The Gingerbread Bakery (Dream Harbor, #5)(80)

‘Yes,’ he said. ‘As soon as we’re done here, with whatever little tasks you come up with to stall for time and whatever bridesmaid duty you feel like you need to do, whenever that’s done, I’m taking you back to my place to finish what we started.’ Or to start something brand new.

It was a dangerous tactic, being that forceful with Annie. He was still half expecting to get a knee to the groin, but he was out of patience, out of time, out of sanity. Maybe Annie needed him to be stronger in his conviction that this could work, strong enough for the both of them. Strong enough to prove to her that this was right, that he wanted her and that he wasn't going anywhere. Maybe that's what he should have done from the start.

Judging by the way Annie hadn’t kneed him in the balls, and instead had curled up even tighter against him, he might be on to something.

He didn’t push his luck, but held her close, rocking her to the music, amazed that they had made it this far, that she was letting him hold her in public. That, in and of itself, was a miracle.

He trailed an index finger under the line of her dress and Annie shivered. A little further and his finger found the dimples above her ass. Torture.

‘Are you not wearing underwear?’ he whispered.

‘Of course not, not with this dress,’ she said, and he could feel her smile pressed against the side of his neck. Christ, if they weren’t in a room full of people, he’d lift her dress right now and check for himself.

‘Maybe we’re not going to stay till the end after all,’ he growled against her ear. ‘I can’t wait that long.’

Annie gasped at the feeling of his words on her skin.

‘I can’t just leave,’ she said.

‘For once, put yourself first, Annabelle. What do you want to do.’

She pulled back a little, finding his gaze. Her eyes were a bright, beautiful blue as she studied him. She wanted to say yes. He could tell. But she was holding back again, not wanting to make another mistake with him.

But this time wouldn’t be a mistake. He was sure of that, too.

‘What do you want?’ he asked again, holding his breath. Praying for the answer that got them the hell out of here.

‘You,’ she said finally, the word barely more than a puff of air, but Mac heard it. It was all he needed. He took her by the hand leading her back to her now-empty table. ‘Find your shoes,’ he whispered a little too harshly in her ear, but he was a desperate man. ‘I’m going to get our coats.’

He left her there in stunned silence and hoped she would still be there when he got back.











Chapter Thirty-Seven





Now


‘Hey, there you are.’ Logan came up behind her while she was grabbing her strappy heels from where she'd left them under the table.

‘Hey. Everything okay?’ Annie said, glancing around the room for Mac, afraid her plans were written all over her face.

‘I wanted to thank you,’ Logan said. ‘For everything, but mostly for tracking down Nana today.’

‘She told you, huh?’

Logan rolled his eyes. ‘Yes, it came up while she was giving Jeanie that nightmare of a nightgown.’

Annie laughed. ‘Be careful with that thing. I hear it’s a family heirloom and it’s lucky.’

‘That thing isn’t getting anywhere near Jeanie tonight,’ he said. ‘But thank you, really. That gingerbread house was amazing, and I know a lot of this day happened because of you.’

He wrapped her in his arms and gave her a big squeeze.

Annie squeezed back. ‘I love you, you know,’ she said.

‘Yeah, I know. I love you, too.’

‘My turn!’ Jeanie said, coming up behind them and giving Annie her own big hug. ‘Thank you for finding Nana,’ she said, ‘although I'm not super excited you brought her back with that nightgown.’

Annie winced. ‘Yeah, sorry about that. I couldn’t get her to part with it.’

Mac slid up to the table with both their coats over his arm and his face flushed, as though he’d been running around to find them and make it back in time before Annie changed her mind.

‘Are you two leaving?’ Jeanie asked.

‘I… Well, I thought things seemed to be winding down…’

‘Definitely! Thank you for everything!’ Jeanie said. ‘You should take off. You did an incredible job!’ Her smirk made it clear she knew exactly what was going on here.

Logan, on the other hand, looked back and forth between Annie and Mac like he was confused about why they would be leaving together.

‘Come on,’ Jeanie said, tugging him by his arm. ‘We’ve got more guests to thank.’ She pulled him away and left Mac and Annie face to face. Annie was sure there were a million reasons she shouldn't go home with him, or at least there had been and now suddenly she couldn't remember any of them.

‘Ready?’ Mac asked.

Ready was not something Annie thought she’d ever be around Mac, but she grabbed her coat from his arm and started her way toward the door. His hand pressed to the small of her back and heat frizzed up her spine.

Outside the barn, groups of guests were huddled around several firepits, snuggled under cozy blankets with cups of hot drinks in their hands. Kira and Bennett were back from wherever they’d gone, looking happy and rosy-cheeked.