Final Offer (Dreamland Billionaires, 3)

“Por Dios, no empieces conmigo.” I smash the side of my hand mixer for the fifth time tonight. Between it overheating from too much use and its old age, I’m lucky the motor still runs.

I haven’t been able to part with the baking tool, especially since my mom got it for me, but I’d kill for one of those fancy mixers right about now. Once upon a time I had one, but it broke and I never got around to buying a new one because a majority of my money went into making sure Cami had everything she needed.

If only they didn’t cost more than half a paycheck.

“Esta vaina.” I continue banging the side of the mixer.

Someone chuckles.

I look up to find Cal standing in the doorway of the kitchen with a smile. “All good?”

“Having the time of my life, thanks for asking.”

He motions toward the mixer in my hand. “Need any help?”

“I’ve got it.” In a final act of betrayal, the metal flat beaters spin twice before halting altogether. I place it on the other side of the counter to prevent myself from doing something I might regret.

“I could take a look at it if you want.” He reaches for the mixer.

“Don’t worry about it. I have enough buttercream to finish up the last few cupcakes.”

“Is that guava frosting?” Cal’s voice hits a rare high pitch. He reaches for the mixing bowl beside me with bright eyes, but I slap his hand away.

He pouts, reminding me so much of Cami. “Come on. Just let me have a little taste.”

“No. That’s unsanitary.”

His eyes roll. “No one will know.”

“My students might not, but I will.”

“So? Aren’t these the same kids who eat dirt on a daily basis?”

“That only happened one time while I was subbing.”

He leans against the counter with a smile. “What do you teach now?”

“Spanish.” I refocus my attention on icing the cupcake in front of me. Maybe if I act like I’m not interested in talking to him, then Cal will go away.

“Do you like it?”

“It pays well.” Being the only Spanish teacher in all of Lake Wisteria has its perks, especially when kids need private tutoring for advanced placement exams and finals.

“You didn’t really answer my question.”

Damn him.

“I don’t mind it.” Sure, it’s not my dream job per se, but the kids are cute and I’m able to go home by three in the afternoon, which is a major plus.

He scans the kitchen counters, taking in the hundred cupcakes. “So what’s the special occasion?”

So much for him leaving.

My hand clutching the piping bag tightens. A blob of icing drops on to the half-finished cupcake, ruining my design.

“We’re celebrating the last week of school.” I swipe the botched icing off the cupcake with my index finger and walk over to the sink to rinse it off.

Cal snatches on to my hand and tugs me away from the sink. My chest smacks into his, stealing my breath away.

I attempt to push him away. “What are you doing?”

“Something I can’t resist.” The glint in his eyes should come with a warning label.

No.

“Cal…” The breathy way I say his name only seems to encourage him.

Cal tsks me like a child. “Your mom taught us better than to waste any food.” He lifts my hand to his mouth. His eyes hold mine hostage, casting a spell on me while his lips close around my icing-covered finger. Every single cell in my body explodes when his tongue brushes against my skin.

Cal makes sure to take his time, dragging his tongue back and forth across my finger, cleaning off all traces of the icing. Each swipe of his tongue acts like a shock to my body.

The whole thing is both the longest and shortest five seconds of my life.

I attempt to pull my wrist free of his grasp and fail. His fingers on my wrist tighten before he releases me, and my hand drops by my side like a pendulum.

“What the hell?” I shove him in the chest.

He doesn’t move an inch, although he makes it a point to obnoxiously lick his lips. “You taste better than I remember.”

You. Not the icing. You.

I choke on his words, my sharp inhale causing me to cough.

“You good?”

I take a step back, adding some distance between us. “No, I’m not good.”

“You’re upset.”

I throw my hands in the air. “Of course, I’m upset! You just…”

“What?” He actually smirks.

The jerk.

“Sucked on my finger!”

Cal explodes from laughter, his neck knocking backward from the intensity of his amusement.

Sucked on my finger?!

Of all the stupid ways you could have phrased that… My cheeks turn pink. Cal’s laughter doesn’t help matters, only making my flush worse.

“I’d happily suck on your finger again if you let me,” he teases, waggling his brows.

One second, I’m glaring at him. The next, I’m launching one of my cupcakes directly at his stupid mouth. It misses entirely as it smacks against his cheek.

His laughter stops as his eyes go wide. “Did you just throw a cupcake at me?”

My answer dies in my throat as the cupcake slides down his cheek, leaving a buttercream trail across his stubble before falling against the floor.

I break out into a fit of laughter that makes my lungs burn and my eyes water.

He wipes his cheek with his thumb. “I’d run if I were you.”

“Why would I run?”

He devours me with his eyes as he sticks his thumb into his mouth. “One…”

My eyes roll. “Seriously, cut it out. I need to get back to work.” I motion toward all the cupcakes that still need to be iced.

“Two…” He grabs a finished cupcake from the Tupperware and spins it in his hand.

“You wouldn’t dare.”

The smile on his face makes my body quiver from excitement. “You know what happens when you dare me to do something.”

Hell no.

He takes advantage and lunges while I’m distracted. I jump out of the way and bolt from the kitchen before he can get his hands on me.

Cal and I spent years perfecting our game of tag, so I’m an expert by now at how to evade him. The mansion is like a maze of long hallways and rooms. My lungs heave as I take off down the main hall before making a left, my heart rate skyrocketing as I run across the house.

My socks don’t give me the best grip, and I slide across the hardwood as I turn a corner.

