Page 45 of Bake You Mine
So why had she kissed him? She was the idiot who’d started all this, not Liam.
“That sounds like a tagline from a Marvel movie orsomething.” Liam snorted. “But you say it like I’m not aware. I’m thinking of my plans B-Z.”
“Those are a lot of plans.”
“It is, but to return to the point, nothing says we can’t be friendly during this. It’s not like Gary laid out any hard and fast rules against fraternization. This is just a dog and pony show by him and the chamber of commerce.”
“There’s friendly and then there’sfriendly.”She huffed out a sigh. “Besides, you’re a popular guy with tons of admirers. I know what you said, but look.” She paused, trying to phrase her words carefully. “I’m not judging if you have other women who you see. But I’m an old lady who’s only into fucking one person at a time.”
He sucked in a breath. “Is that what we’d be doing then, Aubs? Fucking?”
Oh, sweet Jesus,thatword, in his deep, melodious voice. He could convince her to get in her car and drive twenty minutes across town to his bed. And she was too old for midnight booty calls. Or, in this case, eleven fifteen p.m. booty calls.
“Stop with the persuasion.”
He cleared his throat. “I was merely asking a question.”
“I wouldn’t want to cramp your style.”
“You’re not cramping anything except my wrist.”
Again, there was an eruption of butterflies in her belly. He was right—the chemistry between them was a grease fire. But she had to take her time with this. Besides, most things tasted good after simmering for a little bit.
“As if you don’t have girls knee-deep in your DMs.
“My DMs are closed.” His tone may be light, but his voice was as dark and deep as the ocean. “Except for a select few people. Like you.”
Her breath left her in one bigwhoosh. “Oh.”
“Besides, you left me wondering how you felt about me,”Liam said. “You made it seem like I was your least favorite person on the planet.”
She considered admitting her fear, not only of him but also of imploding her chances of winning. He spoke before she could gather the words.
“Anyway, just to clarify one last time: I’m a) not dating anyone, b) no longer a man whore, and most importantly, c) not interested in anyone but you.”
As amazing as it was to hear her crush admit he felt the same way for her,IN REAL LIFE,she didn’t let her heart soar up like a balloon just yet.
She hissed out a long breath. “I never imagined being your type, Liam.”
“That’s not true. But, you’ve always been curt with me or ignored me altogether, so I returned the favor.”
She snorted. “Because you put a roadblock between my brain and mouth. So, really, this is all your fault.”
They both laughed, and she allowed herself to relax. Even without trying, she’d let her guard down in a way she usually only did with her closest circle.
Still, she wasn’t quite ready to spill the beans just yet.
“And hey, for the record, I’m not hot chef. I mean, I kind of am. The persona gets asses in seats, and I don’t mind showing off occasionally. I work hard to look like this, and I don’t think there’s anything wrong with a shirtless selfie now and again.”
“And perhaps you acknowledge those photos get way more likes than your up-close food shots?”
His laugh was low. “I mean, you’re not wrong. The hashtag is a marketing tool, after all. I want to keep it mostly professional, but everyone needs to know the person behind the page. You show pictures of your real life.”
“With my clothes on.”
“Hey, your engagement numbers would go through the roof if you took a mirror selfie now and again.”
Aubrey threw her head back. “Says you.”
