Borrowed Beauty

Chapter Fifteen: Thomas's Cake

Olivia

It was the first time I’d seen Thomas have a full-fledged meltdown, and honestly, it was a little scary. His screaming cries pierced my ears, as he started hitting the counters with his little fists and kicking the cupboard with his feet. “Thomas…Thomas…” No matter how many times I tried to get his attention, he didn’t seem to hear me. When I pulled him out of reach of the counters, he started hitting himself and even attempted to bite his own hands and arms. His face was red, and he was gasping for breath as he continued to scream.

Really worried he was going to seriously harm himself, I ended up pulling him to the floor and wrapping him up in my arms and legs like a human straight-jacket while I rocked him slowly. I muttered quiet things as we rocked back and forth. “Shhh, Thomas, everything is going to be okay. You are fine. You are safe. I’m okay too. Don’t worry, we can fix it,” anything I could think of that might calm him down. We sat on the floor like that for so long that my back began to ache, but I kept rocking until his screams slowed into sobs. By the time his body fully relaxed and he eased into deep and shuddering breaths, we were both hot, sweaty, and exhausted.

I loosened my arms and legs from the basket hold, but he didn’t squirm away. Instead, he twisted around, and his little arms came around my neck. I continued to hold him for a long time, not caring that we were sitting on the floor in the midst of a floury mess. It wasn’t until the kitchen staff came in to prepare lunch that Thomas finally squirmed out of my arms, and scrubbed his face with his fists like he was trying to be a “big boy” and hide his tears.

“Come on,” I said, climbing to my feet and stifling a groan as I stretched my back. “Let's clean up our mess, and then I will show you how we are going to fix that cake.”

He looked at the cake sadly. “I don’t think it can be fixed,” he grumbled.

Renee’s hand had left a big ugly hole in the middle of the yellow cake, but I wasn’t about to let all that work go to waste, nor was I going to disappoint Thomas. I went to work wiping down the counters and sweeping the floors, even though the kitchen crew insisted they could do it. I didn’t want to give them extra work, and I wanted to teach Thomas the importance of cleaning up after himself. He also got a rag to wipe with, and I had him hold the dustpan for me while I swept up the pile of flour and dough bits that had landed on the floor. When that was out of the way, I turned my attention to the cake.

Using a cutting wire to carefully slice away the top third of the cake, I put the broken bits into a bowl. I then cut the remaining cake in half and quickly made another batch of frosting, vanilla this time, and crumbled the broken cake into the vanilla cream. I then layered the vanilla cream between the two sheets of cake. Thomas watched the whole thing from his perch on the kitchen stool, with all the seriousness of a surgeon overseeing a delicate operation. When the cake was reassembled, I let him help me frost the repaired cake with the chocolate buttercream. Then I allowed him to lick the extra frosting off the spatula. “Is it really going to taste okay?” He asked, still eyeing the cake suspiciously.

“It's going to taste better than okay, because now it has extra frosting on the inside,” I reassured him. I cleaned him up too, as best I could, and then sent him back to Miss Pimms so he could change his clothes before lunch. Despite the apron, he had worn a lot of the flour and frosting. Normally he ate with Miss Pimms, but I had invited him to come to sit with us at the "adult” table for lunch. Miss Pimms thought that was a horrible idea because she was sure that Thomas would annoy the alpha and his family, but I told her I had it under control.

They reappeared twenty minutes later, all clean and respectable. He was unusually solemn as he stomped into the dining room and demanded to sit next to me. I was only too happy to have the extra buffer between myself and Josiah. I’d been avoiding the alpha since that unexpected kiss in the office, and I didn’t even know why. Every time I was near him, I felt like a volcano that was about to erupt. I felt his eyes on me when he entered the dining room, but I kept my attention firmly on the little boy beside me. I didn’t even meet alpha’s eyes when he greeted me.

My sister and the twins were absent from the table, as usual. Vero slid into her chair, after giving a quiet nod to the nanny, but said next to nothing during the whole lunch. I couldn’t help but feel that she did not approve of my idea to include the boisterous kiddo at our table. I was, apart from one hug in greeting, yet to see Vero interact with the boy.

I can say that Thomas behaved remarkably well throughout the meal, even though I’d pretty much spoiled his appetite by letting him sample cookies and frosting in the kitchen. The meal was simple soup and sandwiches, and some thoughtful kitchen person had included a little dish of potato chips for Thomas.

As everyone was finishing, I cleared my throat, and finally looked up at Josiah. Just looking at him made me feel flushed and warm all over. “Alpha,” the word stuck in my dry throat, and I had to start again, “Alpha, Thomas has made a cake for you.”

The alpha turned his attention to Thomas, with a smile that pretty much liquified my insides, even though it wasn’t aimed at me. “You made a cake for me?”

Thomas nodded vigorously. “Yes. Olivia helped.”

I hid my smile behind my water glass and used the opportunity to check in with Vero’s reaction. In vain. She did not so much as look over, checking something on her phone instead.

