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My comeback seems to catch him off guard, but the side of his mouth hitches, and it’s such a flirty little curve of his lips and I’m a touch lightheaded after all.
Ashley jumps in with a relieved smile to break the spell. “You okay there, Cassie? That was quite the bump.”
“Yes, I’m fine,” I confirm, although now I’m not so sure. That smile seems to be my undoing, and my mouth suddenly feels like it’s stuffed full of cotton.
I wish I had a sip of water.
“Good, well, let’s get to decorating then. Put those aprons on and let’s come back here.”
Chris steps back and holds out my apron so I can duck into the loop at the top before he slips his own over his head. I reach around to grab the ties on the back of mine, but he brushes my hands away.
“Let me tie you up.”
I can’t help it. My dirty mind immediately goes there.
I bite back a smile and dig my teeth so hard into my lower lip there’s a good chance of blood. Out of the corner of my eye I cansee he catches my expression and, as Ashley proceeds to tell the audience about the assortment of cookie decorating supplies we have at our disposal, cocks an eyebrow.
I swallow hard despite my thick tongue and clear my throat.
“After you,” he says, the words a deep rumble, as he holds an arm out to usher me toward the counter on our right.
I pull myself together and nod. The tension in my shoulders seems to melt away in his presence. We’ve known each other less than a hot minute, but I breathe a little easier heading into the challenge.
Ten minutes and one commercial break later, our time was up, and I was right. Not only is Chris handsome and caring, he’s cool as a cucumber and good with his hands.
Together we’ve successfully decorated a dozen heart-shaped sugar cookies, if by decorate you mean cover them in a thick, messy layer of frosting and douse them with a bazillion sprinkles.
At least that’s what I did.
Chris, on the other hand, decorated his like conversation hearts. He even used a pastry bag filled with white icing to writeThe One, neatly in block letters on one.
“Very on brand,” I murmur as Ashley compliments our efforts.
He lifts a shoulder. “I try.”
She spins to the camera. “Folks, it looks likeThe Onemight have gotten it right with these two. Even if their cookie decorating skills need some practice, it seems like they’re having fun and hitting it off on the right foot. Let’s take a break and when we come back, we’re going to find out where Chris and Cassie will be heading off to on their blind date this morning— camera’s included, of course— so don’t go anywhere, we’ll be back in a minute.”
As soon as the red ON AIR light clicks off, it feels like the air has been let out of a balloon.
Samantha rushes forward with her ever present clipboard and nods. “That was great. Looks like you two were really having fun. Now, after you get cleaned up, we’ll need you both to step over to the wheel. When we come back, one of you will spin and then you’ll be off on your blind date.”
With that, she turns and joins Ashley, who is talking with a man wearing a headset.
“Having fun yet?” Chris murmurs, as a smile tugs at his lips.
“Jury’s still out. Talk to me when this is over.”
“The segment or the date?”
I lift a shoulder, trying and failing to keep the smirk off my face as I spin so my back is toward him. “Care to untie me?”
He steps up behind me and leans in so close his warm breath skims my shoulder. “If I have to.”
What a handsome devil with a wicked tongue. A shiver runs down my spine, but the colorful digital wheel withThe Onelogo in the center, displayed on a large screen a few feet away, keeps my imagination from straying too far. Each segment lists a different potential activity for our blind date.
Chris pulls his apron off over his head and follows my gaze.
“Let me guess,” he says, scanning the options. “You’d pick… trapeze session.”
