the pocket on her coat. Her fingers pull out a variety of different papers before smiling down at one as she turns it over to me.

A three-layer red-velvet and chocolate cake with a chocolate ganache filling, accented with a vanilla bean fondant… my eyes carefully read over every detail about the cake. Down to the airbrushing of reds and flakes of gold that are to be intertwined within the design.

This is a cake for royalty, it seems, but nothing that couldn’t easily be taken care of.

“I’ll do it.”

“What?” Jaxson and Vicki both say at the same time.

Glancing up at them, my smile falls as my brows pinch together. “Please. I can make this cake in my sleep. If the baker fell through and the planner is obviously an idiot—so glad to see it wasn’t Sam’s company—then someone needs to make this cake. We can’t let a blushing bride walk down the aisle without a wedding cake waiting for her at the reception. Come on now…”

“Madi, you didn’t come here—” Jaxson starts, but I quickly hold my hand up, cutting him off.

“I know what I came here for, Jaxson. To spend time with you. However, this is an emergency, and as a baker extraordinaire , I can’t in good conscience let this poor girl down. Now, I just need the ingredients and your kitchen.”

“Give it to me,” Vicki speaks up quickly. “Write down what you want and I’ll make sure it gets done. The dessert on the menu tonight is already prepped and done, so you can have my station and I’ll help where you need it.”

Surprise fills me at her offer to help. I barely know the woman and she is willing to step in where needed to assist me?

The thought of seeing the bride's face drop as she realizes she doesn’t have a cake breaks my heart. Even if I’m up all night working on this, which will probably be the case, at least I know she won’t be disappointed tomorrow on her wedding day.

The moment that Vicki leaves, Jaxson stands and crosses the room toward me.

“Thank you for helping me out,” he says softly, looking down at me. “I appreciate it.”

“As a baker… I can’t let this bride be disappointed on her wedding day.”

“You have more care for your work than that bakery then. Because I know for a fact that they had that order. I spoke to the owner about it weeks ago. So, obviously, someone dropped the ball.”

As much as I want to say that I’m surprised they would drop the ball, I’m not. Things are hectic when it comes to baking and managing a business. I can only imagine how many employees that company probably has and though it’s a shame they did drop the ball, no one’s perfect.

All I can do is jump in to help everyone out.

“It doesn’t matter. But it does mean we will be here decently late. And I have to come back early in the morning to frost and decorate the cake… when's the reception?”

“At two p.m. It’s an early wedding. ”

“Okay, that’s fine.” I sigh, realizing that there is more work than I initially expected and with the timing of everything… it’s definitely going to be tight. “I can do this.”

***

“Who honestly has their wedding on a Sunday?” I ask Vicki, who's been helping me for the last two hours to prep everything for the cake I offered to make. “I mean… December 22nd… this close to Christmas.”

She laughs, shaking her head. “You would be shocked how many get married on Christmas.”

“Oh, I can imagine,” I cringe internally. It may be something other people like, but not me. I love the holidays, especially with Mom. The thought of having to share my anniversary with a major holiday like Christmas is not appealing at all.

“So, how long have you known Jaxson?” she asks casually.

“Um, since we were kids… it’s been so long I honestly can’t tell you. Why?”

“Just curious,” she replies with a shrug of her shoulders as she continues to take the cake layers out of their pans to cool. “I mean, it’s obvious you two are sleeping together, but I wasn’t sure if you’d placed a label on it yet.”

My eyes widen as I freeze in the middle of piping out the flowers that will have to chill overnight for the cake. I had anticipated small conversation, but this woman was going straight to the point. Taking a moment to collect myself, I glance at her, noting the smile on her lips as she gives me a pointed look.

“It’s… complicated.”

If that’s even what to call it .

She laughs. “Complicated? Honey, I've seen complicated things with him. You’re definitely not that.”

“What do you mean?”

Placing the pan upon the counter, she pauses, taking a deep breath before turning to face me completely. I’ve gathered so far that Vicki has worked with Jaxson for a long time and I also know that she isn’t into him. Her flavor being more, feminine of nature.

“He’s had it rough with women over the years. And the last one…” she lets out a low whistle, shaking her head before a laugh escapes her lips. “That one was over the top.”

“Damn… really?”

“Oh yeah,” she smiles, glancing at me. “But… you’re different. In a good way.”

“How bad was it… with his ex?” It’s not that I really want to know, but I can’t stop my curiosity after the way Vicki explained the woman was over the top.

“Well,” she finally replies after a moment of hesitation. “Caitlin is a special kind of special…” her comment causes me to laugh as she shakes her head with a smile. “I’m serious. She is what the people around here would call a stage five clinger on steroids. The woman went as far as showing up here after the filming was done to try and corner him… thankfully though he wasn’t here.”

“Wait, she showed up here?”

“Yep,” she replies with a sigh. “About a week ago.”

