Cake (Bitterroot Saga Book 1) Read online

“I used to have a van, but when it went tits up, I had to get something else.”

  “It’s a pretty big leap from van to Escalade.”

  “I guess. But my uncle had this on his lot. He’d picked it up at a police auction the week before and gave me a really sweet deal. My insurance went up, but it has the cargo room I need.”

  Elana stroked the leather and said, “I need to meet your uncle.”

  They drove the next few miles in companionable quiet. Kelly sang softly along with the radio, and Elana stared out the side window and tried not to think about where they were going.

  “We’re almost there. Are you sure you want to do this?”

  Elana shook her head. “Yes. No.” She sighed. “Fuck, I don’t know.”

  Kelly turned into the hotel parking lot. The reception was being held in one of the banquet rooms. She pulled into a parking space and rested her hands on the steering wheel with the car still running. “We’re about to pass the point of no return.”

  “You have to go in, right?”

  “I probably should, yes.” Kelly glanced over at her, but still didn’t shut off the engine.

  “And it’ll be a problem for you if I go in with you.” That thought made Elana sad. The longer she spent with Kelly, the more she actually liked her. And the attention Kelly paid her in the church would probably cause enough trouble without going into the reception with her, too.

  Kelly gave her a dazzling smile, a hint of daring in her eyes. “Probably, but I’m game if you are.”

  And with that, the second part of the weirdest almost-date Elana had ever been on was decided.

  * * *

  The banquet hall was nearly full when they went inside, but there were still a couple of open tables. Naturally, Kelly headed toward the front of the room. She could get away with not sitting at the head table with David and Brianna, but there was no way she could hide in the back as she had at the wedding. Elana fleetingly looked at an open table by the door, then tightened her grip on Kelly’s hand and followed her. Kelly was impressed.

  “We don’t have to stay at the table,” Kelly said. “We can dance and hang out at the bar.”

  “Thanks.”

  Despite saying she wanted something stronger, Elana passed the bar without a second glance and took a glass of Champagne from a waiter instead. They dropped their purses on the table and Kelly wondered briefly what they should do next as Elana downed the entire glass in three gulps.

  “Another?” Kelly signaled a server without waiting for Elana’s response. The look of desperation Elana gave her prompted Kelly to request an entire bottle. Why not? It was decent Champagne and Elana deserved it for being brave enough to come here at all.

  “Why are you being so nice to me?” Elana asked, displaying more raw vulnerability than Kelly was comfortable with. She liked it better when Elana was brash and unrepentant, so she briefly debated kissing her again. Instead, Kelly laughed and clinked their glasses together.

  “Because you’re hot.” Kelly shrugged and then sipped her Champagne.

  That snapped Elana out of whatever moment she was having. “Damn right.” Then she downed another glass, so Kelly knew the mood was only masked, not gone completely.

  “I have to greet my brother. It’s expected.” She preferred to get it out of the way now, but hated the way Elana’s body tensed when she said it. “Do you want to stay here?”

  Elana paused. “No.” She took Kelly’s glass and quickly drank the contents. Kelly let her. With a smile, Elana slipped her hand into Kelly’s and said, “Let’s go.”

  Kelly led her to the front of the room, but let Elana set the pace. They walked much slower than Kelly’s normal speed, and with each step, Elana’s grip grew tighter.

  David stood with Brianna at the front of the room, where they greeted guests. Her brother was at his charming best, and the closer they got to Brianna and David, the farther Elana shrank into her side. As much as she wanted happiness for David, she also resented him in that moment.

  Not that her feelings made any sense. Sure, David was a bit of an ass, and they didn’t agree on most things, but he was still her brother. She didn’t even know Elana, so the protective impulse that flared inside her was downright confusing.

  She slipped her arm around Elana’s waist and whispered in her ear. “You got this?”

  Elana immediately mirrored the position. Her hand rested on Kelly’s hip, almost at a point of being indecent, and it made Kelly smile.

  “Yeah, I’m okay.” Elana pulled herself upright, straightened her spine, and squared her shoulders.

  Kelly hugged her brother, then Brianna, without fully releasing Elana. It was awkward, but there was really no other choice. Elana clung to her like a baby koala. A really sexy baby koala.

