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She could feel his heart beating against her cheek, where she was resting her face against his chest. She knew she had only a few minutes before she needed to head back across the hall to be with Gabby, but for these few moments, she wanted to be fully present, to try to start to build the connection that they'd never had time to explore. "My partner in my store ordered Hart's Bakery for our Christmas party."
He grunted, trailing his fingers lightly across her lower back. "You can get it free. Family discount."
She smiled. "I just wanted to say congrats on the bakery. I remember how it was your dream, even back then."
Keegan was quiet, just running his fingers over her back.
She frowned. "Keegan?"
"I appreciate the kind words. Thanks."
Her frown deepened at his formal response, and she sat up, so she could look at him. "What's going on?"
He shrugged. "I don't really want to talk about work right now." He brushed her hair back from her face. "We have only a few minutes. I want to get to know you again. Tell me something about you. Anything."
She scowled at him. "Well, for one thing, I get cranky when people blow me off."
He raised his brows and regarded her. "I feel like you just laid down a minefield that I'm supposed to walk through."
She thought about that. "I guess I did."
He paused. "The last time we made love, it took about five minutes for all the shit to rain down on us. Is that what is about to happen?"
"No." She felt a little defensive and folded her arms across her chest. "I just felt like you totally dismissed me when I mentioned the bakery."
"Ah…" He grimaced. "Well, that's because I did."
She let out her breath. "Keegan, that's not okay—"
"I’m sorry about that. The bakery's not going well, and I didn't want to bring that vibe into this moment." He took her hands. "Sofia, I haven't seen you in sixteen years. We just made incredible love. There's a decade and a half that time washed away between us." He pressed a kiss to her knuckles. "We have time to wade through the crap that we're both carrying. But a first date is supposed to be about magic and sparkles and giggles."
"This isn't a first date. I don't sleep with guys on a first date."
"You didn't sleep with me. You surrendered to the bond that's been holding us together for almost twenty years. And it's the first time this time around, and I want to do it right this time. I want you to feel honored, treasured, and safe."
Her heart got a little melty. "That was a good speech."
He laughed softly, and then gave a little tug of her hands, pulling her off balance so she tumbled onto his chest. She yelped in protest, but before she could get free, he'd flipped her under him and straddled her, trapping her hands lightly above her head. "Sofia Navarro, I want to romance the hell out of you. I want to dance under the Christmas lights, kiss you under the mistletoe, and get in a fantastic snowball fight with you and Gabby."
Her irritation faded. "I'm highly suspicious of being romanced nowadays," she reminded him.
"Ah…you did say that." His smile became thoughtful. "Then maybe it's time for you to learn how to trust again."
Her heart suddenly tightened. Trust? Not have to guard her heart anymore? "It sounds great in theory," she admitted, "but I honestly don't want to become that vulnerable again."
"I get that." He rolled off her and tucked her against him, so that his chest was against her back. "All right. I'll start."
She wiggled her butt against him, loving the feel of his body against hers. "Start what?"
"Confessions that will make it impossible for you to fear me."
"I want to fear you. It's healthy to keep my guard up." The fact she meant it was a little depressing, but girl power came at a cost sometimes, right?
"I'm a baker. There's nothing manly about that."
She started laughing. "You're very manly. Baking isn't going to change my mind about that."
"I have a little ceremony with my family on every July seventh, which was mom's birthday, to celebrate her. Her favorite dessert was chocolate cake. We used to try to invent a better chocolate cake at least once a week. So I create a new chocolate cake recipe every year for her."
