Page 153 of A Taste of Vanilla

She narrows her eyes at me before turning back. “Sure, King.”

“I am.”

“I absolutely believe you.”

“You don’t,” I say with a small chuckle.

“Nope.”

I know that I need to stop. There are several rules Marley set for us. In fact, she stated them so clearly and intensely that they should be legally binding.

There will be no sleeping together again.

But having fun with her is not sleeping with her.

We’re talking about croissant dough. That’s all.

Still, Halston is in front of me, half-lit by the overhead light, flour on her hands and damp hair falling out of her messy bun, her bottom lip caught between her teeth as she rolls the stiff dough out.

And suddenly croissant dough doesn’t feel innocent enough.

“Roll from the center,” I say. “Less pressure on the edges this time.”

She presses the rolling pin to the dough, rolling over it slowly. The pressure is much more even, and it stretches cleanly.

“Good,” I say simply.

Her hands stop.

I look at them, and then her face. “What?”

“You can’t say good like that, Warren.”

“Like what?”

“Like you’re enjoying this.”

“I enjoy your technique. Your pressure is better.”

“Why does this sound so dirty?” she whispers angrily before turning back.

She returns the dough to the fridge before pulling out cookie dough. Grabbing the scale, she starts measuring for what looks like the first time in her life.

She places three balls of dough in wildly different sizes onto parchment paper, then weighs each one and trims a little from one side. When each reaches the weight she wants, she looks back at me.

“You’re doing really great,” I say.

She huffs. “Careful. Too much praise and I’ll start thinking you like me.”

After that, we move on to her muffin batter.

The famous banana-vanilla muffins. A fact that I learned against my will from Dev.

I’ve also learned that her customers often discuss these muffins like it has personally helped them through their worst days.

I read the recipe she places on the table while she mashes bananas, and I can feel her watching me from the corner of her eye.

“Is this a trap?” she says finally, after several minutes.