  “Who’s your friend, Kelly? I didn’t know you were going to bring a date.” David’s voice held a heavy dose of judgment, but that could have been because she didn’t RSVP properly and now his head count for the caterer was off. Or he could have been upset because Brianna already told him who Elana was. Or maybe someone mentioned that they had been kissing during the ceremony.

  She knew she wasn’t being fair to him, but she couldn’t help it. His attitude irritated her and she didn’t care what his reason was.

  “Oh, you haven’t met?” She drew Elana forward until she wasn’t partially shielded by Kelly’s body. They stood so close together, Elana molded to her side, they definitely crossed a line. When Elana briefly palmed her ass, Kelly decided she didn’t care. It was completely inappropriate and audacious, but it didn’t hide how badly Elana was trembling, either. Kelly pressed a kiss into the side of Elana’s head and squeezed her just that much tighter. “This is Elana.”

  “Elana? Why is that name familiar?” He studied Elana, then glanced at Brianna, who had turned pasty white and stood unnaturally still. David did a double-take and hissed. “Is this the Elana?”

  Brianna nodded silently, staring at Elana the whole time.

  “What the…” David whipped his head around, his gaze moving from Brianna to Elana to Kelly, then back to Elana. He took a step toward her. “Listen, you’re not supposed to be here.”

  Elana stiffened and looked away. “But…Bree inv—”

  “David, you said I could bring a date. What’s the problem?” Kelly angled her body slightly until she was between David and Elana. Her brother could be intimidating when he wanted and right then he really wanted.

  David’s posture softened and he eased back slightly. He looked at Kelly and said, “Don’t pretend you don’t know.”

  She wasn’t sure how they got here. Yeah, she and David had nothing in common, and they didn’t really like each other, but he was her brother. They never fought. Not really. Now, however, it felt as if she was on the verge of breaking something very fragile with him, and she was incapable of explaining why Elana was worth the stand.

  It wasn’t like she was deluded. Elana was at least ten shades of sexy, but she wasn’t so amazing that Kelly had completely lost her mind. She didn’t believe in the hearts and butterflies type of romance that went with love at first sight. She wasn’t that type of woman and this wasn’t that. But it was definitely something.

  Elana’s voice, as she tried to defend herself, had been so soft and so vulnerable, Kelly had no choice but to step in. She wanted to protect Elana, maybe only long enough to feed her a piece of cake and get sweaty and naked, but the desire to shield her was there nonetheless. She wasn’t able to explain it, but she couldn’t deny it either.

  “David. I met someone who I want to spend time with and I have no idea why that’s upsetting to you.” Okay, it was a total asshole move to act as if David was nuts when she knew full well why he was pissed. If she was totally honest with herself, she would feel a little bad about doing it. Not bad enough to leave Elana to defend herself. That right there was the problem.

  “Kelly, this is not okay,” David said softly, but there was a hardness in his voice that matched the
rigid tension in his jaw.

  Kelly shook her head. She understood his reaction. If her new bride reacted the way Brianna reacted to seeing Elana, she would be upset, too. Whatever the two of them had shared in the past was still there—on the surface, obvious and unmistakable. “Then hurry up and cut the cake because there’s no way I’m leaving without a piece of it. We have other things to do today anyway.”

  She kissed Elana, a smidge longer than she had before because Elana looked as though she might crumble to pieces with every second she spent near Brianna. She hummed happily against Elana’s lips. It was a nice kiss, and if they were anywhere else, she wouldn’t let it end.

  Elana stared at her as if she’d just thrown her a lifesaver, and Kelly wanted to kiss her again. Instead, she gave her a wink because she’d already pushed David hard enough for any one wedding. Not to mention, there was a small queue of guests bunched up next to them, waiting to congratulate the happy couple and trying to look as though they weren’t interested in the drama playing out between the four of them.

  Brianna, wide-eyed and still ghostly pale, said in a shaky voice, “It’s okay.” She grabbed David’s hand and he turned to her. “David, it’s okay. I’m okay.”

  Kelly didn’t believe her, but apparently it was enough for David.

