Page 44 of Snowed In with Four Firemen
She’s still shaking her head. Something in my chest tugs at the sight of her smile. She looks free and unburdened and not as stressed as before. I’m glad I could be of help. “I can’t believe this. The firefighter slash cake decorator. This just keeps getting better.”
I shrug, trying to keep it cool, but her laughter makes me grin. “Everyone’s got a past, right?”
“Apparently,” she says, still chuckling as she points the spatula in my direction. “I just didn’t expect yours to involve batter.”
Emily flashes me a playful smile, stirring the batter with more enthusiasm now. “Don’t worry, your secret’s safe with me. For now.”
I raise a brow. “For now?”
She shrugs innocently, her grin widening. “Depends on how well this cake turns out. No pressure.”
I laugh despite myself. “Great. I didn’t know you were this devious.”
She winks at me. “Devious? Hardly. I just know how to play my cards right.”
“Alright, alright,” I say, taking the bowl off the counter. “That’s enough talk. Let’s get to work.”
It’s easy with her—surprisingly easy. We work well together, like we’ve done this a hundred times before, even though we’ve only just met.
But my mind keeps drifting back to what happened earlier with Axel. Something definitely went down between them, but weirdly, it doesn’t sit in my gut like jealousy. Instead, it’s…curiosity. Intrigue. And that bothers me a little.
I should be uneasy about the idea of Axel and Emily, right? But instead, I can’t stop thinking about the possibility, about how different it would be—her with Axel, maybe even Jace and Ben.
What if we could all have her at once? I can almost picture Emily caught in the middle—like she belongs there.
I shake my head, trying to rid myself of the thought.Focus, Tanner,I tell myself.
I glance over at her again. She’s biting her lip in concentration as she smooths the batter into the pan, completely unaware of what’s swirling through my mind. I shouldn’t be thinking like this. But damn, the way her lips twitch into a smile every time she catches me looking, it’s like she knows exactly what I’m thinking.
“How’s it coming?” I ask
Emily wipes her hands on a towel, giving me a nod. “Good. Messy but good.”
“Cool,” I say, but I’m distracted.
She looks up, catching the slight hesitation in my tone. “You alright?” she asks, her eyes searching mine.
I force a smile. “Yeah, just...a lot going on.”
She laughs softly, shaking her head. “Tell me about it.
There she is, tangled in bed, in my arms. But I’m not the only one there.We take turns mixing the batter, making sure there are no clumps.
“You’re quite the perfectionist,” I say.
“Well, it has to be perfect,” she says. “And I think we’ve almost got it now. But there’s not enough of it, I think.”
I peer over her shoulder. “Actually, you might be right. Even if we don’t exactly bake a giant cake, we’ll have to make enough for everyone to have at least one bite.”
She nods in agreement.
“I’ll help you.”
“So,” I say, grabbing the stand mixer and starting to mix beside her, “you never really told me much about your life in the city. What’s it like?”
She glances at me, smirking. “I work in Marketing. Long hours. I get takeout more often than I should. Not that interesting.”
“Sounds thrilling,” I joke, and she laughs, the sound light and easy. “No, but seriously, you like it?”
