Page 21 of Cakewalk

“I was going to put everything away, but I wasn’t a hundred percent sure where it all went, and I didn’t want to do it wrong.”

“There is so little in these cupboards these days that I’m not really sure there is a system. So, have at it!” he told her. The smile that took over her face could have rivaled a kid at Christmas, and Holden couldn’t stop himself from laughing a little. Had he known all it would take to get that kind of smile out of her was to let her organize a kitchen, he would have done that the day she moved in. “I’m going to take a shower and then we can start. Cool?”

“Cool,” she repeated.

Turning to head up the back stairs, he paused on the first step, turning back to her. “Think we could listen to something a little…a little less teenybopper when I get back though?”

“You did not just say that about Queen Tay. Hashtag T Swift for life!” she told him.

“Got it!” he replied, as he finished making his way up the stairs.

After the quickest shower he could manage, Holden rushed back down the stairs into the kitchen. He was surprised to find the whole place looking like a scene from a magazine. All the bags and boxes that had been strewn about just moments before were now tucked away in their new homes, and all the counters seemed to have been wiped down. The only things that were still out were all the basic ingredients for a chocolate cake.

“I thought this recipe called for box cake mix? Or did you decide not to start with the Better Than Sex cake?” he asked, watching Gigi mix the ingredients together. Her cheeks flushed as he said the cake’s name, just as they had yesterday. Watching her blush like this was easily one of the cutest things he’d ever seen, and like hell if he wasn’t going to keep trying to make it happen.

“It does, but that felt like cheating. Besides, it’s not like I can use a box at the Busy Bean. Trust me, I’ve considered it.”

“That’s fair. So, not to tell you how to do this, Gigi, but you know the oven isn’t on, right?”

“Yeah, I was a little afraid to touch it. Didn’t want to burn down this house too,” she admitted. Her words came out sounding sassy, but the slightly sheepish look on her face betrayed that there was at least some truth to her statement.

“You’re not going to burn down the house by pre-heating an oven,” he told her as he pressed the button on the appliance.

Gigi stopped mixing and just stared at him, a blank expression on her face. After a moment, she stretched out her hand to him, as if they were meeting for the first time.

“Hi, I’m GeorgiaGrace Elyse Hawthorne, née Shaw. Like Shaw Investments, not Shaw flooring. That’s a whole different set of Shaws,” she giggled. He could tell that this was a very well-rehearsed line of hers, and she could have recited it in her sleep. He also had no idea where she was going with this. “Anyway, when I fail, I do it spectacularly, as evidenced by your carriage house. Also, you told me I wasn’t allowed to bake anything unless you were here.” The saccharine smile she shot him as she finished screamed “so there!”

Holden shifted slightly on his feet as he felt a rush of blood head straight for his dick. He had no idea where this version of her had come from, but fuck if he didn’t like it. The smile still tugging at her pretty pink lips made him want to reach over the butcher block and kiss it right off of her and show her just what she could do with all this sass. Instead, he opted to play into it and see if maybe she felt the sizzle in the air too.

“Admit it. You were really just worried that this cake isn’t better than sex, and that you were going to need me for research,” he said, giving her a wink.

“I’m sure the cake is indeed better than sex,” she replied, her tone just as cheeky as his.

Holden opened his mouth to respond and then stopped himself. Did she just say that she thinks the cake is going to be better than sex? No, you misheard her. There was no way cake was better than sex…

“I seem to have misheard you. You think a cake is going to be better than sex?” he asked, dumbfounded.

“I’ve never understood the hype around sex. I mean, who cares? It's not that good,” she told him with a shrug, pouring the cake batter into the glass pan she’d pulled out.

“You don’t like sex?”

“Nope.”

Holden blinked a couple of times, still not fully understanding. How was it that this stunning creature didn’t like sex? Had her marriage been that bad?

“How do you not like sex? Everyone likes sex.”

“No, not everyone,” she said, like it was completely obvious. “What's there to get so excited about? It's not like it is on TV…all passionate and sweaty. He climbs on top, goes ‘uh uh’ a couple of times, and it’s over. Big deal!”

Is that what she thought sex was? He’d gotten the impression that her marriage hadn’t been something that romance novels were made of, but it couldn’t have been that devoid, could it?

“Um, foreplay?” he suggested, letting his mind wander to all the dirty things one could possibly do. Images of Gigi splayed out on his bed filled his mind, as he kissed and worshipped her body. His dick twitched again just thinking about how she would taste and feel underneath him, writhing in pleasure. The urge to kiss her returned, and it was taking way more self-control than it should to hold himself back in this moment.

“Bradley wasn’t into that. He was just a ‘main event’ kind of guy.” She shrugged, almost as if in defeat, and it was more than Holden could take.

It took him two steps to round the butcher block and pull Gigi into him. For a brief moment he wondered if he should stop, but the look in her eyes and the gasp that escaped her as their bodies met told him that she was feeling this too. Her hands met his chest, slowly inching up his pecs, as if he had braille printed there and she wanted to make sure she felt every word. He tightened his grip on her hips and gazed into her gray eyes. They were filled with wonder, seemingly excited about where this was going to lead. He had no idea what he was doing, but listening to her talk about sex like it had been some kind of marital obligation left him feeling like he needed to do something.

“Bradley was a dumbass,” Holden said, not daring to unlock their gaze. The electricity surrounding them now was palpable, and feeling Gigi relax into him only fueled his fire even more. “Sex isn’t just mechanically inserting P into V. It’s heat, and passion, and desire. It’s communicating with your body what words can’t say.”