Page 23 of Cakewalk

Slowly, Holden leaned in, closing the gap between them. Gigi sucked in a breath, hoping, praying that this time he didn’t hesitate like he did before. As if he could hear her thoughts, Holden slipped the hand that had just been at his lips behind her head and pulled her into him, their lips meeting fast and hard.

For as sudden as his initial move had been, his next was soft and tentative as he slowly moved his lips against hers. Gigi felt as if her insides were going to burst into flames as he continued to move like this, drawing her in even closer. His lips were tender and rough all at the same time, and he tasted like nothing she had ever experienced before, but now that she had, she couldn’t imagine not having it again. The tickle of his beard against her face sent her soaring, one new sensation after another. Is this what kissing someone was supposed to feel like? Like she was floating off somewhere, tethered to nothing but this other person, sending new pulse waves of delight through her? Each second this continued got better and better, and Gigi thought that she would be more than happy to never, ever let this moment end.

After a long moment that still was not long enough, Holden pulled back. Gigi hated for the kiss to end, but at the same time, she needed a moment to recover. No one had ever kissed her like that. Not even on her wedding day. She ran her fingers along her lips, which felt a tad swollen from Holden’s attention. But she didn’t care. She was still too high from it all.

“You had some whipped cream on your lip,” he said, clearing his throat. He suddenly seemed nervous and unsure how to act around her. It was the complete opposite to how he’d been all afternoon, and Gigi suddenly worried she had done something wrong. What if he didn’t think the kiss was as good as she did? What if she did something wrong? Pushing up to his feet, he pulled her up as well. A small, almost shy smile tugged at his beautiful mouth as he looked at her and said, “But don’t worry. I think I got it all.”

10

Gigi

“Hi!” Audrey’s voice called out as she entered the Busy Bean’s kitchen.

“Hey!” Gigi said back, her southern drawl such a contrast to Audrey’s northern accent. At least it was her accent making her stand out this time, though, and not a kitchen failure.

She was two weeks into her personal baking challenge and was actually feeling pretty good about herself. These two weeks had been filled with cakes, cupcakes, muffins, and other such treats, most of which had turned out spectacularly. Other than one slight mix-up with the salt and sugar in a batch of lemon poppy seed muffins, she hadn’t messed up a recipe or burnt anything. She also hadn’t poisoned Holden yet, which was a major win in her book.

It had also been two weeks since the “Better Than Sex” cake had almost led to actual sex. Or well, something that resembled it. That kiss had been the closest thing to sex that Gigi had experienced in months and was still infinitely better than every previous encounter she’d ever had. Kissing Holden had been unlike anything she’d ever experienced. It had been all-consuming. She had felt that kiss in every inch of her body, and it left her wanting more. So, so much more. She wanted to get lost in him and his kisses for the rest of time. How his strong hand had been so soft and gentle, so reassuring as he’d pulled her close, and yet had also been fierce and possessive was something she had replayed over and over in her head. She had felt safe in his hands. And safe was not something she had been used to feeling in regard to a man’s hands. On top of that, the unique taste of him had lingered on her tongue for hours, so much so she’d almost been afraid to brush her teeth that night in fear of washing it away. Forget the cake. Holden was the best thing she’d ever tasted.

The only problem was it had also been two weeks without a repeat performance.

Carefully placing the little embellishments on the last of the cupcakes she was working on, Gigi stood up to find her boss staring at the tray, wide-eyed. The beautiful blonde’s face lit up as she picked up one of the cupcakes, twisting her wrist around to look at the baked good.

“This is adorable! Is that a pumpkin?” Audrey asked.

“Sure is!” Gigi said proudly. “These are a spiced cake with a cream cheese frosting. So nothing weird, but I thought they could use a little seasonal décor.”

She’d gotten the idea to sculpt little mini pumpkins and leaves to place on the treats while she and Holden had been watching TV the other night. Something about the combination of their awkward heart to heart about their spouses and the kiss that followed had opened the door to something she had never seen coming. A friendship.

"What do you mean you’ve never seen It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown?” he’d asked her the other night as she had been pulling a tray of muffins out of the oven.

“I mean I’ve never seen it. Why is that so hard to believe?” she asked in return, confused by how appalled he was over her never seeing a cartoon that was decades older than they were.

“Because everyone has seen the great pumpkin. It’s a rite of passage!”

“Well, I haven’t seen it,” she sassed back at him.

Out of nowhere, Holden appeared behind her and swooped her up, like a groom carrying his bride over the threshold. She let out a little shriek of surprise as he did so, her arms flying around his neck, holding on tighter than she probably needed to. But the comforting feeling of his arms around her was not something she was going to take for granted.

“Where are you taking me?” she asked, as he walked through the dining room and into the front living room. He placed her on the old, worn sofa that was almost hidden up against the wall just past the door from the dining room.

“We’re gonna watch it,” he told her.

“There isn’t a TV in here,” she pointed out. She felt stupid for stating the obvious, but he was not making any kind of sense.

As if he hadn’t even heard her, he crossed the room and grabbed a laptop from the table that sat adjacent to the front door. He wiggled it slightly, showing it off as he walked back toward her and slumped down on the couch.

“The Internet is an amazing thing, sweetheart,” he said with a wink. She could feel herself flush slightly at the moniker, but she loved it all the same. It made her feel special. It made her feel like she maybe was becoming as important to him as he was to her. She knew that it had taken a lot for him to share what he had about Hannah as well, which only served in solidifying that feeling.

Not that either one had dared broach the subject of their marriages since that first conversation, but there was an understanding there that they both had some pain in the past that the other knew about. Gigi could tell there was more to the story of Hannah’s death than Holden had told her, but she didn’t want to push the issue. It wasn’t like she was being completely forthcoming about Bradley only being dead in the metaphorical sense.

Nonetheless, going home to Holden every evening had become the highlight of her day. She loved telling him all about what had happened at the Busy Bean and swapping stories with him about some strange thing Kirk had done or something off the wall and colorful Roderick had said. Inevitably their conversation would turn to one or the other talking about their childhood or college, laughing the whole time. She never had this kind of camaraderie with Bradley, who’d never shared anything with her unless he was barking some kind of order. Holden, however, had no problem opening up. For as much as he wanted to let everyone think he was some kind of recluse who didn’t need anyone, the man who sat at the kitchen table every night as she flitted around him showed her otherwise.

“They’re adorable!” Audrey cooed. “And just what I came in to talk to you about!”

Gigi’s stomach sank at Audrey’s words. What had she messed up this time? Everything she had tasted herself had been good. All the comments she’d gotten from the customers had been positive as well. Even Kirk had told her yesterday that he liked the strawberry lemonade mini cake she’d made. Whatever it was though, she wasn’t going to let it get to her. She had come a long way in becoming the independent woman she’d set sights on when she left Atlanta, and she wasn’t about to slide backward now.

“Oh?” she asked as casually as she could manage, steeling herself for whatever came next.