“Mmmm. Perfect.” I’m half tempted to say f**k the cupcakes and grab a spoon and retreat back upstairs with my bowl. But I yawn instead. And yawn again. Glancing at my phone, the blurred numbers read 4:27a.m. as my eyelids refuse to stay open. With a third yawn, I pull up a stool and prop my head on my fist as I sit and wait for the cupcakes to cool. Then I could ice them and get ready for my day. Yup. That’s exactly what I’m going to do. I didn’t need sleep. Because with sleep came dreams of Reese and I didn’t need that. My eyelids fall shut and my breathing steadies. Nope, definitely don’t need sleep. Or Reese.

Five

“Cupcake, I think you need to wake up now.”

My eyes slowly flutter open and the bright sunlight beaming through my window makes me close them tight again. “Shit.” I roll over and cover my head with my pillow, hearing Joey’s soft giggle.

“Seriously, Dylan, you’re going to sleep the day away if you don’t get up.”

Sleep the day away? I push back onto my shins to look at the clock.

“It’s 3:30? In the afternoon? Fuck.” I shoot out of bed and run into the bathroom. “Joey, why the hell did you let me sleep this late? And how did I even get up here?” He follows me into the bathroom and leans against the door as I brush my teeth and unruly hair.

“First of all, I came in this morning to find you passed out face down on the workbench. So, being the nice guy that I am, I carried you up here and put you to bed.”

I splash my face with cold water and dry it with a towel, turning to smile at him. “Oh God. I bet I was a sight.” He shrugs and steps aside as I walk into the bedroom and begin getting dressed.

“And secondly, I have been trying to wake you for the past four hours.”

I roll my eyes at his statement. Of course he’s been trying to wake me up and I’ve slept through it. What the hell don’t I sleep through besides my alarm? I slip on my jeans and a black tank top before I walk out from behind the partition. “Four hours? Jesus. Oh shit.” My stomach drops. “I missed my consultation.”

He smiles sweetly at me and I want to punch him. What is he, mental? That’s money lost. “Relax, I took care of it. Mrs. Frey was more than happy to meet with me since you were suffering from a stomach bug. You’re welcome.”

“I love you. You know that right?”

He wraps me up into a big hug and kisses the top of my head. “You better. Come on, I have something to show you.”

I follow him down the stairs and into the bakery. Everything is in perfect order, which I knew it would be. Joey is more than capable of handling shit while I slept my life away. “God, I’m starving. I feel like I haven’t eaten in days. Ooohhh and you iced the mocha cupcakes.” I pull a blueberry muffin out from the almost bare display case and begin nibbling on it while spacing out the remaining treats. Joey emerges from the back carrying a familiar looking white box. Oh God.

“Of course I iced them. And they have been selling like crazy too along with everything else today. We’ve been slammed.” He places the box on the counter in front of me and I swallow loudly. “But who gives a shit about cupcakes or anything edible right now. You have no idea how hard it has been to not open this.” He pushes it closer to me. “Now get to it.”

My heart begins beating so hard in my chest I think for sure it will crack my sternum. “Maybe later.” I push it away from me easily. Hmm. Definitely not flour.

“Fuck that noise. Since you aren’t going to freely tell me why you couldn’t get any sleep last night, which I’m just going to assume was because a certain someone was on your mind, you will open this right now.” He pushes it back in front of me and pulls the ribbon.

“Same delivery guy?” I ask and he nods. Not that I really had any doubt. Placing my half eaten muffin down, I open the box, grabbing the brown card that is lying on top of the tissue.

“Read it out loud,” he squawks.

“No. What if he’s confessing to a murder? I would hate for you to be an accessory.” Joey mumbles something under his breath as I unfold the note and step back, giving myself the allusion of privacy.

Dylan,

Next time I go to Agent Provocateur to replace something of yours, you will be accompanying me.

X Reese

“Fuck me.” I throw the card at Joey and riffle through the tissue paper, slowly pulling out the pair of purple lacy panties with the tiny ribbons on the sides.

He slams his hand down on the counter. “Jesus Fucking Christ. He bought you panties?”

“Yeah. I mean, he took the ones from the wedding and I jokingly told him he had to buy me a replacement pair.” I stare at the panties, my face instantly heating up at the realization that Reese actually went lingerie shopping for me. Christ, this is seriously hot. “I was totally kidding though.”

Joey re-reads the note several times before he turns to me, fanning his face with the card. “This has to be the hottest note I’ve ever read. Like, I could seriously have an orgasm from reading this.” His mouth drops open and he steps closer to me, admiring the panties in my hand. “Wait a minute, what do you mean he kept your panties from the wedding? You went home without panties?”

I snatch the note back and slip it into my pocket. “Oh hold off on the judgment please. Like you haven’t gone without your delicates before.” He looks towards the ceiling for a memory and smiles as I laugh at him. “Shit, Joey. How hot is this?”