Sweet Tooth (Little Cakes, #11)(6)

“As enticing as that idea is, I think we should probably eat the rest of these on our own. After all, we’re in public, and I don’t want to make you think I’m only interested in you for your finger-sucking skills.” He wiggled his brows.

She giggled. It felt so good. And then she picked up her cupcake and took a big bite. “Mmm. So good.”

Tom tugged her napkin out from under her plate and dabbed at a spot on her chin. He didn’t seem remotely interested in anything expect watching her eat. He hadn’t stopped smiling since she’d seen him in line.

“Is there a place I can buy a pair of skates around here?” he asked.

“Yep. Just around the corner.” She licked her fingers as she took the last bite, meeting his gaze.

He chuckled. “You are a naughty girl, aren’t you?”

She wiped her lips on the napkin and took a drink of her milk before answering him a bit more seriously. “I don’t know. I’ve never put it to the test.”

“You’ve never had a Daddy?”

She shook her head. “No. I’ve dreamed about it, but I’ve never met one I was interested in.”

“Have you ever gone to the local club, Blaze? I understand a lot of people in town go there.”

“No. I’ve never been brave enough to go by myself. Have you been?”

“No. I’ve never made it either. Maybe we could go together sometime?”

“That would be fun. Then I wouldn’t have to be quite as brave.”

He took her hand again. She loved it when he touched her. Was this thing between them moving at warp speed or what? “It’s settled then. We’ll go together sometime.”

“Have you ever had a Little girl?”

“No. I’ve known for a long time that I wanted one, but I’ve never had one. I only recently realized there are a large number of Littles and Daddies living in this town. Seems like every time I turn around I meet another couple.”

“Yes. I’ve noticed that too. How long have you lived in the area?”

“All my life. My parents started the farm before I was born. But I’m the oldest of five kids, so I’ve had a lot of responsibility on the farm until my brothers and sisters have gotten older and begun to help out more.”

“I bet it takes up a lot of time running a farm.”

“It does, but we’ve kept it manageable. My parents never wanted to reach the end of their lives and then look back and realize all they ever did was work. Now that the five of us are older, we’ve fallen into different roles around the farm. I’ve taken on more of the business side of things in the past few years. That’s why I’m the one who came to meet with you.”

“Oh. That’s nice.”

“What about you? How long have you lived here?”

“I haven’t been here for long. I came for culinary school and fell in love with the town. This seemed to be a good place to open a healthy restaurant,” she shared.

“Right next to a cupcake bakery? So people could eat the freshest food and then come to indulge their sweet tooth here?”

“Well… I hope people eat my sweets at the restaurant. I chose this location entirely selfishly,” Elizabeth confessed. “Before we go on a date, I should tell you I’ve decided to go with your farm for my produce needs. My restaurant is super important to me. Do you think we can date and be linked for business?”

“I think we could support each other in our personal and business lives. It sounds like the perfect beginning to me,” Tom suggested.

Relieved, Elizabeth sat back in her chair. “So do you want to go to the park to skate?” she asked.

“I think that would be fun. Let me go pay for this,” he waved his hand over the crumbs left on his plate, “and get one boxed up for my mom. It will be okay in the cooler in my truck for a few hours.”

“I’ll run back to my shop and grab my skates. Shall I meet you in front of Little Cakes?” Elizabeth asked excitedly.

“I’m in so much trouble, aren’t I, Bunny?”

Without even trying to conceal her excitement, Elizabeth nodded. She couldn’t wait to spend more time with him.

“Go get your skates—just remember to come back,” he said, standing and picking up both of their trays to dispose of them.

“I can get mine,” she protested.

“Daddy’s job,” he said without hesitation.

Elizabeth felt tears prickle her eyes. She stood up quickly and turned to dart out of the bakery. She just needed a few minutes to regain her composure. Tom, however, stopped her with a gentle but firm hand on her forearm.

“Bunny, are you okay?” he probed as he tugged her around to look at him.

“I’m okay,” she assured him, dashing away a couple of stray tears that escaped. “I’m just being silly.”

“Elizabeth, stop and look at me. Listen carefully. I don’t know how we’ve been this lucky to find each other. I’m just as mind-blown as you are that our paths have crossed. Promise me you’ll be brave and you won’t disappear.”

“Promise,” she whispered.

“Good girl. Go get your skates and come back. I’ll meet you right out front.” Tom smiled.

Nodding with a much lighter heart and mind, Elizabeth almost bounced out of the bakery, returning Ellie’s goodbye wave as she got to the door. Darting into her store, she quickly changed from her shoes to her inline skates and coasted back through the front door. Elizabeth could see Tom talking to Ellie at the entrance to Little Cakes.