Page 64 of Surprised By Her

“Can you get the number for the helicopter rental?” Mom stage-whispered to me.

I laughed. “I’ll see what I can do.”

“I packed up some leftovers for Ryan,” Mama said, shoving a glass container at me. “I know you said she’s a good cook, but I want to make sure she’s eating, since you said she gets hungry all the time.”

I took it and thanked her because fighting was completely useless. If Mama wanted to feed someone, she was going to do it.

This time I took my own car to Ryan’s. I frowned as I started it up, remembering the sound of Ryan’s car and how comfortable the seats were.

“Mama made you dinner,” I said, holding the container out to her as she opened the door.

“Oh. I already ate,” she said.

“She knows. You can heat it up later,” I said.

She took it from me and stepped back to let me in.

“Tell her thank you for me,” she said, putting the container in the fridge.

“I will,” I said, looking at the beautiful display of cupcakes on the island. She’d found a tiered tray and had arranged them so they looked right out of a pastry shop.

“What is it?” she asked me when I turned to her.

“You’re one of those people who’s good at everything, aren’t you?” I asked. “You’re that girl.”

Ryan rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. She had a black T-shirt and gray joggers on, as if she’d been working out. Hot.

“I’m not good at everything,” Ryan said. “You never know, those cupcakes could taste terrible.”

“They’re not going to taste terrible,” I said, reaching for one and pulling off the paper. Ryan drummed her fingers on the counter as she waited for me to take a bite.

Not only did the cupcake have a delectable lemon cake, it was topped with a meringue frosting and sprinkles. I took a bite and it melted in my mouth.

“Oh my god,” I said, my mouth full. “This is soooo good.”

Ryan’s hands clenched. “Really?” she asked.

“Really times infinity,” I said before taking another massive bite, almost devouring the entire thing. There was frosting on my nose, but I didn’t care. I snagged another cupcake and Ryan selected one too.

“Okay, if you don’t stop me, I’m not going to stop myself,” I said, licking frosting from my thumb.

“You don’t have to stop. You can have anything you want,” Ryan said, swiping her finger at the corner of my mouth to catch a bit of frosting I’d missed.

Suddenly I wasn’t thinking about cupcakes. I was thinking about all the wicked things that Ryan could do with her hands and her mouth.

“Anything?” I asked.

Ryan nodded. “Anything.”

“I choose you and me minus clothes,” I said, pointing between us.

“You can absolutely have that,” Ryan said, pulling her shirt over her head.

Ryan read some more of the book to me later. She seemed…satisfied. I couldn’t put my finger on the subtle differences, but she was different as she told me about her cupcake adventures. She’d thrown away two previous batches before settling on the one that she gave me.

“See? I’m not good at everything,” she said.

“You kind of are,” I said. “But I’m learning to deal with it.”

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