Page 54 of Cupcake of the Month
He blocked out everything but the feeling of her. He’d try. For her, he’d try and open himself, to expose her to parts of his past.
“Jordan.” He shifted his attention to her neck and she tilted her head to give him better access. “Damn, you feel so good.”
She drew in a ragged breath and shifted her mouth backto his. After another searing kiss, she gave him a gentle nip on his lips and stepped away. “I’d say you know how I want to be treated.”
His heart thudded in his chest and he took a shaky breath. Intense swells of tenderness and affection rolled around his body, fighting with the fear and apprehension. All he wanted to do was hold this woman until the morning sun broke into the sky. How could he expect her to give him anything when he had nothing to give?
“And right now,” she said. “I want to be treated to whatever you’re baking.”
That he could do. “As you wish.”
He poured half the eggs into the flour mixture, then mixed it by hand. The soothing, repeated motion helped put his head back on straight.
A shot of Belle’s peach whiskey would finish the job. He grabbed the orange bottle from the counter and poured a shot, then held it over Jordan’s half-empty glass.
“Ugh, no more for me tonight.” She grimaced and nudged her glasses up. “I’ve already drowned my sorrows. Put it in the cupcakes.”
“More proof of your brilliance.” He raised the glass in a toast and tossed it in. Maple syrup would balance its bite with sweetness.
He went into the pantry to get some. First, he took out his phone. It was easier to say what was in his mind through a text.I was an ass yesterday.
Her phone made a buzzing sound and her groan echoed around the pantry. “Who the hell is texting me at eleven fucking thirty? I don’t know if I have the energy to deal any more tonight. I haven’t even opened the envelope yet.”
“Didn’t your lawyer know what was happening?” Josh reentered the kitchen and measured out the syrup.
“I spoke to him earlier and he said this request was coming. I stupidly and purposefully left my phone at home so I could be with Mrs. McGraw without distraction. He had called me several times tonight.” She sighed and grabbed her phone. “Just when everything was finally going on the right track. It didn’t have to be so damn dramatic. One call and I would have been on a plane back home. It’s what I’ve been waiting for, anyway.”
He poured the batter into a muffin tray, keeping his eye on her reaction to the text. She gave a little snort, and her fingers got busy.
His phone dinged as he popped the cupcakes into the oven.
Yesterday? ;)
“Hey,” he mock protested.
She opened her eyes wide and blinked. “What?”
He grinned at her, his heart rate ratcheting up a few knots when she grinned back. He would never get tired of her smile.
She eyed the envelope and tapped it with her brace. “I suppose I should look at this.”
“Need help?”
“I got it.” She tucked it under her arm and wrested it open. The papers slid onto the island.
He gave her time to read them, gathering more ingredients from the pantry and trying to find a piping bag for frosting. The kitchen filled with the tangy aroma of the whiskey and the sweet scent of maple syrup.
Her foot beat out a rhythm against the stool, and she made soft sounds of exhalation as she flipped through the paperwork, then returned to the beginning to read slowly and carefully. Josh didn’t interrupt, just mixed and stirred and waited. When she finished, she tapped the pages against the island to get them in a neat stack.
“So when do you leave for Connecticut?”
“I need to talk to my lawyer.” She poked at her wrist andwinced. “They’re asking for my files. My assistant can work with my lawyer to get them, but if he messes up, I’m still responsible. Maybe I should go. I don’t know what to do about it all.”
She took out her phone and tapped while he measured more cocoa and powdered sugar. His phone dinged a moment later.
You and my situation have that in common. I don’t know what to do about you, either.
Ditto, sweetheart.