Josiah’s smile widened. “That’s very thoughtful of you Thomas. I can’t remember the last time someone made a cake for me.”

“Probably your birthday,” Thomas pointed out importantly while starting to squirm impatiently in his chair. He’d already far exceeded his normal limit for sitting still, especially in a hard, high-backed chair. I was really proud of him.

“You might be right,” Josiah agreed, “but I think it's extra special to get a cake when it's not your birthday. Why don’t we go eat out on the veranda?”

I gave him a grateful and appreciative look. He might not be used to having small children around, but he had handled that just right. Thomas was already out of his seat and heading for the door, with poor Mrs. Pimms chasing behind him. “Well played,” I said quietly.

The look he sent me in return almost set my blood on fire. What the hell? I was only too grateful to leave the table. I tried not to be obvious that I was in a hurry to get away from the alpha and into the fresh air.

Out on the veranda that overlooked the lake, I avoided the table and went and sat on the steps. My eyes turned out towards the woods, and I knew that Renee was out there somewhere. I was pissed off about what she did in the kitchen, but I was feeling a little worried too. Renee could be shallow and self-centered, but picking on a little kid like that was over the top, even for her. I had a feeling, call it a sister sense, that something more serious was going on with her. Thomas’s cake had just been the unlucky innocent victim.

Vero had apparently decided to pass on the dessert, so Josiah came out alone. And rather than sit at the glass-topped outdoor table, he came and sat next to me. Unnecessarily close to me, I might add. So that our thighs brushed together. I couldn’t scooch away, because Thomas plopped himself right next to me on the other side. Miss Pimms did sit at the table, clearly grateful for a little personal space. I was only too glad to give her the opportunity to rest. God knew what she was going to do when I headed home.

God knew what I was going to do.

One of the girls from the kitchen brought out Thomas's cake, already neatly sliced on little glass plates, saving me from where that thought might have led. Not just because there was cake, but the fact that I had to hold my breath. Nobody in their right mind should give Thomas a glass plate, but he took it carefully and seemed to be extra mindful that he was in the presence of the alpha. The cake, I’m proud to say, looked good. No one would know it was a repair job, at least not until Thomas piped up, “You can’t even tell it had a big hole in it!”

Josiah chuckled beside me, and we all watched a little anxiously as he cut into the slice of cake with his fork and put the morsel in his mouth. “Mmmm,” he said, after chewing thoughtfully. “That’s good cake.”

“Yeah! I’m a great cook!” Thomas agreed happily. He dropped his fork on the ground, but he wasn’t about to let that deter him, as he picked up the cake with his fingers, and took a huge bite, leaving a dab of frosting on the tip of his nose and down the side of his mouth.

“Aren’t you going to try some?” Josiah asked me, his voice low and sultry. He set aside his own fork and used his fingers to break off a piece of the yellow cake, and held it up to my mouth, much as he had when he had fed me at the Japanese restaurant. Only this time, instead of gently and delicately placing it on my lips, he smooshed the piece into my mouth, smearing frosting all over my lips.

Thomas’s mouth dropped open in surprise before he started to hoot with laughter, almost falling off the step as he pointed at my face. I chewed and nodded in appreciation. It was a good cake, I thought a little smugly.

“You should try the frosting,” I told Josiah, as I broke off a piece from my plate, this one heavy with chocolate buttercream, and pushed it into his mouth. I finished the job by rubbing my hand fully across his lips and cheeks, making an extra big mess.

Thomas stopped laughing. I think he was afraid I might get in trouble for playing with the Alpha. The boy's blue eyes were as big as saucers as he watched the two of us.

Josiah scooped up a big dollop of chocolate cream with his finger. “Oh, you are definitely right,” he growled, his eyes sparkling with mischief and not just a hint of wolfish intent. “The frosting is the best part.”

Thomas was correct too, it is very, very dangerous to play with an alpha.

I knew he was going to paint my face with that frosting, so I quickly caught his hand and stuck his finger in my mouth, sucking off the sweet buttercream before he could smear it on my nose. I wasn’t even thinking, as my tongue swirled around the tip of his finger, but I knew my mistake as soon as I looked into his smoldering eyes. I think my heart stopped as he slowly, sensually, pulled his finger out of my mouth, only to trace my bottom lip with it. I felt my lips start to tingle. I forgot Thomas was still sitting beside me, as I was caught in Josiah’s trap once more.

He leaned toward me, and I felt my breath catch, and my lips parted slightly in anticipation.

The door to the veranda shut with a loud bang, causing both of us to draw back in surprise and turn to the source of the sound. Vero stood in front of the door, smiling. “My goodness, that cake does look good,” she said, her eyes taking in the three of us, all with chocolate frosting and yellow crumbs stuck to our chins. Her expression was unreadable, but I thought I saw her smile tighten almost imperceptibly. “I thought I’d join you for a slice after all.”