Page 22 of Cakewalk

“Yeah?” she asked, breathless. “Like what?”

“Like this…” he said, tilting his head, lowering it slowly. The anticipation was killing him. He wanted nothing more in this moment than to devour her. But he wouldn’t do that. This was the first time she hadn’t shied away from his touch, and he wanted to make it good. So fucking good that she spent the rest of the day thinking about it. He paused, their lips a breath away from each other, stretching the moment out.

BEEEEEP!

* * *

Gigi

Gigi startled at the sound of the oven, jumping back from Holden. Cold air rushed around her, making her instantly miss the heat from his body, but she knew it was for the best. Letting herself get so caught up in the moment was a bad idea.

“Oven’s preheated,” she managed to say, sounding a lot more breathless than she intended. She was feeling more than a little pre-heated herself in this moment.

Get it together, Gigi. This is not how an independent woman acts. She does not get all weak-kneed and giddy just because some guy got flirty with her and maybe almost kissed her.

Grabbing the cake pan, she slid it in the oven, ignoring Holden’s presence. Maybe if she pretended it didn’t happen, then she could get her heart to stop racing. Oh, who was she kidding? Her heart was always beating a little faster if he was around. He did things to her she hadn’t felt since college. Hell, he’d brought out a sassy side she hadn’t let fully show since…well, longer than she cared to try to think about.

“Okay, so while that’s baking, I need to make the whipped cream,” she said, trying to get her head back on straight. Holden grabbed the carton of cream from the fridge and poured it into a mixing bowl before handing her the whisk. Their fingers grazed each other’s lightly as she took the utensil from him, sending shocks through her body. How was it that an almost kiss had left her so on edge? “Now, says here to just beat it until it’s stiff,” she read from the recipe on the tablet.

Holden bit back a laugh just as Gigi realized what she had said. Well darn it, now he was going to think that her mind was in the gutter.

“Beat it until it’s stiff and you’ll have cream alright,” he muttered, still trying not to laugh.

“Holden!”

“Sorry, I couldn’t help it. You walked right into that one.”

“I was just reading the directions!” she said, blushing even more. The giddiness that she had felt earlier rushed through her again, and this time she let herself enjoy it. She liked seeing this side of Holden, and she liked that she could let this side of her out. Maybe the new Gigi could be fun and flirty. She certainly didn’t have to worry about who might be offended by a colorful comment or innuendo. Holden certainly wasn’t holding back. Deciding to embrace the moment, she winked at him, letting a cheeky look take hold, and said, “Besides, I thought that if you beat it too hard then the whole thing collapsed.”

The look Holden gave her was one of both shock and appreciation. There was no mistaking the fire in his eyes as he looked at her, trying to figure out his next move as if this were a game of chess. All Gigi could do was smirk in response and turn back to the task at hand.

“And here I was thinking that you were some sweet southern belle,” he commented. “Underneath all that sugar is something a little more savory, huh?”

“There might be,” she quipped playfully, still whisking away at the cream. She was having way more fun with this conversation than she should, but she was still amped up from that almost kiss. She really wanted to know what his lips tasted like. “Or maybe it’s something more…spicy.”

“I somehow doubt there is anything spicy about your cupcakes,” he told her, that fire in his eyes still burning.

A flush of heat washed over her, making her stumble slightly in her whisking. There were so many things she wanted to say in return, but she also didn’t want to push this too far. Not that she was really sure where the line actually was. The most flirtatious thing she’d done in the last ten years was the requisite good business-wife giggle. That was what they were doing here, right? Flirting? She was pretty sure. He had almost kissed her.

“Maybe I’ll let you have a bite so you can see for yourself.”

“Gigi, I’ll gladly taste whatever you give me,” he said, his voice suddenly low and rough. It sent a thrill through her, and she licked her lips just thinking about what he could mean by that.

Turning back to the oven, not wanting to get caught off guard by the timer again, her heart sank a little when she saw there were only thirty seconds left. That didn’t really leave any more time for coded messages and innuendos, even though she was dying to see what else they could come up with. When the timer dinged, she pulled the cake out and put it on top of the oven, so it could cool like the recipe called for. Grabbing the mixing bowl and whisk from where she had set them next to the oven, she spun back around, trying to think of a clever comeback to Holden’s last statement about tasting. All thoughts about being cute and sassy disappeared a half second later though, when she lost her balance mid-twist, sending her straight to the floor.

Gigi landed on her side with a thump and the sound of the mixing bowl shattering. She felt the cool, whipped cream splash across her entire body and face as she landed, making the moment that much more embarrassing. Only she could screw up something as simple as turning around. Before she had a chance to react, Holden was crouched down by her side, helping her sit up.

“Oh, for heaven’s sake!” she cursed.

“You okay?” he asked, a look of concern having replaced the heat in his eyes from a moment ago.

“Never better!” she said, trying to wipe the mess off her face. "That was totally my signature move. Don’t act like you’re not impressed.”

“Totally impressed. You really nailed the landing. Although we’re still waiting on the score from the French judge—they may deduct a few points for style,” he joked.

“Leave it to the French,” she laughed, loving that he was going along with her on this and not making her feel like she’d failed at something else. “But I made a mess.”

“Don’t worry about it. It’s not something that can’t be cleaned,” he said, swiping at her cheek with his thumb. When he pulled his hand back, she saw it was covered in whipped cream. He slowly brought his thumb to his mouth and licked the cream right off. No, licking wasn’t the right term. It was somewhere between a lick and a kiss. Gigi had no idea what to call it, but watching those lips caress the pads of his thumb like that made her all kinds of hot and bothered. Her eyes locked on his as he did this, and for the life of her, she couldn’t look away. She wanted him to do exactly that to her. More than she wanted her next breath.