Page 164 of Knot That Serious

Eli’s chest could’ve burst from the force of her happiness. “Good. That was easy. Didn’t even have to feed you donuts to convince you.”

Raj leaned over her, almost dipping her like in a dance as he bent down to the workstation to sniff at the cooling donuts. “Well, I mean, I wouldn’t be opposed to trying them.”

With a giggle, she freed herself from his grasp and patted the top of one of them.

“They’re still too hot to fill and ice… but you can help me make the icing.”

“Oh, I don’t know what help I’ll be,” Raj drawled, and eyed her doubtfully. “I’m an architect, not a baker. What do I do, chef?”

Eli beamed at him, and motioned to the sink. “First, wash up,” she said. “And, as much as it pains me to say… please tie your hair up, too.”

“Sanitary. I like it.”

Eli gathered the ingredients, sitting them atop one of the empty workstations as he got ready. He joined her soon enough, and Eli sighed happily.

“Thank you for fake-courting me,” she said, bumping their hips together. “Even as… unhinged as the idea was, I had fun.”

“It was a little… out there,” Raj agreed, and bumped her back. “But it got me closer to you, didn’t it?”

Eli nodded, biting down on her smile.

“So, these donuts are a gesture? What kind of gesture?” he asked innocently, but Eli spied the curl to his lips.

“They’re a…” She wet her lips. “A grand gesture.”

“A grand gesture?” he repeated. Raj stepped in front of her, tilted her chin up. “Good.”

His scent surrounded her, citrus blossom and rosemary stronger than the myriad of cooling donuts. She resisted the urge to sway into him. Something in Eli’s chest eased.

“Yeah,” she said, a little more sure. “You fake-courted the hell outta me. Really left an impression.”

“Good,” he breathed, dipping down to hover above her lips. “Because that was just the beginning.”

Oh, thank god, Eli thought, and melted against him as he took her mouth. She stretched up to meet him, sliding her hands up his chest to tangle in his messy bun.

Their lips locked, and she parted hers beneath him, welcoming him inside, slipping their tongues together. When they pulled away, her chest was heaving, eyes half-lidded.

His big, brown eyes were so deep she wanted to get lost in them.

“And Jack is okay with this?” he asked.

Eli nodded.

“And this?” Raj kissed her, and Eli hummed into it, messing it all up.

“And this?” he asked again, trailing his lips to her throat, the mark that both Raj and Jack had been fighting over.

She shivered against him, knees going weak. “Yes.”

Raj scraped his teeth across the mark, and Eli audibly gasped. As soon as the sound crossed her lips, Raj leaned away with a smirk, her hands sliding from his hair. “Great. Now, what were you saying about icing?”

Eli blinked up at him, mind processing slowly, body full of want.

“Icing,” she repeated.

Raj nodded, and Eli’s gaze fell to the shiny metal tabletop. “Right. Icing. I need to wash up now, hold on.” She was only a little pouty as she trailed to the sink and washed her hands.

“This icing takes no time at all,” she promised, calling over her shoulder. “The donuts will still be too hot to use it yet, and we have to fill them first anyway. But it’s easy to make.”

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