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Closing the oven door, she pivoted back to set the timer. She pulled up short when she saw Asher had come around to her side of the island. Taken-aback, she watched his hand lift from her mixing bowl to his mouth. That drool she’d feared earlier threatened to make an appearance as he sucked chocolate batter from his finger.
“Mmm.”
“Hey.” Her voice rang sharp out of self-preservation. “Only the baker gets to do that.”
He lowered his hand, offering a sheepish grin that was way too cute and sexy at the same damn time. The only way she kept from smiling back was by reminding herself his crazy psychic friend had cost her his sister’s wedding. But even then, it was a struggle when his gaze captured hers.
As seconds passed, the twinkle in his eye shifted and sharpened, turning burnt amber into more of a hot, melty honey brown.
“Sorry,” he said.
Only he didn’t sound at all remorseful. Didn’t act it either when he reached to swipe inside the bowl again.
It was almost empty, so it wasn’t like it was a big deal, but she’d just told him not to do it. She started to protest, but lost all ability to speak when he leaned in close to offer her his chocolate covered finger. Heat seared through her body at the dawn of his challenging, mischievous grin. Plus, he still smelled as amazing now as he had earlier in the evening.
When she didn’t move, he pointed out, “You did say only the baker gets to taste test.”
Oh, God, how she wanted to lean forward and lick that batter from his finger. Problem was, that would have her imagining licking batter off other parts of him, and thoughts like that were liable to make her combust right here in her kitchen.
And then who would take the cupcakes out of the oven?
Who the hell cares?
CHAPTER 12
A sher’s heart hammered in his chest as he waited for Honor to decide if she was going to take his bait or not. It wasn’t a smart move, seeing as she’d pretty much admitted Roxanna was right—hypothetically—but he couldn’t resist getting closer, pushing her to surrender to the undeniable chemistry sparking between them.
She was simply too damn appealing with those skin-tight leggings, messy, just-out-of-bed hair, and her fresh scrubbed face with a dusty smear of flour camouflaging the freckles on her right cheek.
The chocolate batter slowly crept down toward his knuckle and she still hadn’t made a move. The exact moment he started to lower his hand, she grabbed his wrist and leaned forward to lick up the drip, then wrapped those pretty lips around his finger.
Her tongue curled around the tip, her gaze locked with his the whole time. When she swallowed, the erotic pressure of her tongue pressing his finger to the roof of her mouth made him go from semi-hard to hard as steel in the space of one shallow breath. He pulled his finger from her mouth while lifting his other hand, then cupped each side of her face as he bent down to capture her lips.
She rose up to meet him, her mouth eager against his, her hands grasping his forearms while he walked her one step back to press her against the island. Her soft, breathy moan was barely audible above the music in the background, but he felt the warm sigh against his lips. He echoed the sentiment, then slid his tongue inside her mouth, licking deep, seeking her heat.
She tasted of chocolate, of course, but as he tangled his tongue with hers, he kept getting a hint of some decadent, elusive, irresistible sweetness that had him craving more. Just like the cakes she baked, one taste of the woman proved addicting.
He lowered his hands to her waist for a quick lift that planted her butt on the counter. His mouth smothered her small gasp of surprise as she gripped his shoulders. When he moved in closer, her knees bumped into his stomach. He ran his palms down along her thighs, then grasped above her knees to spread her legs and step between them.
All of a sudden, her knees gripped the sides of his hips, keeping him from getting too close. He bit back a groan of protest when she pushed against his shoulders. Her breath was as uneven as his as she drew her hands away from him to tangle them together in her lap. While shifting his weight back, he noted longing, dismay, and confusion chase across her face before her green gaze met his.
Resisting the animalistic urge to crush her to him, he gently flexed his fingers on her knees. “What?”
She smiled, but it faltered fast as she dropped her gaze to his chest. After a deep breath, she said, “We’re neighbors.”
“Yes, we are.”
“Then you should und
erstand why this isn’t a good idea.”
He frowned. “Just because we’re neighbors?”
“Not only that, but it’s a large part of it.”
Asher slid his palms to the counter on either side of her legs and braced his weight on the heels of his hands. “Why?”
The question came out as more of a demand than he meant it to, sparking defensiveness in her expression.
