Chapter 18

18

DAPHNE

T he morning couldn't be going any worse. To start with, I'd woken up after barely sleeping, still disappointed that Sterling had let me go last night without kissing me. Again.

Then I'd realized that once I'd finally fallen asleep, I'd slept so deeply that I hadn't heard my alarm, and by the time I'd gotten out of bed, I'd already been ten minutes late for my shift. Cursing and pulling on clothes that I hadn't even gotten around to washing yet, I'd brushed my hair on my way to Northfield Farms, only to get a call from June.

It turned out that all four of her kids had the flu and she was sick now too, so it would only be me at the bakery today. And I had to return Eric's old truck to the farmhouse so Sterling would have a way of getting around, so I'd raced up to the farmhouse and then I'd run down to the main road to start baking.

Dripping with sweat by the time I'd arrived, I'd been flustered and out of breath, and I hadn't even had a single cup of coffee yet. The only small mercy had been that there hadn't been any customers waiting outside when I'd arrived.

After fixing myself some coffee—possibly the worst cup I'd ever made—I'd headed to the kitchen to start baking. I needed to get it all done by myself today so we could open on time tomorrow morning, but something seemed to have happened with the oven and now the outlets were on fire and smoke was pouring into the kitchen, filling it and hanging in thick clouds against the ceiling.

My eyes burned and so did my lungs. I couldn't see anything as I fumbled around for the fire extinguisher, realizing that the situation was becoming more and more dire with every passing second.

A sob wracked through me as I squinted through the rapidly thickening smoke, still trying to locate the fire extinguisher. I'd seen it so many times and yet I somehow couldn't remember where it was. Flames were shooting out of the outlets behind the appliances now too and my lungs were starting to feel like they were on fire.

I stumbled through the kitchen, my arms stretched out in front of me and my hands meeting with nothing as I felt around blindly for the wall. When a blur of red suddenly rose up in the haze, relief streaked through me and I shouted with the force of it, but then something stopped my forward momentum.

I shrieked as fear sliced to the core of my being. Then I realized that what was holding me back was a pair of strong arms wrapping around my waist. The next thing I knew, I was being lifted and swung into those arms. Then I was flying.

Or sort of flying.

Moving fast through the acrid gray smoke until I pulled in a breath of open, fresh air. My lungs felt like they'd been filled with coals, but when I finally managed to focus my eyes, I saw the last person I'd expected.

Sterling .

My brain was as foggy as the smoky bakery, but I remembered him saying he never came here. I remembered that it hurt him too much because it reminded him of his mother.

Yet, here he was, hauling me out of the fiery interior and out across the parking lot, his strong arms wrapped tight around me and his jaw set in determination. I looked up at him adoringly, my mind clearing enough that I knew he'd tease me about it if he saw the way I was staring at him, but I didn't give a damn.

He just saved my life.

Black stubble covered his sharp jawline this morning, making me think that he'd forgotten to shave. His teeth were clenched, his pulse hammering under his jaw as he strode out of an actual freaking fire like he was Superman saving a damsel in distress.

Since Sterling is my Superman, I'm okay with being the damsel.

I dropped my head against his chest, focusing on filling my stinging lungs with fresh air. Then I realized it was raining pretty hard. The water running down his temples and across his cheeks wasn't sweat or tears.

My gaze lifted to the sky and it was almost as gray as the smoke. Lightning raced across it and thunder roared in the distance. I frowned. What? When did that happen?

Blinking hard, I tried to remember what the weather had been like this morning, but in the rush, I didn't remember noticing it at all. Sterling opened a door, and when I looked again, he was gently setting me down in Eric's truck.

"Call 911," he said urgently. "There's a bottle of water in the cup holder. It was mine. Drink it. Stay here."

After barking out that series of commands, he gave me an intense, searing look I had no idea what to do with. Then he was turning around, running back into the fire. Is he insane? Does he have a death wish?

Struggling to process anything that had happened in these last few minutes—or maybe it'd been an hour—I fumbled for my phone in my pocket and pulled it out. Punching the numbers, I pressed the device against my ear and turned to stare at Sterling as he disappeared into the smoky interior of the building.

"Hello?" I said breathlessly when an operator answered. "This is Daphne LaSalle. I'm calling from the Northfield Farms Bakery. It's on fire. We need help."

"The fire department has been dispatched," she responded a moment later. "Hang tight, Daphne. Is there anyone inside?"

My chin bopped in a nod, my voice shaky as my eyes filled with tears. "Yes. Sterling North just went in there."

"Alright. Do not follow him in. The firefighters will be there in a few minutes."

I nodded, hanging up the phone and anxiously watching the door, waiting for him to come out with bated breath. Thunder rumbled overhead and lightning cracked as the rain intensified, coming down in sheets that made my view of the door slightly blurry.

"Come on. Come on. Come on," I chanted over and over again. "Come on, Sterling. What are you doing? Get out of there."

I didn't know how much time had passed before he finally emerged from the smoke like some dude in an action movie, panting and covered in a shiny sheen of either water or sweat. Maybe both. Probably both.

Tossing aside the fire extinguisher, he marched toward the truck through the rain, looking like he didn't even notice the deluge. Those dark eyes found mine through the window and he held them intently. His long legs made short work of the distance between us.

I threw open the door, not caring about getting wet as I jumped out, meeting him a few feet away from the truck. "Are you okay? I spoke to emergency services. The fire department should be here any moment."

"I'm fine. The fire is out. It wasn't as bad as I thought. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine."

"Daphne, are you okay?"

"I'm okay," I said, but his eyes were a little unfocused. "I'm okay, Sterling. Hey, look at me. I'm okay."

"I saw the smoke," he muttered, looking at me, but I doubted he could actually see me right in front of him. "I heard the fire alarm. I knew you were in there. You were in there for a long time. Are you okay? Can you breathe?"

"I'm fine," I repeated, taking his face in my hands when I realized all that intensity in his eyes was burning right through me. "Sterling. Hey. Look. At. Me."

I held his cheeks in my palms, applying gentle pressure until his eyes focused on mine. As they did, the moment snapped and he snaked his arms around my hips, hauling me to him and lowering his mouth to my own.

His lips were soft but firm. The stubble on his jaw grazed my chin but not in a way that was painful. My thoughts spun wildly, but the faintly minty taste of him assured me that this was real. I could barely believe it was happening, but my arms slid around his neck as he kissed me like I'd never been kissed before.

Sterling kissed like a real man, with a hand on my neck and the other pressing into my back.

He kissed me hard and with his whole body, the strength of him vibrating through me as his tongue swept into my mouth. I moaned, wholeheartedly letting myself be consumed by these kisses and already knowing I would never forget them.

I didn't really know how I'd gone from grappling around the inside of the bakery for the fire extinguisher to this moment right here, but I didn't really care. For the last eleven years, I'd been wondering what it would be like to be kissed by Sterling North, and even though I'd spent eleven freaking years imagining it, it was still better than it had been even in my wildest dreams.

I kissed him back with just as much passion and fervor, molding my front to his as I tilted my head back to give him the access his mouth was demanding. It was only when the distant sounds of sirens grew closer that we finally broke apart, just in time to see the fire truck pulling up.

Breathless and with a racing heart, I looked deep into his eyes. He turned around and walked away from me—this time taking a part of me with him when he left. Hopefully, he would bring it back. Also hopefully, it would be soon.