  “Are you sure?” David asked with such tenderness and concern that Kelly thought maybe she shouldn’t be standing on this side of their disagreement. Brianna looked genuinely upset, and David looked lost and uncertain as if he didn’t know what to do next.

  “Yes, of course.” Brianna kissed David, then turned to Elana. “It’s good to see you again.”

  “Sure,” Elana said, then tugged on Kelly’s hand. Kelly let herself be pulled back toward their table.

  “This cake better be worth it,” Elana grumbled. She’d reclaimed some of her bitchy veneer, but she still stared morosely at Brianna as they walked away. If they didn’t cut the cake soon, Kelly was going to say fuck it and leave. She would make Elana her own goddamn cake later.

  CHAPTER 5

  The grip Elana had on Kelly’s hand was embarrassingly tight. She wasn’t usually this needy, but Kelly made her feel safe in the same way Brianna used to. She wasn’t strong enough to cut herself off from it, not when she was so raw with hurt and Kelly was willing to take some of it from her.

  There was a small dance floor to the side of the tables, and the DJ segued from a dance song that no one was actually dancing to, into a slow-burning, romantic torch song. It was the kind of song that Elana begged for when she took Bree out to clubs. Brianna was a gazelle, graceful and perfect and able to move no matter the beat. Elana could keep up with most people, but Bree was a step above. But when a slow groove came on, she would pull Bree close and just sway with her. It hardly even counted as dancing, and it was the closest thing to perfection that Elana had ever felt.

  The song coming from the speakers just then might not have been perfect, but it was the right kind of unhurried beat that was made for pulling a woman close. So, that’s what she did. With an easy tug, she pulled Kelly to a stop, then twirled her into her arms. “Let’s dance.”

  “Mmm, okay.” Kelly draped her arms around Elana’s neck and gazed at her with the devotion of a high school prom date. “I like this song.”

  “I like you.” Elana rested her hands on Kelly’s hips. It was so easy to lose herself in the simplicity of the moment. For some reason, Kelly had decided Elana deserved her time. More importantly, she’d defended Elana when she had every reason to do the exact opposite. She didn’t understand anything that had happened today, let alone how she felt about it. For now, though, she was happy. She tilted her head and brushed her lips softly against Kelly’s.

  Kelly ended the kiss with a groan. “We should probably stop doing that here.” She looked pointedly over Elana’s shoulder toward where Brianna stood with David. Elana kept her gaze on Kelly.

  “I’m ready to leave whenever you are.” She kissed Kelly again, this time prolonging the touch without deepening it. A part of her knew it was a terrible idea to hook up with anyone while her feelings for Bree still had her all knotted up inside. She couldn’t unwind her emotions enough to even know how she felt. Did she love Bree? Or did she hate her? Or maybe both.

  Kelly smiled, but it was the sad kind of smile that didn’t go all the way to her eyes. “I wish I could. I have to stay until they cut the cake, at least.”

  “Right,” Elana nodded, “the cake that you baked for your brother.”

  “Yes, for my brother. Who just married your ex-girlfriend.”

  Kelly was dangerously close to naming the elephant in the room. If it was a bad idea for her to hook up with someone at this wedding, then Kelly was the absolute worst person for her to hook up with. But Elana still wanted it. “Can we not talk about them right now?”

  “Sure.” Kelly played with the strand of Elana’s bangs that had come untucked from behind her ear. She smoothed it back into place. “Is that what you want?”

  Elana closed her eyes and let herself enjoy the way Kelly’s fingers felt against her face. “Maybe it’s what I need.” The words felt false in her mouth, but she said them anyway.

  “You know this is a bad idea.” Kelly slowed the gentle sway of her body until the two of them were simply standing together, their bodies closer than appropriate without the excuse of the dance.

  Elana nodded slightly. “Probably.”

  “But we’re going to do it anyway, aren’t we.”

  This time Elana smiled, the sexy half smile that always got the woman to go home with her at the end of the night. “Probably.”

  Kelly laughed easily as she started moving to the music again. “Then we should enjoy it while it lasts.”

