Cupcake Overload Read online

  Who knew I was so talented?

  Being with Cade over the last few months had been an eye-opening and ever-learning experience. He showed me things I’d never tried before, and allowed me to experiment whenever there was something I wanted to do. It was an “anything goes” type of relationship, and I loved it. I’d never known sex could be like this, or that men like Cade existed.

  I cupped his balls with my free hand, and was so caught up in what I was doing that it took me a minute before I realized Cade was taking over.

  One second I had a mouth and two hands full, and the next I was bent over the side of my bed and Cade was slamming inside of me.

  “Yes!” I cried when he filled me.

  He pulled out and pushed back in, over and over, his balls slapping against my skin as he fucked me from behind. The feel of him inside of me, coupled with his thumb on my clit, had me coming almost instantly. And I was just drunk enough, and revved enough, that it lasted a good, long time.

  I was still crying out when I felt him tense behind me, his hand on my back as he bent low and bit me lightly on the shoulder.

  My body hummed, and without scooting up on the bed, or even pushing my hastily lowered panties onto the floor, I promptly passed out.

  The smell of coffee wafting under my nose had me struggling to break out of sleep and open my eyes. When I opened them to see Cade, showered and looking fine with his hair pulled back and already dressed for the day, I smiled.

  “Morning,” I murmured as I stretched, then sat up and reached greedily for the mug he was holding out.

  “Morning, darlin’,” he replied, leaning down to kiss me on the forehead before standing back up and gesturing toward the door. “Kids are up and dressed. They’re fighting over who has to make breakfast, but other than that, they’re ready to go. I gotta run … You at the house later?”

  A few months ago, I’d been shocked to learn that my old boss Moose had left all of his worldly possessions to me. We’d been kidnapped, drugged, and tortured by members of a Mexican drug cartel, and Moose had lost his life.

  Now, I was not only the proud owner of his PI business, a beat-up old Cavalier, and some random high school trophies, but he’d left me his house as well.

  At first I’d planned to go through everything, donate what I could, and sell the house, but once Cade had gone over there with me, and seen it’s potential, I’d decided to keep it.

  My kids and I had been in an apartment for over a year, and it was fine, but we missed having a home of our own. With a yard, and room to get away from each other when we needed space.

  I’d spent the last four months cleaning up and doing minor renovations. It was now almost ready for us to move into it, and I couldn’t wait.

  “Yeah, after I go by Amy May’s.”

  “Of course,” Cade replied with a sexy grin. He knew my penchant for sweets, and understood that I couldn’t perform manual labor without a few cupcakes nearby. “I’ll meet you over there later, yeah? Finish up the porch.”

  “Thanks,” I said, pushing back the covers with one hand so I could rise and thank him properly.

  Without hesitation, Cade swept me up in his arms, mindful of my mug, and his mouth descended on mine. My lips parted and I welcomed him happily. There was no better way to start the day. Not even coffee jolted my system like a lip lock with my hot Hawaiian lover.

  He broke away, dropping one last kiss on my lips before leaving me with a wink and a smile.

  I stood there for a moment, enjoying the thrill running through me as I watched his ass while he walked away.

  I strolled out of my room just in time to see Elin and Elena grabbing their backpacks, bagels in hand, and heading for the door.

  “Have a good day at school,” I called, causing them to pause and turn toward me. “Love you guys.”

  “Love you too, Mom,” Elena replied.

  “Yeah, me too,” Elin said, then added, “And don’t forget to look for puppies.”

  I rolled my eyes, but they were already out the door.

  Ever since they’d found out we would be moving into Moose’s house, they’d both been hounding me to get a dog. They loved Rufus, Cade’s black lab, but were dying to have a puppy of their own, full time.

  I knew I was going to get them one, I just hated the thought of training a puppy and having to deal with piss and shit all over the house. Still, I knew once we got passed the training stage, a dog would be a great companion for us all.

