“That’s cool,” he replies, seeming genuinely interested. “I’m impressed. I bet that’s a crap-ton of schooling.”
I pick up one of the burger halves on my plate and examine the contents. “Seven years. Do you want me to try the Cheddar or the Asiago first?”
Jasper looks over at the food in my hand and the one left on the plate. “That’s the Cheddar, so go ahead and try it first.”
I bring the food to my mouth and take a bite. The first thing I taste is the juicy tomato and the tangy spinach. Mixed with the fresh ground beef patty, and it’s a pretty good burger.
“Tell me what you think.”
Once I swallow, I share my thoughts. “Pretty tasty,” I tell him. “It’s a great flavor combination, and the cheese really sets it off. The tomato is grilled to perfection, and I’m pretty sure you added a pinch of salt. I like that you melted it on the spinach instead of the patty.”
His eyes sparkle as he listens, seeming to hang on my every word. When I’m finished, he finally takes his own bite and slowly chews. “I agree. The cheese is good, but I’m hopeful the Asiago is the real winner.”
I eat a few fries and take a drink of water to clear my palate before reaching for the other half. I can smell the Asiago cheese, and my mouth waters. When I take a bite, the flavor explodes on my tongue and I groan in satisfaction. Closing my eyes, I savor the unique taste of the ingredients, knowing this is the winning combination. “Oh, man,” I groan, quickly taking a second bite. “This is the one,” I mumble with a mouth full of food.
He grins widely before taking his own bite, moaning in pure bliss. “Damn.”
“Right? It’s delicious,” I declare. “You could even add a touch of mayo or even a thin layer of chipotle mayo for a kick, though the tomato still holds that juicy factor.”
Jasper barks out a laugh, reaches into the bag, and pulls out several small containers. “Mayo, chipotle mayo, zesty ranch, and a creamy cucumber sauce I make from scratch.”
We play around with the different sauces, and both agree the zesty ranch is the way to go. It adds a certain kick, while still preserving the unique flavor combinations. Once we finish our food, I toss all the containers in the trash and get ready to bake my cake.
“Will you grab that bag of flour?” I ask, getting the eggs and buttermilk from the refrigerator. I pull all of the dry ingredients off the shelf and set them beside the big, new bag of flour.
When I glance at Jasper, his eyes are dancing with eagerness. “Tell me what to do.”
“Gonna let me boss you around for a change, huh?” I tease, then suddenly realize the innuendo of my words. My cheeks flame red as memories of Jasper’s hot demands in bed two nights ago come playing back vividly.
He turns my way, an amused smirk on his face. “Well, if you want to…take the bull by the horns, sweets, you can boss me around whenever you want.”
I didn’t think it was possible, but my desire to have the floor open up and swallow me whole is greater than ever before. Now, not only am I thinking about what we did the other night, but so is Jasper. Clearly the bull he’s referring to is his cock, and I can tell by the way his eyes devour me from head to toe, it’s as if he’s picturing me completely naked and recalling all the dirty things he did to my body.
A shiver rolls through my veins.
“Quit thinking about me naked or this cake will never get made,” he announces, tossing me a wink. “What should I do?”
I pull out the food processor, willing my breathing and heartbeat to calm down. “How do you like cherries?”
Again, I blush.
Get your mind out of the gutter!
He smirks and pops open the jar sitting in front of him. He brings one to his mouth, tongue slipping out to catch a drop of juice before it can fall. As he chews, he whispers, “Love them.”
I clear my throat and try not to think about him using his tongue on other things. It doesn’t help, of course. “We’re making a cherry chip cake with buttercream frosting.”
“Excellent.” He claps his hands together, heads over to wash them, and gets to work on chopping the maraschinos.
He watches me intently as I make the batter, helping add ingredients as I ask. Once the cherries are added, I divide the batter into three round, greased pans and slip them into the preheated oven.
“That’s it?”
“That’s it,” I confirm, setting the timer. “Well, it is for the cakes. Now we get to make the frosting.”
I retrieve the ingredients and toss them in the mixer. It’s my favorite appliance of everything in the kitchen and the one thing I use more than anything else, besides the oven.
When it’s folding together in the bowl, I glance over and find Jasper grinning. “What?”
“Nothing. It’s just that you have some powdered sugar on your cheek.”
I quickly swipe it away, only to have him chuckle.
“No, it was the other one.”
Before I can try to wipe it off, he leans in his big, warm thumb and presses it against my cheek as he removes the smudge. “There.”
“Thanks.” The words are hoarse, my throat suddenly extremely dry. I’m very well aware of how close he’s standing and how amazing he smells.
“You have some…” he starts, dabbing his pinky against the side of the mixer and taps it against my neck, “…thing right here.”
Then his mouth descends, his warm tongue swirling around my skin before he licks and sucks the drop of icing off me. Wetness floods my panties, and it’s suddenly hard to breathe. All I can think about, all I want, is him.
We move together. I turn in his arms, and he presses his lips to mine. The cold, hard steel island digs into my ass, but I don’t care. I swing my arms around his neck as I lift myself up to meet his hungry mouth. He’s hard, his erection firmly wedged between our bodies, and the feel of it only makes me more ravenous.
“You taste so fucking sweet,” he whispers, nipping at the corner of my mouth. His hands reach back and grip my ass, gently lifting me onto the table.
I wrap my legs around his waist, rocking my hips and grinding against him. If possible, it feels like his erection grows even harder.
“If I’m being completely honest here, I was hoping you’d show up in the gym again last night,” he murmurs, scraping his teeth against my jaw. “I went to bed so fucking hard, I had to take care of it in the shower.”
His words—and the images they create—causes a shiver to slide down my spine. “That’s hot. I’m sorry I missed it,” I mutter, throwing my head back and letting him devour my neck.
“The sex or the jack in the shower?”
I lift my head and meet his gaze. “Both.”
His mouth descends once more, raw and demanding as he deepens the kiss. I feel his hands everywhere. My back, my hair, my breasts. Everywhere but where I ache the most for his touch.
Just as he reaches for the button of my jeans, the timer goes off on the oven. I jerk back at the same time a loud knock sounds on the front door. I look in that direction, unable to see who it is from this angle but knowing who the knocker is.
“Shit,” I gasp, sucking oxygen into my lungs. I press my hands against his hard chest and jump off the island. Retrieving potholders, I grab the three cakes from the oven and set them on the cooling rack. When I glance back at Jasper, I find him leaning against the island, a smirk on his face and his very prominent erection pressed against his zipper. “Uhh, you may want to put that away.”