Page 27 of Wilder

“Good morning,” he said when he reached the table.

He set down a container and a tray with two cups on it, then unzipped his jacket and took it off, revealing a sweatshirt with a college logo on the front. After hanging it on the back of the chair, he sat down across from her.

“I didn’t know if you drank coffee,” he said as he worked one of the cups free, then set it in front of her. “But I brought you a cup. I also brought some sugar, sweeteners, and cream.”

“Why didn’t you just get coffee here?” Lexi asked as he reached into the pocket of his jacket, pulling out a bunch of stuff that he put on the table.

Wilder grinned at her. “To be honest, I forgot about the cafe.”

“Well, thank you.” Lexi wrapped her hands around the cup, enjoying the warmth that seeped into her fingers. “I’m not much of a coffee drinker, but I do indulge once in a while.”

“Indulge?” Wilder asked. “You think coffee is an indulgence? Personally, I find it’s a necessity.”

“It had to be an indulgence since I don’t like to drink it black.”

Wilder frowned. “So because you added cream and sugar, you couldn’t have it every day.”

It didn’t surprise Lexi that he couldn’t grasp how things had been in her life when she’d been performing. Few could. “Whenyou demand a lot of your body, you have to make sure that what you intake is the best fuel possible. Sugar was a definite no-no.”

“Hmmm. Well, if you’re still watching sugar intake, you’re really going to hate me when I open this.” He tapped the lid of the container he’d also brought with him.

“Why’s that?”

“My brother’s mother-in-law made fresh cinnamon buns.” He peeled open the lid, then tilted it so Lexi could see. “They’re to die for.”

Lexi stared at the baked goods in the container, convinced that she could feel herself gaining weight just by looking at them. “Uh… they do look delicious.”

“I don’t know if you want some, but I’m going to have one.” Wilder proceeded to produce some napkins and a knife from the other pocket of his jacket.

“Did you bring everything but the kitchen sink?” Lexi asked as she watched him use the knife to cut one of the cinnamon buns and lift it out to place it on the napkin.

“Yep. But I’m gonna wish I had the kitchen sink to wash my fingers off in a minute here. These are sticky, sticky.”

He ripped off a piece from the pastry and popped it into his mouth, closing his eyes and humming in appreciation as he chewed. It was so, so tempting to indulge with him. But after she’d doctored the coffee to her satisfaction, she wasn’t sure further indulgence was good for her.

On the other hand, she wasn’t competing anymore, so she didn’t need to keep her body in top physical condition. However, if she ever returned to competing, she couldn’t have let herself go because the climb back to the top would be even harder.

But what was the likelihood of that happening?

“I didn’t realize it would be this difficult a decision for you to make,” Wilder said. “I don’t want to tempt you to do something you’d rather not.”

When he reached for the lid to put it back on the container, Lexi put her hand on his to stop him. For a moment, she stared at the contrast between their hands.

His large and strong. Hers smaller but no less strong. His skin was tanned, while hers was pretty much as fair as a person could get without being completely white. Her mom had drilled into her the necessity of sunscreen whenever she went outside, in order to keep her skin looking young.

“Change your mind?” Wilder asked.

“I…” Lexi moved her hand from his, for some reason feeling like she was standing on a precipice. It was ridiculous to feel that way over a cinnamon roll, and yet, there she was. “Yes. Yes, I have.”

Wilder grinned at her, almost as if he was proud of her decision. “You won’t regret it. I promise you.

Lexi wasn’t so sure about that. In the past, when she’d eaten things not part of her plan, guilt had come swiftly, chasing away any pleasure she might have gained from it. Would that be the case for this? Or would it be different because she was no longer training? No longer under the strict eye of her dad, Mik, and her coaches.

“Here you go,” Wilder said, holding the knife out to her. “Cut yourself however big of a piece you want. I’ll eat whatever you don’t.”

Lexi wanted to throw caution to the wind and claim a whole bun, but in the end, she took half of the half that Wilder had left.She waited for Wilder to make a comment about it, but he just kept smiling as he ate.

Her fingers sank into the soft bread as she lifted it to take a small bite. She expected it to be super sweet, but she discovered that it was the perfect blend of buttery, sweet, and spicy.

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