Fake It Till You Bake It(52)

She wasn’t surprised by the answer. He set a high bar for himself. The question was why? But she didn’t reply, sensing he was still struggling with how to continue or if he even should.

He gripped his arms, his eyes closing for a moment. “Growing up, financial stability was nonexistent. You already know about the lemonade stand. My father was—is—addicted to gambling. He was always searching for that next big hit, certain it would happen on his next bet.”

“Did it?”

Donovan let out a wry chuckle. “Yeah, occasionally. Just enough for him to hunger for the next win, making an even bigger bet. My mom did her best to hold down the fort, but that’s hard to do when you never know when your husband is going to empty out the bank account.” He turned toward her, leaning his right shoulder on the wall. “I don’t take risks. I think logically. I was good at football and knew it could give my entire family a financial stability we could only dream of if I stuck to it and made the pros. So I did, and it did.”

“You succeeded.” She reached for his hand, needing to offer the comfort he so willingly gave her. Needing that connection, as simple and pure as it was, to him.

He squeezed her hand in return. “I did, which allowed me to take a chance, the first chance I’ve really taken since I was a kid, when my best friends convinced me to open a cupcake shop. I want Sugar Blitz to succeed, but it’s been tougher than I anticipated and I’m learning all over again that nothing is guaranteed.”

Jada groaned. “And here I am adding to the uncertainty and messing stuff up.”

Another wry laugh slipped out. “Yes and no.”

She inspected the sharp, fascinating angles of his profile. “What does that mean?”

“It means I’m not going to let an impulsive woman who thinks nothing of telling me exactly what she feels whenever she feels it to destroy my business.”

“Hey!” She reached out to push his chest.

His hand caught hers before she made contact. His palm surrounded hers. Her breath stuttered when he tugged her closer, his heat surrounding her. “Jada the worker doesn’t make me nervous. But Jada the woman does.”

She searched his eyes. They were dark and serious. Focused solely on her. Not that she needed to. He could be feeding her a line, but her gut told her he wasn’t. The butterflies in her stomach started dive-bombing again. “How do I make you nervous?”

“Well, in case you hadn’t noticed, I like logic and order. Calm. And none of that enters my orbit when you’re around.”

Jada swallowed, searching for words. “I’m … sorry.”

His lips quirked. “Don’t be. It’s not your fault that you tilt my equilibrium off its axis. Every day, I try to figure out how I’m going to handle it. I’m not like you. I like spreadsheets and SWOT analyses. Every day, I fight my instincts.”

She swallowed. She couldn’t look away. His draw was too strong. Too powerful. “What do your instincts want you to do?”

He didn’t answer. Not with words.

The kiss was sweeter than spun sugar. Gentle. Coaxing. Jada’s eyes fluttered shut as she instantly became lost in the embrace. Lost in him. Kissing Donovan was quickly moving up the list of her favorite activities. Right now, she couldn’t think of anything that topped it. She could soon become addicted to him. To feeling like this. Cared for. Desired. Liked for who she was.

She didn’t know how it happened, but her back was against the wall, his hard chest pressed against hers, and he was taking the kiss deeper, deeper, deeper like he couldn’t get enough of her. She understood how he felt. She was quickly slipping under his spell. His tongue twined with hers in long, sensuous, decadent slides. A perfect, sensual mating that drugged all her senses. The kiss gentled as he slowly backed away, giving her a moment to inhale. Right when she was about to beg for more, he was back, groaning as he sucked on her bottom lip. He was hungry. Hungry for her.

No more than she was for him.

She lifted on her toes, desperately seeking a stronger connection. He chuckled. His laughter came to an abrupt stop when she mimicked his action and bit his bottom lip. Oh, yeah. She liked that. It was soft and plush. Perfect. She repeated the action, her teeth sinking into the plump flesh and tasting him.

“It’s like that?” he murmured, his voice teasing.

“Yes,” she moaned.

Then the kiss got hotter. Wilder. Necessary. Teeth clashed. Tongues battled. Lust rampaged through her system. She wanted more. Needed more of Donovan.

Arousal pooled between her thighs. He rocked against her, his hardness pressing into her stomach. Jada gasped into his mouth. He was just as affected as she. Wanted it just as much as she did. She clutched his shirt, needing the anchor.

It wasn’t enough.

She wanted his hands on her. “Touch me.”

The need in her voice startled her, but she didn’t take it back. Couldn’t.

Jada groaned in deep appreciation when his hand worked its way under her shirt and pressed against her stomach before sliding upward toward her breasts.

In the recesses of her brain, she recognized that the rhythmic pounding she was hearing wasn’t only coming from her racing heart, but she ignored it. This kiss with Donovan was all that mattered. She never wanted to leave this world they’d built only for the two of them.

But the pounding only increased in volume.