Page 5 of Flawless Aria

“Will you stop, please? You sound like a dog in heat.” I almost choke on a mouthful as I try swallowing. God, I hope not. I’m pretty sure I sound just like that when I’m having an orgasm.

It takes me a few minutes to finish what’s in my mouth followed by a whole glass of milk. Damn, that’s fucking delicious. They taste even better than I remembered. Aria’s always been a fantastic baker. I heard that she started with an Easy-Bake Oven, but that was way before my time.

“You’ve outdone yourself this time. They are exquisite, delectable, and downright sinful. It should be against the law to make something so out of this world…”

“Cut the crap, Jax. Let’s play the game. Are you stalling because you’re a wee bit scared of your competition?”

“Not one little iota. Hit me with your best shot!” I almost blurt out the rest of that iconic song, but she absolutely knew where it was headed. Yeah, I guess we do know each other quite well.

For a brief moment, our eyes lock and then we can’t help it. We crack up laughing and I’m thankful that this woman decided to bake whoopie pies for me today. She’ll never know but she saved me from making an ass out of myself. Had I left, like I planned, I would have gone straight to Stephanie’s house and asked for a redo.

ARIA

I’d liketo think it’s because of me that he’s smiling right now. And it looks wonderful on him. It always has, but in truth he hasn’t smiled a whole lot over the last few years. Not when I was there anyway. Maybe he’s been unhappy and didn’t realize it. Until Stephanie broke his heart and the loss he’s feeling now isn’t love but complacency. Something familiar. Fear of starting over. If anyone has changed over time, it’s Stephanie, not Jax.

Whether you meet him at a concert or the grocery store, he’s always the same down-to-earth guy. Albeit, he has a crazy sense of humor that can be over the top at times, but he’s steady. Yeah. That’s a great word to describe him. Steady. The reason I call bullshit on Steph when she claims she wants a guy with more stability. Jaxon Carter is the full package. Def boyfriend material. Okay, changing the subject.

“What’s the matter? You can’t think of a food item, Mister Hotshot?”

“Oh, I have a ton on the tip of my tongue. I want to find a good one so I can make it hard for you.” I swear—in that second, in that moment, I blush. I do. Somehow the words ‘tongue’ and ‘hard’ all in a few sentences had my mind, and body, spinning out of control.

It hasn’t even been one full day that I’ve spent with him, and I’ve already turned into a complete idiot. No one at my age should blush. That’s unheard of.

“Are you going to stare into space or take a stab at what food I’ve been acting out for hours?”

“Don’t be so dramatic. It’s only been a few seconds. Now start over again.” He does and for the life of me, I have no idea what kind of food it is.

Thank goodness he starts again, and it frustrates me that I can’t get it right away. Hey, there’s chip and dip on the line here. It’s everything and he knows it.

Watching him closely, I notice he keeps picking some invisible object off the table and placing it on something imaginary in his hand. Then he sinks his teeth into…

“Pizza. It’s pizza. Am I right?”

“What kind of pizza?” I think back to what he was doing and immediately know the answer. His favorite.

“The works! Ding, ding, ding. Give the girl some chip and dip.”

“Dig in, you know your pizza.”

No, I just knowhispizza. I stifle a giggle as I search for the biggest chip I can find, load it with dip, and open wide. All the flavors explode on my tongue simultaneously. Sour cream, onion, and the salt and grease on the chip is perfection. There’s a party in my mouth and I’m the only one invited. If I was alone, I’d do a happy dance right now. It’s been so long since I’ve cheated. So worth it.

We play food charades until all the dip is gone and he’s licked his plate clean. I’m ready to unbutton my jeans and let it all hang out, but again, I’m not alone. Jax leans back, lifts his fingers, and starts counting. Why, I have no idea.

“Pretty sure I won that game, but obviously you don’t care since there’s not a trace of dip left in that jar. Being the good guy I am, I’ll let you take home the rest of your chips as a consolation prize.”

“You didn’t win, I did. You might have gotten twelve huge bites out of the six pies I brought. I, on the other hand, was only allowed one chip loaded with dip. Hmm, my dip is gone and there’s not much left in that bag. So you might want to reconsider that decision.” Throwing his head back, he laughs. And damn if I don’t feel something deep in my soul. He’s so damn beautiful. How did I not realize this until recently? In all fairness, I did crush on him when I was younger, but don’t all giddy pre-teens like their sister’s boyfriends? The fact that he was a musician, a drummer no less, well… that in of itself was a game changer.

“I’ll help you clean up and then I need to run,” I say. “I’ve overstayed my welcome.”

“Never happen. My door is always open. If you bake for me again, I’ll gladly give you a key. Hell, I’ll give you a room and you can be my private baker. I’ll have a hat engraved with your name.” Whoa, he can’t be serious.

“You’re blushing again, and I was only kidding. You’re welcome to stay but I get why you don’t want to waste a Saturday stuck here with me.”

“I’m not stuck. I chose to stay, and I actually had fun. Still say I won, but whatever.” Another smile. Perfection.

“Maybe I let you win, Aria. Just to keep you here a little longer.” Is he flirting with me? No, can’t be. I’m the one who’s twisting all of his words around and it’s another reason why I need to leave.

“Good to know, but I really need to go. I have an article to finish this weekend, so I won’t be scrambling on Monday morning. I hate deadlines, and since I’m a procrastinator, there’s no time like the present.”

---