Page 54 of The Cupcake Standard

“Okay everyone, dig in.” Liam grinned, his smile dimming a bit when his gaze drifted to Gina.

I hoped she hadn’t noticed, but her pursed lips told me otherwise. Josh placed a hand on the small of her back as they got in line, and he leaned down to whisper something in her ear. She scrunched up her nose, fighting a smile. She lost the battle, even giggling as she looked back at him.

Someone came up behind me, and I knew immediately it was Derek. Maybe it was the way my heart sped up, or the hairs on the back of my neck tingled or how I tensed in anticipation of him possibly touching me.

His breath tickled my ear. “Never a dull moment with this crew.”

We were with company. It was okay to be in girlfriend mode, so I had no qualms about leaning back against his firm torso, loving how he was just there for me. One warm hand slid to my waist, shooting sparks along its path. I nodded, unable to speak. We walked forward together, only separating when it was my turn to get food. I felt cold, bereft without his heat.

It was like a parade, the line of us following Liam downstairs, plates and drinks carefully balanced. The basement was huge. I couldn’t imagine growing up in a place like this—it was every teenager’s dream. There was a pool table, a dartboard, a giant TV and gaming setup, complete with surround sound. A mini gym sat in one corner with a boxing bag, a treadmill, stationary bike and a rowing machine. I couldn’t help glancing at Derek and biting my lip. He smirked.

We fought over the couches around the TV. I took a spot on the floor, content to lean next to Derek. It was plenty warm down here, so after I set my plate on an end table, I peeled off my zip-up. I heard Derek choke.

I turned around to see his eyes locked on my back, even as he finally managed to suck in air. Everyone stared at us. I shrugged. “I guess I still got it.” Then I gave Derek a saucy grin as the room erupted into laughter.

Derek’s eyes stayed on me after I sat down, his finger tracing the outline of the cut-out in my shirt.

His gentle touch sent delicious shivers down my spine as he leaned over to whisper in my ear. “That’s some shirt. What there is of it.”

I grinned at him over my shoulder. “Glad you like it.”

We ate our food, the air rife with laughter and ease. Derek’s hand drifted over every so often to slide along my bare skin, as if he couldn’t help himself. My grin never left my face.

Gina was the first one done. She popped up, jutted out a hip, and declared, “Who’s going up against me and Avery?” She worked at a bar. And we’d spent many nights there, perfecting our bank shots.

Liam sneered. “Me and Derek. My house, my pool table.” He looked just as cocky as the night I’d kicked his butt playing strip poker. “You’re going down.”

Derek’s soft voice sounded behind me, saying something like, “I wish.”

I whipped my head toward him, but he just stared back at me innocently. Did I hear that right?

He stood, offering me a hand up off the floor. His muscles went taut against my weight as he pulled me to my feet, not stopping until I was flush against him. “Hearing things, Cupcake?”

Oh, no. He’s not getting away with that. I leaned into him, taking full advantage of my ample chest, sliding my hands down to dip my fingers into the front pockets of his jeans. Then I gave him an evil smile that had him stammering.

“What are you doing?”

“Just making sure my opponent is good and riled before we start.” I winked. “Plus, it’s always smart to check the pockets for stray balls.” I strode off to the sound of his choked laughter.

Gina looked from Derek to me as I came up to where she was picking out a cue. “Are you torturing that poor man?”

“Busting his balls a bit. It’s good for him.” I grinned at her, then called to Derek, “Hey, come help me pick out a stick. I want to make sure I get one with just the right girth.”

Derek ground his teeth together. Gina and Liam’s laughter drowned out his stomping footsteps. He strode right up to me, fire in his eyes. “There’s only one thing to do when you get like this.” And his lips crashed down onto mine.

It had been a while since he’d kissed me to shut me up. This was no sweet, playful kiss either. His mouth was brutal, punishing me for teasing him, taking all that I would give and stunning me into silence. My knees gave out halfway through, so I clung to his broad shoulders as his hands wrapped around my waist. He broke the kiss off as abruptly as he’d started it, both of us breathing heavily. I blinked up at him, too dazed to do anything but hope he wouldn’t let go.

“That’ll teach her, right, Derek?” Liam chuckled.

Derek shook his head as if coming out of a daze, his blue eyes focusing on mine. “Yeah. That’ll teach you.”

His delivery was so bad, so lacking, that I dissolved into laughter. Chuckles rumbled through him too, the absurdity of our situation striking us both. We stood there laughing at ourselves for several minutes until Gina finally grew impatient.

“All right, you two hyenas. Get your sticks, and let’s play some pool.”

Gina broke, sinking a solid right off the bat. I looked over to see what the rest of the group was doing. Josh, Rhonda and Greg played darts in the corner. Rhonda laughed at something Josh said, her eyes sparkling, hair tossing. Greg’s gaze never left her.

While I looked away, Gina sank another solid. She smiled triumphantly at Liam, who just arched an eyebrow. Unconcerned, she lined up her next shot. And missed.

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