I might be smarter, but Cal is faster, making it easy for him to catch up to me despite my efforts to lose him.

His arm wraps around my waist. Next thing I know, I’m being lifted and pressed against a wall.

“Didn’t your mom teach us that it isn’t nice to play with our food?” His grin makes my heart trip in my chest.

My eyes narrow into two slits. “You started it.”

“Then it’s only right I end it.” He lifts the cupcake toward my face.

“Callahan Percival Kane, I swear to God if you—”

He proceeds to press the cupcake into my cheek with a sinister grin.

“I hate you!” I shriek as he drags it down my skin, wiping the entire cupcake clean of buttercream.

“To think they say revenge isn’t sweet.”

“I’m going to kill you,” I seethe.

“Then I might as well make this worth losing my life over.” Cal’s eyes darken at my challenge, the blue color slowly being consumed by black.

“What—” My sentence is cut off as he leans forward and runs his tongue through the icing covering my cheek.

I might need someone to bring me back to life because there is no way I’m walking away from this alive. My knees buckle, but Cal’s arm acts like a band around my waist, preventing me from falling over.

He stops to lick his lips, wiping the light pink icing away. His eyes shut for a second, and I take advantage. I collect the huge lump of icing from my cheek and swipe it across his stupid smirk.

His eyes snap open.

“You’re right. Revenge is sweet.” I grin so wide, my cheeks hurt.

His eyes drop to my lips. It’s the only warning I get before his mouth slams into mine.

Holy shit.

Everything about our kiss is desperate. Passionate. Familiar.

His lips are a fuse, making my entire body light up like the midnight sky on New Year’s Eve. Our bodies mold together, and I wrap my arms around his neck. He grips my hips with enough pressure to leave marks on my skin.

I dig my hands into his hair and tug hard enough to make him gasp. My tongue darts out to trace the icing off his lips, and Cal grinds into me with a groan. My stomach muscles tighten from the press of his arousal. I sigh, and he takes advantage. His tongue plunges inside my mouth, teasing me until I’m nothing but a whimpering mess.

The sweetest thing about our kiss is the icing lingering on his tongue. His last bit of restraint snaps, and the real Cal comes out. His fingers dig into my scalp as he kisses me like he fucks—a savage with only one mission in mind.

Making me come.

As if he read my mind, his hand trails toward the hem of my shirt. His fingers graze over my stomach, drawing a sharp breath from me that he swallows with his lips.

The tips of his fingers tease the goose bumps spreading across my skin—

“Mommy?” Cami’s voice echoes off the tall ceilings before a nearby door slams.

My eyes fly open. Cal flies backward, squishing the abandoned cupcake beneath his shoe. He turns toward the empty hallway before releasing a heavy exhale.

“Mommy, where are you?” Cami’s voice sounds closer this time.

Something switches inside of him, the heat in his gaze quickly morphing into something else.

Regret.

I’ve seen all the signs before. The clenched fists. The avoidance of eye contact. The way he brushes a hand over his mouth, as if he can erase the taste of me from his lips.

My heart sinks.

What did you think would happen if you kissed him?

Except I didn’t kiss him.

Well, you sure didn’t not kiss him.

He runs a hand through his hair. “Alana…”

I’m not sure what triggers me more: the way he uses my full name to add some distance or how he can’t look me in the eyes while saying it. I save myself the trouble of having to hear him come up with some kind of excuse, mostly because I’m not sure my heart can survive it. “Let’s pretend that never happened.”

“But—”

“We both got lost in the moment. It’s no big deal.”

“Right.” His heavy exhale of relief drills a hole straight through my heart.

“Can I have a cupcake?” Cami’s voice sounds closer this time.

I look down at the smashed one on the floor with a sigh. “I better go…”

I pathetically linger, hoping he might say something.

He doesn’t.

Instead of standing around, waiting for a possibility that won’t ever happen, I turn and walk away. The emptiness in my chest grows with each step away from him.

I spent years trying to fill the void Cal left me with when he abandoned me the first time, and I’m not about to let one kiss ruin all my hard work.

No matter how amazing that kiss was.

Cal disappears back to the guesthouse, leaving me alone to replay our kiss in a hundred different ways. I somehow finish up the rest of the cupcakes, although the task becomes far less enjoyable now that I can’t separate Cal from the taste of guava icing.

Shame clings to my every thought, making me question if I was the only one truly affected by the kiss.

Of course he was affected.

He just didn’t want to be.

I try to distract myself from my thoughts by watching a new episode of one of my favorite shows. It works for about ten minutes. Once the couple begins kissing, I lose all interest in continuing. Instead, I quickly switch to watching a procedural crime drama I have been following for the last few years.

Nothing screams comfort television quite like unhinged serial killers.

My phone vibrates against the coffee table, so I unlock it and read the text Delilah sent in our group chat with Violet.

Delilah

Check out who is watching the latest episode of The Last Rose with me.

She attaches a photo of her and Wyatt wearing face masks with the TV in the background. I’m not into that kind of reality TV, but the thought of having someone like that who wants to watch a favorite show with me makes my chest twinge. Delilah’s life is a far cry from my lonely night watching TV by myself.

Then do something about it.

The thought of dating scares me almost as much as the idea of ending up alone. But if I continue to live in fear of what could go wrong, I’ll spend the rest of my life by myself, reciting lines from a TV show by heart.

I deserve more than that for myself, and I plan on getting back out there.

I just don’t know when.