Page 19 of The Sweetmate
I’m shaking when I enter the room. Casey is wearing nothing but a black apron and black dress pants. No shirt. Bare feet. Messy hair. Both dread and excitement course through my veins. The man standing at the counter has my emotions all over the place. My heart is beating so fast, and desire pools in my stomach. I hate that I find him desirable—more than anyone I’ve ever met. I find it hard to keep myself focused, which isn’t like me.
Professional. I must remain professional. I need to bury this desire deep, deep down.
“Have a seat. Please.”
I sigh in defeat and take my seat. Casey places a small white plate in front of me. It’s a smooth custard with caramel syrup overflowing on top, with a golden puddle surrounding the silky dessert. And for the topping, there are colorful fresh berries.
“This looks incredible.” The temptation to shove my face into this is borderline desperate. I force my eyes to look away from the little plate of heaven to meet his gaze. I blink in surprise. He’s searching my face for a reaction. Understanding dawns on me. He was jealous of the flan. I work on maintaining a neutral expression. I’m not sure how to respond. The fact that he put in the effort to show up the other flan is making me feel all warm inside.
But wait…
Is he doing this as a sweet gesture or for his precious ego?
I pick up the spoon. “You made this for me?” I beam, and he nods eagerly. “Is it poisoned?” My brow arches.
“That’s the secret ingredient.” He winks.
“Ouch. What’d you use?”
“Please. Allow me to maintain a little mystery. It’s called asecretingredient.”
“But I’ll be dead. There’ll be no spilling the beans from these lips.” My head tilts up at him as I bring the spoon to my lips.
“Those lips are locked up pretty tight. But I suspect in a few days, I’ll have you loosened up.”
That’s what I’m afraid of.
“Maybe I’m a woman of few words.”
“Then what a privilege it is for me to be on the receiving end of them. Care to spare me a few more words by sharing your verdict?” He gestures toward the flan.
I maintain eye contact with him as I place the spoon inside my mouth and then slide it between my lips. I forget about Casey. I completely zone out, possibly on the verge of blacking out. My soul might have left my body. Food isn’t capable of giving you an out-of-body experience, yet here we are. The foodgasm is real. I’m helpless to keep my eyes open. They’ve already rolled to the back of my head. I swallow the flan with a side of moaning.
Ever so slowly, I come back down to earth and feel his presence looming over me. Peeking out of one eye, I growl, “Don’t say anything.”
“I want to hear you say it.” His voice is filled with eager anticipation for me to sing his praises.
“Nope, nope, nope.” I slide the chair back as I stand. I grab the plate of flan and scurry to my bedroom. His laughter follows me but I don’t care. I’m going to shamelessly eat this whole thing.
After a few bites, Casey yells through the door. “I can hear you! And I’m taking it that mine is better! You don’t haveto say the words! Your moans are all the admission I need, cupcake!”
Cupcake?What a stupid nickname. Whatever. He’s not going to ruin my moment.
“Let me enjoy this in peace!” I yell back.
His only reply is his goofy, sexy, deep laugh. I can’t stand that man.
Chapter 6
Lisa
Casey and I arrive to the set for the cooking competition. It’s being filmed on a streaming network, and if all goes well, Casey could get invited to more major networks. The goal is to prove he can be family friendly and mainstream. The judges are supposed to be well-known food critics and an A-list actress.
“They need me to head to hair and makeup. Are you coming with or…” He lets his words trail off.
“I’m going to take some photos and then come up with some teasers for your socials.”
“Yeah, I liked the photo of the flan you posted last night,” he says. My face must giveaway my shock, because he chuckles. “Don’t act surprised. They’re my socials. Of course I checked them.”