  I walked into the kitchen to rinse out my empty cup, noted that it was clean and the dishes were done, and thought again how grateful I was to have Cade in my life. For a motorcycle badass who’d never been in a relationship or had kids, he was great to have around. Utterly thoughtful and totally helpful.

  Shit, my ex had never done have the things that Cade did while we were his family, and because of that, I knew I’d never take Cade for granted.

  I was one lucky woman.

  Once I was showered and dressed, I locked up our apartment and headed into town to Amy May’s.

  We lived in The Heights, on the outskirts of Greenswood, which is where Amy May’s, Moose’s, and just about every other business nearby was … which was just one of the other reasons I was happy to be moving.

  “Hey,” Amy May said in greeting when I opened the door to her bakery. “How are you feeling this morning?”

  I groaned at my friend, who looked fresh as a daisy this morning, even though I knew she drank as much as I did last night.

  “Not one hundred percent yet,” I moaned dramatically as I sat on the stool in front of her.

  “I have just the thing,” she said with a sunny grin that made me hate her just a little.

  Then she placed a pretty blue and white plate with a decadent-looking cupcake right in front of me.

  “Is that a chocolate-covered pretzel?” I asked on a groan.

  “Chocolate cake filled with fudge, topped with peanut butter whipped frosting, and a chocolate-covered pretzel,” Amy May announced.

  “Sweet baby Jesus,” I said reverently as I gently peeled the cupcake wrapper, mouth watering. “You’re a goddess.”

  “That’s what they all say,” she replied with a laugh, but I was too busy devouring the cupcake to notice.

  I put the finishing touches on the new pretty blue walls of the kitchen, placed the brush back in the tray, and looked around my new, updated kitchen with a happy sigh.

  The inside was done, and honestly, it looked like a totally different house.

  Moose had never been neat, or clean for that matter, and he’d lived in clutter. When we’d first walked through after deciding to keep it, the work had seemed overwhelming. I’d almost broken down, thinking I’d made the wrong decision. Four months later, I was ecstatic.

  I hadn’t done it alone. Cade, Amy May, Bea, Shannon, and Carmen had all helped out whenever they could. I never would have been able to flip it in such a short amount of time without them, and I was eternally grateful.

  I hadn’t brought the kids to the house yet; they’d never seen it. I wanted it to be move-in ready before they did, although, honestly, I hadn’t wanted to give them nightmares by showing it to them earlier … That’s how bad it had been.

  The neighborhood wasn’t the best, at least compared to what we’d lived in when I’d been married to my banker ex, but there were lots of kids, the yards were tidy, and a new Starbucks was going up on the corner. That had to be a good sign, right?

  I walked through the rooms, upstairs and downstairs, and pinched myself when I realized that at this rate, we could move in by the end of the month. Once Cade was done with the porch, and my lease was up on the apartment, we could finally come home.

  I heard a beeping sound come from the back, which signaled a fax coming through. Moose had used the screened-in back porch as his office, and since it was the only space that hadn’t needed an almost complete overhaul, I’d been using it for the same thing.

  Horton Private Investigations
was still a fledgling business, but as the only PI firm in three counties, I was already getting a steady stream of clients.

  It wasn’t too much different than being Moose’s investigative photographer. I hadn’t realized it at the time, but taking pictures was the bulk of the work. Other than dealing with the clients, writing up reports, and depositing the checks, the biggest part of the business was the photographic evidence that I supplied.

  I still hadn’t worked out the money part. I needed to go to the bank and set up a business account, but of course, that meant interacting with The Douche, and I tried to avoid doing that unless it was necessary.

  “Dammit, Lila,” I whispered, giving myself a mental slap. “You’re not calling him The Douche anymore, remember? We have a truce. It’s Eric…”

  Old habits were hard to break.

  “Hello, hello,” a voice called from the front of the house, followed by the slamming of the screen door.

  Cade always got mad at me for not locking up, but I figured if I was in the house, what did it matter? He always just gave me a look and said nothing.

