Series: Little Cakes Series by Pepper North
Total pages in book: 48
Estimated words: 44942 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 225(@200wpm)___ 180(@250wpm)___ 150(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 44942 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 225(@200wpm)___ 180(@250wpm)___ 150(@300wpm)
Fifty-two minutes later, she parked in her reserved space at the real estate company. Lark saw her client pull in as she walked to the door. She paused and greeted him. Within minutes, she was out the door and headed for the first home she thought might suit the executive.
“Cupcakes?” the police sergeant questioned in a deep voice as he walked into Wyatt’s home with his hands full. The furniture clattered to the floor as he abandoned it to investigate.
“Yep.” Wyatt grinned as he glanced at the disastrous box. It looked like a hot mess after he’d fed one bite of each cupcake to Lark last night.
“Awww. Who would take a bite out of each one and leave them? That’s a waste of a good cupcake.”
“Sorry, Derek. You could always eat the other half. Just cut off that section,” Wyatt suggested, laughing as the other man pulled a large pocketknife from his pocket to follow his directions before devouring the remaining treat.
“Those are the best cupcakes ever!” Derek enthused.
Suddenly, Avery appeared in the kitchen. “Ooh. Little Cakes. You need to go check it out. They have all sorts of fun flavors. I would so do this to taste test all of them and find my favorite,” she mentioned as she leaned over the box.
“This doesn’t surprise me,” Wyatt said dryly. “I think it’s a girl thing. If you just eat one bite, there’re not as many calories. Then you can try all the flavors.”
“Exactly. It’s like stealing a French fry from your date’s plate. Those calories don’t count if you didn’t order them yourself,” Wyatt’s partner pointed out with a laugh.
“I hate that. Why don’t you just order your own food?” Derek asked.
“Because we only want one or two. Besides, she’s just keeping you from blowing up two more pant sizes,” Avery joked.
“Very funny. My lady likes me just as I am,” Derek joked, rubbing his rounded belly. “King-sized.”
“I’ll bring cupcakes to the station next week, jokesters,” Wyatt promised. “It was already on my list for next week to thank everyone. I appreciate your help today.”
“We stick together, partner,” Avery answered for everyone. “I can promise that we’ll call on you to help us one day. Just be ready.”
“You got it. Let’s get the rest of this unloaded and you all can get out of here. I know you have people waiting for you.”
For the next hour, several of Wyatt’s coworkers arrived with their own trucks loaded down with boxes. Eventually, everything was unloaded and his colleagues excused themselves. Avery was the last one lingering.
“Got a second, Wyatt?” she asked, standing in his kitchen.
“Of course. Want a cup of coffee?”
“No, thanks. I’m wide awake after all that activity. Umm,” she hesitated, obviously struggling with what she wanted to say.
“Avery, what’s wrong?”
“I know you’ve become a member of Blaze. You know I’m a member, too,” she pointed out. They’d had a brief discussion about her membership and his desire to apply for membership one day several weeks ago when they’d been investigating a crime in front of Blaze one night.
He nodded. “I’m aware. You don’t need to worry about trusting me. I would never divulge anything about you. It wouldn’t be ethical, and it’s against club policy. I promise—what happens in the club stays there.”
“Perfect. Just remember, people who seem the most vulnerable often aren’t,” she warned.
“Got it. I assume you’re submissive, and you don’t want me to think you can’t do your job. That would never enter my mind. You’re right up there with the best partners I’ve ever had. Give us some more time working together, and I think you’ll be the best.”
“Wyatt, I’m a Little. I know you’re a Daddy. I heard you talking to Daisy and Tarson that night in the parking lot when Daisy had that man stalking her. I’ve been inactive at the club for a while and wanted to go back to Blaze, but I knew my former partner with the police department wouldn’t treat me as an equal if he found out. I want to make sure you’re able to deal with it.”
“Am I able to handle that I always know you have my back? Of course. As a Daddy, do I automatically need to take care of Littles? That’s true as well. If you were a month from retirement, would I keep a close eye on your safety? Damn straight. Male, female, experienced, new, old, young—everything affects how partners work together. Can I guarantee you I won’t try to keep you even safer than I do now because you’ve shared you’re Little? If I promised that, I would be lying.”
“I was afraid of that. I’ll put in a transfer tomorrow,” Avery said, shaking her head.
“I’ll fight it every step of the way,” Wyatt warned.
“Why? You just admitted this changes things between us.”
“It makes it different. Do I trust you any less? No. Do I worry about working with you? No. Do I want another partner? Hell, no.”