Page 22 of The Prettiest Outlaw

“Why you ain’t make more?” He popped another one into his mouth.

“Right?” Kayla popped one into her mouth as well.

What had been a plate of confections was now down to two. Julianna snatched up the plate, offering the last two to me.

“Aw shit, big homie.” Khalil’s eyes gleamed with amusement. “We didn’t know this was you.”

“Shut up, and get back to work.” I chastised him jokingly before popping one of the delicacies into my mouth.

The petit four was complex in flavor. There was, of course, the sweetness because it was a tiny miniature cake like DeAngelo had suggested. There was also the creamy tartness of the lemon. The layers of cake were moist but also fluffy. The frosting was barely sweet with the perfect amount of sugar to compliment the cake beneath it. I wasn’t the biggest fan of sweets. I could take them or leave them. But Julianna’s petit fours were delicious.

I plucked the last one from the plate and put it in my mouth. Although it was small, I took my time and savored it, enjoying the flavors as they played in my mouth.

“Why’d you come by here and tease us with this?” I asked once I had swallowed. “Bringing five of these mini cakes when you know hungry dudes work here?”

“I have a small kitchen and only one oven?—”

Khalil spoke up, cutting her off. “If you need a bigger kitchen, you should come through my spot. My kitchen is big as hell.”

“You got double ovens in this big kitchen of yours?” she asked him, holding his gaze with hers.

I wanted to laugh. Khalil was a flirt, but so was Julianna’s flirty ass. It was cool to see a flash of the person she used to be and not the sullen, sad person she had become.

“You,” I said, including Khalil, DeAngelo, and Sherwin in my finger-pointing, “go back to work. You…” I made eye contact with Julianna, “in my office.”

She turned on her heel and headed toward my office. I followed her, watching her ass as it swayed from side to side in an easy, rhythmic motion as she moved.

“Take a picture! It’ll last longer.” I heard Kayla call out.

I ignored her, wondering instead about the unusual things I was feeling for Julianna. Not that it was unusual for me to be attracted to a pretty woman, but it was the fact that there was more than just physical attraction brewing.

When we made it to my office, I closed the door and took a seat at my desk. She sat in front of it.

“You ready for Saturday? You ready to teach cookie decorating to the church’s youth group?”

“I’m not sure.” She hiked her shoulders up and down in a tense shrug. “I had the idea that I would pre-make the cookies. I mean, trying to bake and decorate cookies is a lot for one sitting. You have to allow for baking time and cooling time.” She threw up her hands theatrically, and I smiled. “It would just be a lot. So, I want to take the cookies to the church pre-baked.”

I nodded slowly. “That sounds like a plan. If your cookies taste anything like your petit fours, you have real talent, lil bit.”

The grin she gave me actually made me feel like I was about to blush. It actually caused me to chuckle a little bit.

“Aye, don’t be coming around here slaying all the gangsters in my shop with your smile,” I teased.

“Sorry.”

I could tell that she wasn’t really sorry because the bright smile remained on her pretty face.

“It’s been a minute since I had a legit reason to smile.” She shook her head. “Almost started to wonder if I remembered how to smile. And thank you for the compliment. Oh, and thank your crew for being taste testers for me. Next time, I’ll bring the treats straight back here so they don’t eat them all up before you.”

“Yeah, do that.”

“I should go. I have a lot of cookies to make, and I really do only have the one oven.” She sighed. “It’s times like this when I wish my mother hadn’t sold her home. She had a huge kitchen with double ovens and ample space for me to cool cookies and whip up royal icing.”

“You trying to get me to invite you over to my place to bake cookies?” I joked.

Her eyes widened. “I wasn’t, but do you have a humongous kitchen with double ovens and lots of counter space?”

“I stay in a smallish house that’s the very definition of a bachelor pad.” I admitted and watched the smile on her face dim significantly in wattage. I sighed and made a decision. “But I might know a place.”

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