  * * *

  “Do you want to go?” Kelly squeezed Elana’s hand gently to make sure she heard her. Since returning to their table, Elana hadn’t stopped looking at Bree. She also hadn’t stopped holding Kelly’s hand. That part was good. Elana had nice hands, both gentle and strong at the same time, and so very smooth. The only bad part about Elana’s hands was she squeezed a little tighter every time Brianna leaned in to kiss David.

  “Go where?” Elana reached over with her other hand to run it obscenely high up the inside of Kelly’s thigh. She smiled lewdly as she did it and only stopped when Kelly gasped. She’d done that a handful of times now, and Kelly was done waiting for more. If that hand didn’t penetrate something the next time it made its way up her thigh, Kelly was going to push it away and take care of things herself.

  “Away from here. Aren’t you tired of torturing yourself yet?” Kelly forced Elana to loosen her grip on her hand, and she shook it out, encouraging blood flow to return to her fingers.

  “But you’re here. If I leave, I wouldn’t be able to do this…” Elana teased the sensitive spot on the underside of Kelly’s knee that was almost beyond her reach. She brushed her fingertips lightly over the soft skin and Kelly sucked in a breath.

  “You probably shouldn’t do that while we’re here, either.” Kelly clamped her legs tighter together. “If you want to take this any further…” she said through gritted teeth. It wasn’t healthy, she knew, to get so turned on by watching Elana watch Brianna. Knowing something was inappropriate, however, had never stopped Kelly from following her sexual impulses through to fruition. It was Elana’s fault that her panties were indecently wet, and she was damn well going to finish what she’d started. Kelly had reached the point where she didn’t care where it happened, so long as it did.

  “Yeah?” Elana’s eyes were so dark they were almost black. But her lip trembled slightly as if she might be waiting for the punch line, and it broke Kelly’s heart. At least Elana was focusing fully on her now, instead of glancing over at Bree every few seconds.

  Elana’s one-word answer was a weird mix of heartbreaking and fuck-me hot. Kelly had no choice but to kiss her long enough for Elana’s lips to part and their tongues to touch. Briefly, she considered pushing El
ana’s hand all the way up her skirt to show her exactly how “yeah” she felt about it, but they were still at the table and people were starting to stare because she’d already let the kiss go on too long. She pulled away briefly and rested her forehead against Elana’s. Kelly’s voice was shaky when she said, “Oh, yeah.”

  And, of course, that was the exact moment that David announced they were cutting the damn cake. Kelly clenched her thighs together with a growl. Her brother was seriously fucking up her groove.

  Elana laughed, but it was a brittle laugh that held no humor. “Dude is cock-blocking me again,” she muttered in the moment before she pressed her lips to Kelly’s. This kiss was quick and hard and fleeting, but it was okay. Kelly totally got the point.

  Kelly groaned, but turned her attention to David and Brianna on the other side of the room where they stood next to the cake, an ostentatious, five-tier monstrosity with white roses and lace cascading down the sides. It was decadent, bordering on obscene, and Kelly was really proud of it until she heard Elana suck in a shocked breath and her hand started to tremble against Kelly’s knee.

  “You okay?” Kelly placed her hand over the top of Elana’s and squeezed gently. She didn’t understand why Elana was even here if it was this hard for her to see Brianna like this. Except she had kinda forced the issue when Elana tried to leave after the wedding. If she let herself think about it for too long, Kelly would have felt guilty about that. Instead, she focused on how hard she planned to make Elana come as soon as they got out of this damn room.

  Elana nodded, but didn’t look at her. She gripped Kelly’s hand so tight that Kelly had to suppress a whimper. Finally, as if in slow motion, Elana moved her gaze from Brianna to Kelly, her expression stricken. “I don’t want to be here.”

  Kelly smiled sympathetically. She pushed away from the table and was ready to stand when her brother’s voice cut through her focus.

  “…know my sister, Kelly, is a pastry chef, and she insisted on making the cake. Thank you, little sister. It means more than you know.” He toasted her with his Champagne flute. His toast was a total fabrication, and Brianna smashed cake into his face before he could take a drink. With a laugh so joyful it made Kelly’s heart ache, David wrapped his arms around Brianna and lifted her off her feet to smudge his face against hers until she begged him to stop. She giggled the entire time.