  “Back here,” I replied, looking up from the fax to the door to see Carmen walk through, a big grin on her face.

  “The place looks so great,” she began, pushing her sunglasses on top of her head. “I can’t believe how much has changed in such a short time. You should be moving in soon, eh? Anywho, I came by to tell you that I put a button on the side of my blog, advertising your business. I included your phone and fax, but not your address, since your work is your home and vice versa, and we don’t want weirdos popping up whenever they want to catch pimps, drug dealers, and cheaters…”

  I was about to say thanks, but realized she was just taking a breath, and wasn’t done. If you didn’t know, Carmen is a talker, and by that, I mean she talks fast, and long. Plus, she’s hyper as hell, with a dose of OCD. She’s a total trip, and I love her. She became almost an instant member of my girl posse.

  “Plus, I took out space in the paper, classifieds, and posted the same ad. It’ll run all month, and if you like it, I’ll post it next month as well. The ad on the blog will run indefinitely … Also, because I was talking to the staff about it, I’ve got you a client. It’s this new reporter at the paper, sports section … anyway, he said he’d be contacting you right away, because he thinks his wife’s cheating on him, and he doesn’t know what to do. I told him that cheaters are your specialty, and you’d be perfect for the job.”

  She paused again, and I waited, not quite sure if it was my turn to talk or not.

  Carmen realized what I was doing and giggled, then waved her hand, indicating it was, in fact, my turn.

  “Thanks,” I replied, sincerely. “For all of it. And, if I’m not mistaken, your guy has already contacted me.”

  I waved the fax in the air and she snatched it, nodding when she read the name.

  “You know you’re always welcome, but why didn’t you just call to tell me this? I’m sure you’re swamped at work.”

  Carmen lifted one shoulder in a shrug.

  “I needed a break from the office for a minute. That new guy,” she added, pointing at the fax. “He’s been doing nothing but whining and crying about his wife all morning, and I feel for him, really I do, but, Dios mío, grow some balls and do something other than cry about it.”

  I snorted at that, then she smiled and added, “Plus, I was hoping maybe you had some cupcakes and I could snag one.”

  “On the counter,” I said, pleased that someone else understood the healing power of cupcakes.

  We walked into the kitchen, and since the box was open I figured, why not, and grabbed a cupcake myself.

  “I’ll give this guy a call and get to work,” I said, and we both took our cupcakes to go.

  After getting off the phone with Carmen’s coworker, I headed to the next town over, Gordonswood, which was where his wife worked at some sort of boutique.

  I texted Cade to let him know I was going to work, but the key was under the mat, to which he replied:

  You need to quit doing that shit.

  I parked on the side of the road, a mental picture of Ms. Cheater-pants in my head, and strode into the shop. I was so busy looking for her, that it took me a minute to realize it was a lingerie and sex toyshop.

  I immediately got distracted.

  “Ohhh,” I exclaimed softly as I pushed through hangers, looking at some cute lace crotchless teddies. I could picture the look on Cade’s face when I walked into a room wearing one of these.

  I was so caught up in my fantasy, it wasn’t until I heard a giggle, followed by a low chuckle, that I turned my head to see a woman matching my client’s description heading into the back with a hot, young surfer dude.

  I gave the lingerie one last touch, then wove my way through the racks, and along a wall of porn, just in time to see them go behind one of the rooms closed by curtains.

  Pulling my camera out of my purse as I walked, I surveyed the area and saw only a bored-looking twenty-something behind the counter, totally mesmerized by her cell phone.

  I walked past the first curtained off-area and slipped into the second, then stood up on the bench and tip-toed up silently to peer over the top.

  The surfer dude, and seriously we were nowhere near a beach, so I didn’t get his vibe, was currently motorboating the woman, who had her head thrown back in ecstasy. Luckily, her eyes were closed, so I was able to get a perfect shot of her face, and the aforementioned motor boating.

