Page 98 of How He Got the Girl
The door opens, and Kelsey’s dog, Winston, runs to me, licking any stretch of visible skin. Once my ankles and hands are thoroughly slobbered on, he seems appeased. I ruffle the fur on his head. “Hey, buddy.”
Mallory laughs, and I move my gaze up, finally getting a good look at her. Her hair is up in a messy bun with a few wavy hairs framing her face. She’s in a magenta long-sleeved shirt and jeans with a lacey blush-pink apron over her outfit. And she’s just as gorgeous in this as she was at the movie showing.
“Are you ready to bake your heart out?” she asks.
I nod. “Put me to work, boss.”
She steps to the side with a raised brow and a smirk, letting me inside. “Boss? I like the sound of that.”
“I’ll call you whatever you want, beautiful.”
I move into the kitchen. Mallory walks to the other side of the kitchen island. Leaning her elbows on the counter, she looks at me playfully. “Boss will do, for now. But I’m sure I can think of some other names.” She tilts her head, looking like the sassy girl I quickly knew I needed in my life from the moment I met her. “Well, at least ones I could callyou.”
The suggestiveness in her tone leaves me both wanting to know what names she’s thinking of and also slightly terrified of what they could be. My cheeks warm. “I think I’d be interested in hearing those later.”
“I’m sure you would.” She smirks and throws me an apron. “Put this on unless you want to mess up your fancy sweater and jeans.”
“I got these from the clearance rack at Kohl’s, thank you very much.” I pull the white apron over my head and tie it behind my back.
“Does saying that make you feel better about being rich and famous?”
“I’ve only madetwomovies.”
Mallory gets the oven preheating and starts grabbing ingredients from the fridge and pantry. “One of which has made over one hundred fifty million.”
“I don’t get to keep that money.”
“I know that, I’m just saying that I think that makes you famous. And since your salary for the movie is public knowledge, I’d say that makes you rich as well.”
I love how she keeps me on my toes, never knowing what she’s going to say next. What Mallory doesn’t know is how much of that money is now gone. Between what I’ve donated to charities, my granny’s hip replacement and top-of-the-line rehab facility, my house rental here and my apartment in LA, security teams for my rental and Mallory’s house, my drivers, the private jet, and all the normal costs of monthly living, I’ve spent a lot of my earnings.
But I’d do it all over again if it brought me back to her. To end up here in her kitchen with Taylor Swift playing in the background like the soundtrack of our lives.
She snaps her fingers. “Earth to Griffin.”
I blink rapidly. “Sorry, what was that?”
“Can you put all the dry ingredients into that bowl?” She hands me a recipe notecard.
I salute her. “Sure thing.” I carefully measure flour, baking powder, and salt into a bowl while Mallory beats butter, sugar, brown sugar, and eggs with a mixer.
I use the back of a butter knife to even out my ingredients, wanting these cookies to be perfect. Once I’ve finished, I pass over the dry ingredients to her. Before I know it, she’s worked her magic and is sliding cookie sheets into the oven.
Mallory turns around and walks my way with a playful glint in her eye. “You know, you have something right here.” She reaches up and touches my cheek, leaving behind something that feels like dust.
I narrow my eyes slightly. “Did you just put flour on my face?”
“It was already there.” She shrugs, feigning innocence.
I grab a small pinch of flour from the container, rubbing it between my fingers before swiping some across Mallory’s nose. “Mm-hmm. Just like you already had flour on your nose.”
She places her hands on her hips. “Don’t start a fight you can’t win.”
I lick my lips, and satisfaction courses through me as I watch her eyes dip to them. “I’d only lose because I’d let you win. Since I’m a gentleman and all.”
“It sounds like we’re both winners, then.” Mallory goes up on her tiptoes, her eyes still on my mouth. It would be plain rude to refuse an invitation like that. I brush my nose against hers, teasing. Mallory wraps her hands around my neck, tugging my mouth to hers.
It feels like we’ve done this thousands of times, the way our lips seem to know each other and move together. But it also feels like the first time, passionate and exhilarating.