Hearing that the woman showed up here when Jaxson was with me doesn’t really set my mind at ease. If she is that kind of crazy over him, they must have had something serious. I mean, why else would she go to those kind of lengths. And if that is the case, is that the reason why he won’t put a label on us?

As much as I wish that whatever is going on with him and me potentially will be more… it’s up to him to figure out if that’s what he really wants. I live in Willowcreek and his entire life is here in New York. No matter our past connection, I don’t ever see him wanting to pursue something serious with me. Because he won’t ever leave his life here, and I have no interest in moving away from Willowcreek.

Silence falls between us as we casually begin to clean up. Hours of preparation and baking come to an end as the restaurant closes and people slowly begin to say goodnight before heading out. To be in a kitchen like this, working side by side with other skilled artists, is incredible. I’ve never laughed so much in my life and felt like I finally belonged somewhere. Even if the restaurant is in New York, the push to finally open my own place only grows stronger.

“Hey guys, I’m heading out!” Vicki calls out as she makes her way back through the double doors to the kitchen from the main area of the restaurant. My eyes meeting hers for a moment as I watch her gaze widen, and her lips part. “Holy shit… you’re fucking good.”

Taking in the cake in front of me, a small smile plays at the corner of my lips at its design. It is one of the better cakes I’ve made over the years and I can’t deny that even I am kind of impressed with how it turned out. “Thanks. I hope the bride likes it.”

“She better.” She replies walking towards the stainless steel table I’ve been working on. “Why don’t you open your own place? You’re too good to be working in a small shop in Willowcreek.”

The thought has crossed my mind many times, but the ache of leaving my mother isn’t something I’ve been able to get rid of. “Uh—maybe one day. It’s something I’ve thought about. I just don’t have time to really do that right now.”

“I see,” she mumbles to herself with a raised brow. “Well, you need to make time. You have to much talent to let it go to waste.”

Giving her a thankful smile, she waves her goodbye and I’m left with the thoughts of our conversation. Perhaps, she is right. As much as I love being in Willowcreek working with my mother having my own place is what I’ve always wanted.

Though, when I think of it logistically… a wedding cake bakery isn’t exactly going to get that much business in Willowcreek.

“Were you able to get things sorted?” Jaxson’s smooth voice says from behind me. His hands settle upon my waist as his lips brush against the side of my cheek. The entire evening, he bounced back and forth between where Vicki and I were working and his normal station. The feeling of his eyes upon me is a sensation I’ll never get enough of.

Hell, every time I looked up, I caught him staring. It only makes sense as to why Vicki would make the comments that she did. “We did…” I reply casually. “You better be careful. Someone may see.” I say sarcastically.

“First off… no one’s here... and second, why would I care if someone sees anything? ”

Looking up at him from over my shoulder, I raise a brow and laugh at his comment. “Because this is a place of business and being professional is a must?”

Bullshit answer, I know, but it’s the first thing that came to mind. Not that any of our meet-and-greets have ever really been professional in any capacity. Usually, there was something sexual in nature that came from the two of us working together. At least, that’s how it was back in Willowcreek when we were filming.

He laughs at my comment before gripping my chin with his thumb and finger, slowly bringing his lips to brush against my own. “I guess it’s a good thing that everyone has gone home and only the two of us are here.”

The two of us ?

I open my mouth to speak, but instead, he quickly catches me off guard by turning me around and hoisting me onto the silver stainless steel table I’d been cleaning. He doesn’t waste time as his body comes to stand between my open thighs, his hand brushing up my neck only for his fingers to grasp the tight bun on the top of my head, pulling my body closer to him. His lips slowly brush over the bare skin of my exposed neck as my fingers grip at his collar.

“Seeing you in my kitchen working today… fuck,” he groans, gripping my hair tighter. “You have no idea what it was doing to me. What it’s still doing to me.”

“Could have fooled me,” I reply in a taunting tone. “You seemed so… preoccupied.”

“Is that right?”

His hand quickly lets go of my hair before he grabs me, hoisting me up over his shoulder as he carries me towards his office. A playful swat against my ass causes me to gasp as laughter escapes his throat. “Tell me, cupcake. Do you like ice cream?”

“What…?” I gasp, trying to process why he is asking me that as he takes me into his office, closing the door behind us.

“Of course you do,” he mutters as if he didn’t even hear me ask him a question. “You used to dig into ice cream like it was going out of fashion when we were kids. ”

The moment my feet hit the floor of his office, I’m pressed against the wall. His eyes stare down at me with a hunger that I’ve seen multiple times before. “What are you doing?”

“Nothing…” he replies, the corner of his lips turning up into a devilish smirk as he runs a hand slowly up the side of my cheek. “Just sharing ice cream with someone who means the world to me.”

Why does it sound like he’s talking about more than just Ice cream?