  He was peeling her clothes off, eyes never leaving her breasts, and I realized just how much younger he was than her, at the same time coming to the conclusion that he was definitely a tits man.

  The woman fisted her hands in his long blond curls, and I thought maybe I had the wrong woman. They seemed really into each other, and although the age difference was probably at least ten years, I had to admit I had the urge to give her a high five over it.

  I mean, it’s always a score for the sisterhood when an older woman bags a younger man, even if he does have delusions of surferdom.

  “You’re so much hotter than my husband,” she moaned, and I mentally turned that high five into a punch in the face. So much for the benefit of the doubt. She was not better than any other lying cheating asshole out there.

  Even though I had evidence, I wanted the money shot, so there’d be no denying the affair and my client could make sure this bitch didn’t try to fight him in court.

  His board shorts dropped to the floor, and seriously, this guy must live at the pool, because his ass was white as chalk.

  “Sit down,” the woman urged, pushing his head back so that there was a popping sound when he released her nipple.

  Ouch…

  I watched as she lifted her skirt, then had to stretch way up and lift the camera out and over, to get a shot of her impaling herself on his penis.

  Blondie’s head tipped forward to watch, blocking my view, but I was pretty sure I got the shot. Still, I took numerous photos as she rode him like a bronco.

  I have to say, although they know how to make sex look good in porn, in real life, with real people, it was fumbling, messy, and embarrassing as hell.

  She rose up, tits bouncing in a way that had him transfixed, then lowered quickly without looking and came down on his dick, hard. I knew he hadn’t made it inside when he yelped and she shouted, “Sorry!”

  I bit back a laugh and lowered myself to the ground. I’d gotten everything I needed to give my client for his divorce lawyer, poor bastard.

  I was headed out the front door when the scrap of black lace caught my eye again, and I doubled back to the rack I’d been looking at before. Once I found my size, I plucked it off the rack and headed to the counter, then was waylaid by a table filled with lotions, massage oils, and clamps.

  I took my time, picking up bottles and reading the back, trying to decide if I was confident enough to bring some of this into the bedroom with Cade. Not that we needed it; I mean, the sex was off-th
e-charts hot. Still, I thought it might surprise and please him if I put a little effort into seriously spicing shit up.

  “Can I help you with anything?”

  I looked up to see that I’d taken too long in my perusal, because surfer dude was walking past me out the door, and the cheater was currently standing in front of me, looking freshly fucked.

  “Um, no, I’m just looking,” I replied, then I grabbed the cherry-flavored massage oil, clit sensitizer, and anal beads, and walked to the counter.

  “For buying four items, you get a free tube of lube,” the bored twenty-something said after she wrung me up, without ever looking up from her phone.

  “Okay,” I said, thinking I didn’t want lube, but not wanting to argue.

  “Peanut butter, grape, or chocolate?” she asked, and I think I threw up in my mouth.

  “Uh, chocolate?”

  She threw the tube in my bag, and I got the hell out of there. I opened the back of the van and hid the bag in the far corner, thinking I’d end up just throwing it out at some point. Well, maybe not the lingerie, but the rest of it? Yeah, I’d never be able to show that stuff to Cade.

  “Holy hell, what am I going to do?” I semi-whined to Bea over coffee the next day. When I’d gotten back to the house, Cade was already there, shirtless and sweaty as he finished sanding the deck.

  I’d felt equal parts turned on and icky after what I’d seen at the boutique, so I refrained from jumping him on sight. Still, he did make a beautiful picture.

  Yes, I may have snapped a couple shots without him knowing. What he didn’t know wouldn’t hurt, right?

  After we finished up at the house, we went out to grab dinner and take it back for the kids. While we were driving home, Cade had invited me to a barbecue that weekend at the Clubhouse.

  Yes, you heard that right … Cade was finally introducing me to his brothers and allowing me into the other part of his life.

  I might have had a minor freak out in the car, and was having one again the next morning.