Page 61 of Desperate Pucker
It’s petty that I’m teasing him, but it’s the only way I can think to feel normal right now.
There’s a flicker in his gaze as his mouth slants up. “You know that’s my greatest joy in life, princess. Bossing people around.”
I let a soft laugh slip. A second later, his phone rings. He frowns at the screen. When he answers, I turn to pet Bruce while he snoozes next to me on the couch.
“Yeah, sure. How many cookies do you need?…You want them all decorated pink?…Sprinkles or no sprinkles?…sure…okay…sounds good…be careful when you go out tonight, okay?…love you too.”
He ends the call and slips his phone back in my pocket.
“Do you have to leave?” I ask.
He shakes his head. “Nah, that was just my sister asking me to bake a bunch of cookies for her.”
“Wait, you bake cookies?”
“Yeah.”
I go quiet.
“Why is that so surprising to you?” he asks, his tone on the edge of amused.
“You don’t look like the kind of guy who bakes.”
Amusement flickers in his eyes. “I like baking. And cooking.”
“Do you do it a lot?”
“Yeah, when I’m in the mood.”
“What are you baking for your sister?”
“Pink sugar cookies. She’s a volunteer tutor at an after-school program for girls who are from low-income neighborhoods. She likes to bring them treats, so I bake them cookies sometimes.”
My heart flops in my chest at how freaking sweet he is to do that.
A second later, guilt throttles me. I think about how we clashed the first few times we met—how I assumed he was a sexist jerk because he didn’t want to work with me.
A sexist jerk wouldn’t do what he does. I was wrong to think that about him.
I clear my throat and eat more of my soup. As I get closer to the bottom of the bowl, I notice a bunch of tiny, star-shaped pasta.
“What’s this?” I look at the spoon.
“Pastina. I used to put it in the chicken broth I’d cook for my little brother and sister when they were sick. It was their favorite pasta and the only way I could get them to eat.”
There goes my heart bouncing around my chest again. “That’s insanely cute, Ryker.”
He finally lets a small smile break free. My tummy does that loopy thing again.God. It always feels like winning a game I don’t even know how to play when I get this guy to smile.
“Did you have to watch them a lot growing up?”
“Mostly when they were little. Kids that age get sick a lot. I’d look after them when my parents were at work so they wouldn’t have to pay for a babysitter.”
I wonder if money was tight for Ryker’s family growing up. Hockey is an expensive sport, just like figure skating. Unless you have a lot of money, it’s a struggle for most parents to pay for their kids to do either activity.
“That’s when I started baking,” he says. “When the twins were on the upswing after having a fever or some stomach bug, I’d bake them cookies as a treat.”
I smile. “Best big brother ever.”
