Page 27 of Neighbors With Benefits

With the ominous tone of a super villain, Aiden replied, “Beer only enhances my powers.”

We moved the game to the living room floor and started playing. I got lucky and won the first game in less than a minute. Even though I lost the next three games in a row, that first game and his reaction made it all worth it.

“Two more,” I demanded. “I can’t let you leave just yet.”

“If you want to keep losing,” Aiden replied, “then I’ll stick around and oblige you.”

“I wish I had snacks,” I said, grabbing two more beers from the fridge. “I should have bought dessert for tonight.”

“We could bake our own,” he suggested. “What about cookies?”

“I don’t have any cookie dough.”

Aiden hopped up from the table. “You have all the ingredients to make them from scratch.” He began opening cabinets. “Sugar, flour, sea salt. Eggs. Do you have vanilla extract?”

“Right above you.” I reached past him, brushing against his chest, to retrieve the little black bottle.

“Perfect. We have everything we need for sugar cookies.”

I wasn’t a huge fan of sugar cookies—I preferred desserts that were full of chocolate. But I didn’t want to dampen his enthusiasm, so I said, “Sugar cookies are my favorite!”

“These would be best if the butter was softened at room temperature,” Aiden explained, “but I can make this work.”

“Teach me, oh master of the kitchen,” I said.

“Wipe down that counter. That’s where we’ll make the cookies.”

“Yes, chef,” I said dutifully.

Aiden washed his hands, then quickly got to work mixing everything in a bowl. “Most of this is simple: you mix the dry and wet ingredients separately, then combine them. But I have a secret trick that makes my sugar cookies the best.”

“Define the best.”

“Crispy on the outside, soft on the inside. Duh.”

I nodded while watching him mix the ingredients. “I’m listening.”

“Once the dough is made, you separate them into individual dough balls,” he explained.

“Okay,” I said, pulling off bits of the finished dough and rolling them into balls. Aiden pinched some flour and spread it around the counter so the dough wouldn’t stick while I rolled it out.

“Now’s the time for my secret,” he revealed. “Before you put them on the baking pan, you roll them in granulated sugar.” He dumped the sugar onto a plate and spread it out with his hand.

“Why not add the sugar to the outsideafterthey’re baked?” I asked.

“Rookie mistake,” Aiden said. “The sugar isn’t just for flavor. It also helps draw moisture out of the surface of the cookies while they bake. That’s what gives the cookies that cracked, crispy look.”

“Ahh. How much sugar do I roll on?”

“Enough to coat the outside. No, a little more than that.” He placed his hands over mine and helped me mold the next ball, then rolled the ball in the granulated sugar. I sucked in my breath at his touch; once again the hairs on my arms were stiff. It felt like electricity was surging from his hands into mine.

“Good,” he murmured, his lips close to my ear. “That’s perfect.”

“Yeah?” I purred back at him. Was this really happening?

“Mmm hmm,” he breathed.

His hands were covering mine, and we were shoulder-to-shoulder next to the counter. Aiden was breathing faster, though his motions were still slow and smooth as we rolled the dough in the sugar longer than needed. But he didn’t remove his touch, and I definitely didn’t want him to.

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